Kaylin Semkiw

Respite is something most people hunt for during times of stress, such as midterms or deadlines. Students often can be found seeking respite in doomscrolling and other mindless, forgettable activities. Making things can be a respite to the stress people face from day to day, and Creative Writing Fridays can provide that outlet for the students who attend. Taking place weekly in the Writing Centre, it is open to anyone. It is an event that stems from community building, resulting in every new face to be greeted with a warm welcome.

“A great place for students to interact with faculty,” is how Jenna Goddard, the head of the Writing Centre, describes it.

Each week, students are presented with a short presentation, then a prompt, and then are given a chance to write. After, students are allowed to share their piece if they so wish. Makomborero Chivasa enjoys the critiques he’s given from peers at these sessions. Lasting only an hour, a welcoming space to write and share is created.

Students like Chivasa come to Creative Writing Fridays to improve their writing. He welcomes peer feedback and always finds himself looking forward to the next session. Goddard believes building relationships is the foundation of Creative Writing Fridays, and that it “creates a space where anyone can feel welcome.” This event seems to have a trend of students who come to a session enjoy it enough to keep coming back.

Creative Writing Friday was made to balance out the associations with the Writing Centre. Since it typically only supports students with academic writing, students are typically not very happy when they come inside. The Writing Centre itself used to only be associated with negative connotations for students: that they weren’t good enough or that they were not a good writer for seeking out the Centre’s help. Creative Writing Fridays allow the Writing Centre to be more than just harsh-editing and doom. It lets students feel comfortable and find community in their peers who have the same passion as them.

As an organizer of the event Goddard believes she has the most privileged position considering that she gets to stay connected to people who give back to their community and she said “Students give me hope in a world that can feel hopeless at times.” Goddard is a very compassionate faculty member and is grateful to see students leaving the Writing Centre happier, calmer, or more assured than they were when they walked in.

Goddard’s passion for a small creative outlet such as Creative Writing Fridays could instill hope that the event will continue for a very long time.