This story was originally published in the third edition of The Lion’s Tale (December 9, 2020).

The Literary Lions club is the perfect place for students looking to take their writing skills and other creative abilities to the next level.

“This club is not just about writing but about different elements as well, including photography, artwork, poetry and short stories,” said Nicole Blanton, a 10th grade English teacher and club sponsor. 

Honing one’s work through peer review is also an important part of participating in the club. 

“Some of the things we do in the club is write a variety of different literature, ranging from many genres and types,” said sophomore Delaney Warner. “Once we have a finished product, we share our writing to the members of the club, and when we congregate we analyze and give feedback.”

Literary Lions goes beyond what one might do in an English class. 

“This club is more laid back than an English or Journalism class, and I feel we get to let our creative juices flow,” Warner said. 

Members of the club have also made connections and friendships with each other during their time together. 

“In English you may not be able to give detailed feedback on someone’s writing, as you are in Literary Lions,” said sophomore Gracie Baumann. “Not only does this feedback help the writers, but it also forms close bonds.”

The club has been meeting through Webex this year thanks to the coronavirus.

“I personally love having meetings on Webex,” Warner said. “It is much easier to attend meetings.” 

Some students prefer that medium, but others are looking forward to next year and the resumption of normal face-to-face meetings. 

“I think it is harder to do meetings on Webex because it makes it difficult to make connections with people through an online platform,” Baumann said.

Literary Lions allows students to enjoy writing by removing the stress of deadlines and grades.

“When the meeting starts, we take turns giving feedback on the writing,” Baumann said. “The feedback can range from thoughts we had while reading, constructive criticism, or just things we liked about the writing.” 

Working in a group setting where members are free to share their feedback can be very beneficial.

“We conduct our meetings as writing workshops, where students submit their work to the group ahead of time and we all give those students feedback, either written or verbal, during the meeting,” Blanton said.