There has been a noticeable lack of creative outlets on campus, which makes sense given RPI’s concentration primarily on science, engineering, and math fields. Creative thinking has been shown to sharpen problem solving skills as well as heighten ingenuity, an effect which is vital to students of RPI. Most problems in science and engineering today call for novel ways to approach seemingly intractable problems. We all need creative outlets.

Formerly, for the creative writers of Rensselaer, their only hope for an outlet was to register for the handful of courses in the discipline. Comma offers a place for creative writers and students seeking that outlet to meet regularly. This is the niche that Comma will fill by offering workshops, open readings, and, of course, a community of peers. This club also seeks to help emerging writers publish their work. In fact, Huber, the faculty president of Comma, is a self-published author and is eager to share her insights and experience.

Though a new club, Comma has deep aspirations. Comma plans to sponsor campus wide readings and invite local writers to speak, read their work, and hold workshops. Comma also plans to host workshops with nearby universities, building a community that stretches beyond Rensselaer. Plans are also in the works to start a new literary journal for creative writing.

If you’re interested in joining, either to write, read, or just listen, email Nick Boni ’15 at bonin@rpi.edu or join the Facebook group “,” where updates and meeting times will be posted. Comma meetings are currently scheduled to be held Thursdays at 8–10 pm in the Union.