Club activities are in full swing in Patchogue. Here’s a look at recent events hosted by the Creative Writing Club and Circle K at St. Joseph’s University, New York.
Creative Writing Club
The Creative Writing Club on SJNY’s Long Island Campus held a presentation on black writers during which students learned the importance of African American literature and how it has influenced society.
“The club wanted to take a deep dive into poems that explore the trauma of racism in such beautiful ways,” said Natalie Zahn, Creative Writing Club secretary. “We also wanted to display the diversity of these authors and how they can portray similar tragedies in dramatically different ways.”
Members brought in three poems: “Who Said It Was Simple” by Audre Lorde, “Turning” by Lucille Clifton and “The Crime Of Being Small” by Althea Davis. The poems reflect on personal experiences with racial inequality.
As a group, club members went through each poem and discussed the importance of the author and what their intentions were when writing the piece.
“Each perspective offers new ideas and personal thoughts regarding racism,” said Zahn. “Ultimately, such texts are important because they are still relevant in modern day society. Despite the pain of these pieces, it’s important to teach such works especially during a time when book banning is on the horizon.”
Though these poems are written about racism, they can be applied to other issues happening in today’s society, according to Zahn.
“Deviating away from racism, these pieces can be applied to other issues. The duality of broadness and specificity allow for valuable conversation and interpretation. Hence, we wanted to expose and educate our members on literature they may not be familiar with in efforts of highlighting the beauty and significance of writing as an art form,” added Zahn.
For more information on the Creative Writing club, reach out to li.creativewriting@student.sjny.edu.
Circle K
Circle K at St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Long Island Campus recently completed its first donation drive of the semester. During the month of March, the group collected essential items, such as travel-sized personal care and hygiene products, that would be assembled into kits for Victory Rehabilitation Center.
Circle K donated 90 kits to a local rehabilitation center.
“We were super eager to do something that could greatly help the people outside of our campus,” said Brisa Franchino, Circle K president.
By collaborating with the Rotaract Club, Circle K exceeded its goal of 60 kits, assembling 90 kits in total. Leftover resources were also donated to Victory Recovery Partners.
“We hope that these kits help positively impact the lives of many on their road to recovery,” said Franchino.
Mackenzie Tvelia ’26 contributed to this article.
