U of M student Erika Beaudin and her friends spent the summer of 2025 living in Montreal. Upon returning home, she was inspired to recreate the transformative experiences she had on her trip. So, she founded the UM Poetry Society.

The group emphasized sharing personal thoughts and reflections, rather than technical or academic analysis of literature. She has hosted three poetry nights since the start of the academic year, which are roughly two-hour events in the Tier Building. Beaudin brings books of poetry to read from, or members can share their own writing and the group discusses how the works resonate with their lives. She encouraged members to consider varied perspectives and participate in debates.

“I wanted an artistic space to talk to other people […] especially things that brought people to reflect, and poetry does that,” Beaudin expressed.

She hopes to expand the poetry society with other events in the future, such as workshops and writing sessions.

Beaudin told the story of her and her friends experiencing a multitude of changes in their lives and deciding to spend the summer living away from home. Her reasons included anxiety about turning 20 and a desire to gain more life experience beyond her engineering degree. They were attracted to Montreal for its arts and walkability and spent their time exploring, writing and completing a government internship.

She also discovered a group of poets in Montreal called Union Santa Fe, primarily made up of students at Concordia University. They meet weekly, in a park or a member’s home, and discuss their writing. Some of their work can be found in the literary magazine Oil. Beaudin met a member who gave her the information while they watched a busker together. Beaudin was unable to contact her new acquaintance again, but she determinedly showed up to a meeting anyway.

Beaudin decided not to register her club as an UMSU student group as she had issues with their official regulations. But she took the initiative to hang posters and book rooms anyway. She encourages more students to follow her lead.

“It was remarkably easy to start a club,” Beaudin explained. “If you have an idea of any of your interests and you put up a poster that says, ‘Do you have this interest? Put your name and email down,’ people with that interest will […] Then you could go, ‘Let’s hang out and talk about it!’ And then they will.”

“University is so what you make of it,” she said. “Anything you’re thinking of doing, you should do it. Because also, if you don’t prioritize these things, they’ll never happen […] Never again will you be around 30,000 other people your age who also might join the club.”

For updates and more information, follow the UM Poetry Society on Instagram @um_poetrysociety.