Writing Club Begins Its Sixth Year on Campus

Six years ago a club was created on campus with the purpose of showcasing students’ creative writing talent. Most people at Southwestern know this club as The Rough Writers. Over the years, the group has had poetry slams, campus-wide creative writing contests, and other events.

Rough Writer meeting activities vary slightly each week. Generally the group spends about half of the meeting reviewing a member’s manuscript. The other half is spent involved in a writing exercise or game.

The other part of meetings involves club activities, such as designing club T-shirts, Poetry Slams, the annual Creative Writing Contest for cash prizes, and National Novel Writing Month.

Rough Writers started in 2007 when Communication Professor Glen Robinson met with English student Edward Cheever and journalism major Kathy Douglas for the first time. “I had wanted to have a writer’s group on campus for a long time,” says Robinson, sponsor of the Rough Writers. “The key to getting it going was finding students who were as interested in writing stories and poetry as I was.” Robinson feels that the club fits hand-in-glove with his desire to train Christian writers.

Last summer the Rough Writers published their first book, titled The Scribbler’s Pen. It’s a combination of short stories and poetry from club members and contest participants over the past few years.

Tonight will be the first meeting of the 2013-2014 school year. The Rough Writers meet from 5 to 6 p.m. every Thursday in the Student Center. All Southwestern students are invited to attend.

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