Poetry Club is a space for poetry lovers and writers to come together and discuss writing. Under the leadership of Smile Jiang ’24 and Gary Sun ’22, the club meets weekly on Monday afternoons. Though the club has existed for many years, it has gained more attention and participation over the course of this fall because of the consistent meeting schedule.
Poetry Club aims to create a time and space for writers of all different experiences and interest levels to talk, revise, and critique poems written by both CA students and faculty, and poets in the broader Concord community. Currently, the club is focused on getting more exposure. Smile observed, “In a sense, it’s a stewardship of poetry within the CA community. I think our goal with future events like readings and open mics is to create a space for those who are already well-versed in poetry and those who are simply interested in it…[Our goal] is to get the community talking about poetry.”
During meetings, the co-heads plan a variety of activities and exercises for the hour-long discussions. Poetry club has become a place for poets to improve their writing skills, or work through writer’s block. Smile discussed, “Normally we share our poems and discuss them as a group. Other times we do writing together whether it be writing poems to get people started brainstorming about poetry or general writing to get over writer’s block… Recently one thing we have been doing is preparing for competitions and awards like the scholastics writing award and editing each other’s work.”
Some of the poems the club has been reading recently include Gaia Rajan’s “Ghost Town, Ohio” from The Kenyon Review and “Spoiler” by Hala Alyan written in The New Yorker. Students examine the poems, critiquing or complementing the techniques and moves used by the authors.
Smile noted how the community created by the club is encouraging and uplifting. She discussed, “We are all really interested in poetry and I feel like it’s a very non-judgemental place for you to bring out your work for other people to peer review…It’s a really supportive space.”
The club has exciting initiatives for the future including open mic nights. They are focused on creating a space where writers and poets can come together to share their work. Smile noted, “In the near future we are doing a reading or open mic [night]…So whether it is with readings or open mics, we want to get students and faculty alike to come up and read their own poems or something they are interested in. These are fun events to get people thinking about poetry…We will see where it takes us, but that is the plan for now.”
Poetry Club has created a welcoming community of collaborators and writers. CA looks forward to watching the club grow and explore new initiatives they will bring to the table. Poetry Club continues to highlight and develop the writing of poets in the CA community, and if you are interested in attending a meeting, lookout for an email on all school FYI!