“The moment I heard about it from Mrs. Thillman, I knew I wanted to go. I love getting the chance to develop my writing and meet people with similar interests to me, and this field trip was the perfect opportunity,” said junior Lily Gretzinger.

Writers’ Union, an NDA extracurricular club, recently took a field trip to Ripon College for an all-day writing endeavor.

They spent the day rotating through three workshops that each focused on a certain type of writing. 

Over the course of the day the students learned about writing poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. 

One of the club members, Gretzinger, really enjoyed the field trip, and at the end of the time at Ripon, she was one of the people chosen to read her work aloud to the entire group. 

“I was shocked that I was recognized, but I was honored that my work was well-received,” said Gretzinger.

She also loved that they were able to create some of their own work rather than just listen to the guest speakers talk.

“I definitely would recommend it. I learned a lot about writing, met some amazing people, and had the chance to write something new,” said Gretzinger.

Another club member that went was senior Camille Lawrence. She too thought that it was a fun opportunity to travel with her club and practice her writing.

“I learned that abstract concepts are best portrayed with analogies that connect your reader to the real-world,” said Lawrence.

A moment that stuck out to both Gretzinger and Lawrence was the poetry teacher who was very supportive. Getting the chance to hear others share their writing empowered them to share their own writing too.

Club adviser Jean Thillman, English teacher, accompanied the group.

“Kudos to Ripon College for sponsoring this event. Students got to work side-by-side with professional writers and meet students from all over the state who share their passion for writing,” she said.