Every other Tuesday in Kristian Wilkins classroom, there is a meeting of 15-20 students discussing poetry and short stories as a part of the Epiphany Club.

 “I started Epiphany because a couple of years ago I had a student who expressed an interest or just asked, why isn’t there any creative writing club. I challenged her by saying listen if you want to make this happen and if you’d like I’ll help and sponsor you and get this thing rolling,” teacher and club sponsor Kristian Wilkins said.

Epiphany Creative Writing Club is a circle of people dedicated to enhancing the skills of aspiring writers or students that have a passion for writing. The club is diverse and covers multiple types of creative writing such as non-fiction, fiction, short story, and poetry.

New member, sophomore Kim Le recently joined because she wanted to gain experience in creative writing specifically in short stories.

“Epiphany is really helpful towards on how they provide aid to the selection of writers like I’m not very good at poetry, but they provide short-story assistance too,” Le said.                               

Epiphany has a variety of activities, during club meetings members are required to write or continue their previews writings. But, they also share their writings with one another and usually it is criticized in a good manner to improve their style. Then the rest of the meeting is more laid back. Students get to socialize with one another and share ideas about writing and how they’re going to ameliorate their own individual aesthetic in writing.

“In Epiphany most of the things we do are heartfelt, they’re more for the soul rather than intellectual wise. In writing it’s more of how you express yourself rather than what you’re expressing. We usually have group sit-in’s where everyone critiques your writing we have circle’s where it might hurt to criticize but it’s what needs to happen and it helps you grow,” sophomore Anahi Salgado said.

Anahi Salgado has been a member since her freshman year and has been continuing her journey in creative writing to improve her style specifically in poetry. One of the authors she looks up to is Rupi Kaur a Canadian poet and is one of the best selling authors in New York Times.

“One author I really look up to is Rupi Kaur, but mostly because her writing is simple and it gets to the point. It makes you feel and think about things you never thought about. Her writing empowers women, it actually shows how women feel rather than making it pretty and intricate and complicated, but instead it’s simple and straightforward,” Salgado said.

At the end of the year, Epiphany publishes a Volume a small issue, which they started last year in the 2016-2017 school year, where the whole student body, not just the members could submit a writing or an art piece such as paintings and photographs that will have the chance of publication.

“Every year, we make a book or publish a journal  I mean, and the whole student body not just the members of the club could get publish,” Salgado said.

 Salgado was one of the few members that were able to get her work published in the first ever Volume in Epiphany through her hard work and dedication.

 “My experience in Epiphany has been enlightening. I honestly didn’t know I could complete so much in a year. I didn’t know I could achieve such good achievements, I got published in Epiphany,” Salgado said.

Although members do have a passion or liking towards writing, it does not necessarily mean they want an occupation in an editing or writing industry; some students just join for experience, indicating that the Epiphany creative writing club is open to any individual.

“I’m actually focusing my goal in the medical field because I want to be a doctor. But I also want to gain experience in writing or editing because I know it will benefit me later on, when doing specific and explicit reports in college and the field I’m striving for,” Le said.