English Clubs and Activities

The English Club

The English club is a student-run organization which runs exciting social and cultural events for faculty and students, such as writing marathons for creative writing, poetry readings, and trips off-campus. Students of all majors may join the club and hold offices. The English Club also produces the literary magazine, Persona.

Persona, The Literary Arts Journal of Westfield State University

The department sponsors Persona, an annual publication that includes fiction, poetry, drama, essays and artwork by students throughout the college. Selections are made by a student editorial staff.

The Westfield Voice

The student-run campus paper, advised by professors George Layng and Glen Brewster, offers stories on important news in the community. The paper prints biweekly. Readers can also follow the Westfield Voice on Twitter @WestfieldVoice

Flash-Fiction Contests

Student fiction writers can compete for glory in these half-hour fiction contests by writing a short story using a prompt given to them at the start of the contest. Winners of the contests get published in Persona.

The Poetry Club

Student poets have recently created this club for aspiring artists on- and off-campus. The club meets to read, critique, and revise poetry and often plans events like collegiate and inter-collegiate poetry slams. Club members have performed at off-campus events such as Unity Fest, the Holyoke Community College Slam and the Springfield Technical Community College Slam.

Poetry Readings

Every year several readings like the celebratory spring equinox New Works! Reading are organized for campus poets and literary luminaries to share their works.  

Poetry Slams

Birthed by the cafés and clubs of Chicago, Poetry Slams have been a format of competitive artistic expression since the early 1980s. The Poetry Club occasionally hosts collegiate and inter-collegiate Slams where poets of the surrounding community gather to competitively perform their work to an audience and judges. Winners get published in Persona.