A Passion for Poetry: JMU Provides a Home for Writers

by Chase Collins

Coming to JMU I was looking for a home, a place that shared my passion for writing. I was so relieved to find out JMU had a creative writing club, Word is Born: a collection of diverse writers from all backgrounds and genres. I immediately fell in love with Word is Born and was swiftly introduced to our parent organization, the Furious Flower Poetry Center.

This academic center has truly been a blessing in my life and to Word is Born. Without Furious Flower, it would not have been possible for Word to bring award-winning poet Samantha Thornhill to one of our weekly meetings for a fun and exciting workshop. In May of 2017, Furious Flower co-funded a trip of seven Wordians to the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference in Washington, D.C., during which we were exposed to a variety of professional writers' an experience I will never forget. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity, which would not have been possible without Furious Flower’s assistance.

My connection with Furious Flower has also given me the opportunity to help teach kids in the local community about poetry and creative writing via the annual Creativity Camp, a summer program that includes poetry and other art forms. As a camp counselor, I worked with grade-school children, getting them excited about poetry and writing. It was such a gift to see young students excited about something I love!

Without Word is Born and Furious Flower, my college experience would be vastly different. I am happy that I found these people, the members of the club and the staff at the center, who share my passion for the creative arts, the local community, and JMU students. 

Chase Collins is a graduating senior studying Integrated Science and Technology with a concentration in Information Knowlege Management at JMU. He is one of the 2017-2018 co-presidents of the Word is Born Writers Society.