Norwood High School’s Creative Writing club is looking for more ambitious writers to join Mr. Mainuli on Thursday afternoons from 2:50-3:50 in room 359 to write creative pieces on topics determined entirely by the writer. Creative writing club grants its members full creative freedom to write whatever comes to mind without the pressure or obligation of sharing it with anyone.
The creative writing club gives students a space to share their ideas and transform them into stories in a pressure-free environment.
“When I started working here 6 or 7 years ago, there wasn’t a creative writing club, but there had been for a long time. There was a teacher who had recently retired and had run a creative writing club for a long time, “ said Mainuli.
Mainuli continues explaining how his interest in starting a creative writing club peaked in 2020, around the commencement of the pandemic.
“Around the Covid years, I was trying to think of something to get some more engagement and a little bit more creativity, so I put together the new creative writing club,” Mainuli shared.
Mr. Mainuli’s interest in sharing his affection for creative writing started a while ago, a fact that becomes evident when partaking in the creative writing club activities.
“I studied English, I loved to read books, and another thing that I have always wanted to do was be a writer. I wrote short stories in college, and I studied how to be a writer. I had gone through all of these courses and classes and met professors who were really established writers who were really interesting people,” Mainuli said.
Mainuli’s passion for writing started with an interest in literature in college, which began while studying English.
“I felt a lot of joy writing stories, and I think a lot of students do too,” Mainuli shares.
Mainuli not only shared his passion for writing and the creative writing club itself, but also his surprise at the outcome of the club after its formation.
“I was surprised by how quickly it took off. The club gives students a place to share ideas apart from communities online,” Mainuli said.
A typical day of the creative writing club is laid back and self-paced, creating an enjoyable time for members of the club.
“There are days when people need a sort of pick-me-up and need a way to get through writer’s block, like an exercise to get some words on a page. Other days we are just writing.” Mainuli said.
“Creative writing club is a safe space for my students who want to get away from a schedule to sit and write, which is one of the hardest things to find the time to do,” Mainuli said.
Mainuli recommends that anyone who might be interested in the club should just come to a meeting.
“Just come see what it’s like. There’s absolutely no pressure; share anything. This is a place where no one is going to judge your writing. We are encouraging, we are helpful, and it is just a really nice place to be,” Mainuli said.
While Mainuli’s passion and unwavering commitment to the running of the creative writing club are contagious and likely to rub off on others, he also shared that the club is not quite as popular as it used to be.
“For a few years, it caught fire with lots of people joining and participating. Now it’s gotten smaller again. We had a big group of seniors graduate, so we are looking for a lot of younger writers from the middle school to take their place,” Mainuli said.
If you enjoy writing and are looking for something to do on Thursday afternoons after school, consider joining Norwood High’s Creative Writing Club to engage in a stress-free writing environment. Mainuli emphasized that the club has a vacancy for freshmen, so if you are in 9th grade, look into the creative writing club to determine if it’s the right fit for you!