By Ian Escandor:
What is the history behind the club? The club was originally started at the Bankstown campus where I was going to start my Diploma in Arts. The idea behind starting a Writers’ Club was generated from random conversations I had with fellow students, those who expressed an interest in writing across a range of styles and formats. It is envisaged that the club should be a place of encouragement and resources, a place for writers of all levels to work cooperatively with others.
What types of events do you run? The club is still new and has had several informal meet and greet events. The plan for the club is to;
• Meet on a regular basis.
• Provide a range of resources free to members.
• Have an Anthology of the writers’ selected works.
Why should people join your club?
As the definition of the club is focused on writing, the people most interested would be established writers and budding writers. Of course anyone who enjoys reading would be equally welcomed. The benefit of joining the club is the environment of mutual interest and support.
Is your club open to members outside of Bankstown? Originally the club was set up at Bankstown and on the Western Sydney Orgsync website. The idea of expanding to other campuses had not been considered. But as students from other campuses have shown an interest in the club and its concepts and purposes, there will be contacts made to assist in setting up other clubs. The actual format and relationship of these satellite clubs will need to be developed.
If you could recommend one writer for a student/reader of WSUP, who would it be and why? There are many fine examples of writers that could be suggested. It really depends on the genre an individual likes.
• Romantics & Social Climates: Jane Austin, Emily Bronte
• Science Fiction: Jules Verne or Isaac Asimov.
• Adventure: Alexandre Dumas or Herman Melville
• Poetry: Christina Rossetti or Richard Brautigan
The list can continue to cover an amazing range of genres such as comedy, history and drama. As expressed, the choice of author is really selected by the readers interests. The authors I have listed are ones I have personally enjoyed over the years.
