In a world where creativity and art are slowly dying due to AI, the WCHS Literary Magazine has become a place where they can flourish. With each page, WCHS students take their imagination and turn it into stories and designs. Readers can connect to the magazine in many ways, including taking inspiration from within its pages.
The annual WCHS Literary Magazine is called Erehwon and it publishes the best creative writing and art from the student body that year. The club has been around since 1960 and has been going strong ever since. Students in the program mainly collect art and write pieces for potential publication. Additionally, they judge submissions and organize the layout of the magazine.
“I have been running the club since 2011,” WCHS teacher and head of the Literary Magazine Cristin Nixon said. “I was in the Literary Magazine during high school and also supported and sponsored my college one. I love creative writing, art and design, so this is a great opportunity for me to cater to my own hobbies.”
Students are able to submit their work through a google form during the first semester. Nearly 1000 pieces of art and writing are submitted from the student body, and after being previewed by the editors, are judged. The magazine accompanies the creative writing class. The main goal of the Literary Magazine is to present the best works of writing and art from the WCHS students. They work towards having a diverse list of creators and many different genres and topics. Overall, the magazine has a lot to offer readers, no matter what they are looking for.
“I love spending time with amazing students who also have similar interests and passions,” Nixon said. “Our club members are very helpful and creative, and we all rely and help one another. The whole group of us is very close, and we can always trust one another with anything related to the magazine.”
Each year, the magazine has a different theme, which is voted on by the students. This year, the theme is Life Cycle of a Phoenix. The magazine has four sections, each meant to represent a different part of the life cycle along with the emotions that come with it. Each piece can be viewed as its own work, but ultimately the magazine comes together to tell a story related to the overall theme.
“This class is incredibly tight-knit and has a great sense of community,” WCHS junior and the magazine’s features section editor Isabel Harless said. “It is special to see the magazine come together and everyone’s ideas just blend into one final piece. I love the aspect of being able to share ideas and feelings, and those ideas being used to create. The magazine takes the creativity from people and turns it into something you can hold. We feature short stories, poems, scripts, screenplays and artwork. All those come together to create a neat magazine, which makes people happy and want to read it.”
Ultimately, the WCHS Literary Magazine is more than just a school magazine. It is an outlet for WCHS students to channel their creativity and inner feelings as well as a space where ideas and thoughts come to life between the pages. Everyone should take a moment to read and connect with the magazine.
“Our students are amazing and work really hard to make the magazine great, so be sure to pick up a copy or try reading just a couple of pages,” Nixon said. “Ultimately, this magazine showcases how talented our Bulldogs are!”
