For many years, the QUB English Society has been a welcoming corner for all literature lovers, storytellers and bookworms in the QUB community. In any normal year, we would hold a variety of in-person social events for our members, ranging from our infamous ‘Poetry and Pints’, to quizzes, pub crawls, and of course, our annual formal. However this year, along with the many other clubs and societies at Queen’s and beyond, we’ve had to adapt to a new online style of social interaction.

When the new committee first met last summer, we were hopeful that in-person events might be a possibility when term rolled around. However, it soon became clear that this would simply not be safe and our interaction with members would have to be solely online for the first semester at least.

As a result, social media became an important tool for us in being able to interact with our members. In the summer, we launched our successful new ‘Author Spotlight’ feature, in which members could recommend authors from a diverse range of backgrounds. Writing these short reviews has been a great way for students to feel more involved in the society, creating a sense of community spirit when we couldn’t meet in person.

When September arrived, a new challenge awaited: Freshers. And this would be one like no other. With no Freshers Fair in the Whitla Hall and no freebies to collect, clubs and societies were apprehensive as to how they would create the same buzz without the familiar Freshers atmosphere. Instead, students would have to sign up for clubs and societies online. Fortunately though, thanks to the accessibility of the signing-up process on the SU website, our membership numbers actually increased as a result of using the online system; it was looking set to be a successful year despite the circumstances.

We kicked off Freshers by taking part in the SU’s ‘Creative Central’ Virtual Hub, where we decided to host an old favourite; ‘Poetry and Pints’ - Microsoft Teams style. While the atmosphere of the Speakeasy is difficult to replicate, there was something quite nice about listening to the creative work of our members in the comfort of our own homes, with a mug of tea in hand. What’s more, the quality of their creations was amazing as always.

Not wanting to let the COVID situation hinder us, the society made it our aim to collaborate with a wide variety of QUB societies during the year. Excitingly, in October we were invited along with QUB Film Society to take part in a virtual ‘Open Stage’ event held by QU Players. Members of all three societies were given the opportunity to send in clips of singing, acting, and other creative talent, which the Players then made into an epic video to watch on Facebook Live.

Eager to keep collaborating, we held another poetry reading event in November - this time with QUB Afro-Caribbean society as part of their collaboration month. The writing talent of the ACS was incredible and it was a pleasure to listen to their creations.

Also keen to hold an author event during the year, we were delighted to hold a Zoom Q&A session with writer and QUB alumna Gabrielle McMaster. This was a really eye-opening session into the world of writing and getting published, which we learnt a lot from. Holding this event online also had its benefits, as the recording is still available to watch on our social media.

In the lead up to Christmas, we tried to keep the festive spirit alive by getting involved in the Film Society’s ‘film advent calendar’ for charity. As part of this, we screened two Christmas classics to raise money for Book Trust NI, which raises money to send festive book gifts to vulnerable children in Northern Ireland - a worthy cause indeed.

Now that 2021 is here, and with Northern Ireland in the midst of another lockdown, it seems society events will be remaining online for the foreseeable future. In a year in which clubs and societies have had to become more flexible and technologically reliant, we’ve seen firsthand how accessible events can actually be in an online environment. Considering that many of us didn’t know what Microsoft Teams or Zoom were a year ago, I think we should all be proud of what we’ve achieved in this extraordinary year.

Poetry and Pints when it’s all over?

QUB English Society is a student-run society at Queen’s University Belfast

SOCIETY - QUB English Society: How We’re Adapting To COVID-19