Celebrating the successes and achievements of our students and societies here at Aberystwyth University
Academic/Course based Society of the Year is awarded to an academic society who has made an outstanding contribution to their department, as well as to the Union, University, and wider Community.
English and Creative Writing Society (ECWS), our winner this year, are an academic society associated the Department of English and Creative Writing. They provide students of the department and members with educational/academic opportunities such as academic talks, alongside social activities such as their weekly book and cake sessions. ECWS stood out to the panel for their clear dedicated to enriching the university experience of all those who studied in their department, as well as students who just had an interest in the subject area.
ECWS have also seen their department win big in our annual Staff and Students Awards. The ‘Department of the Year’ award was presented to the Department of English and Creative Writing for going above and beyond to ensure students were happy and healthy outside the classroom. It is clear to see ECWS work closely with their departmental staff to ensure their members and students of the department have the best opportunities to enhancing their studies in a social and fun way.
Throughout the year, the society provided an abundance of virtual workshops and activities to their members. On a weekly basis they offered ‘Writing Workshops’ where members could bring their work and receive insightful feedback from their peers, as well as offering regular ‘Chill Writing Workshops’ as an opportunity for members to come together virtually and get writing done!
A valuable opportunity for members was being able to hear from and engage with a range of guest speakers from the industry as part of their ‘Creative Talks’. These sessions allowed members to hear about each person’s work and ask them questions. Guests included…
- David Sias – past scriptwriting student, who became a TV show and movie producer
- Anne Gillen – a design student and former art history student, with experience in the theatre industry and freelance work
- Tom Weber – award-winning poet
- Kim Schneider – director and screenwriter
It wasn’t all work; the society consistently provided a regular ‘Book and Cake’ session featuring a new theme each week. They had everything from plot twists and best endings to women authors, LGBTQ+/Pride, and childhood favourites. They also collaborated with other academic societies, such as their quiz and movie night with the Art Society.
To finish the year with a bang the society published their annual student writing magazine, Aber Ink. This is an opportunity for their members to be published alongside their peers; this year the group brought together 14 fantastic pieces of work under the theme of ‘Invisible Strings’. Commenting on the theme, Ema Martinjak (Creative Writing Secretary 20-21) said…
“The strings which connect me to the important people in my life. Since I have left my home in Croatia to study here, I have found more often than not that I feel like I don’t have a home. […] However, I have come to find a kind of home here, albeit a temporary one.” (Taken from AberInk 2021, p.8)
The passion from this year’s committee has enabled the society to prosper in a difficult climate. They have worked hard to engage members and ensure they still had a variety of opportunities. The SU is excited to see what ECWS get up to next year, and we hope you are too!
Why not get involved yourself? Check out ECWS here: