Letter from the Editor
As I stood next in line to walk across the graduation stage only a few nights ago, I spared a quick glance at the crowd of my fellow peers. I took in all four hundred and fifty of them, spray-tanned and teary-eyed, both fearful and yet hopeful for what was to come next. Just as my name echoed across the expanse of the auditorium, my heart swelled and I felt the release of a breath. I hadn’t realized until that moment that this was most likely the last time I would see the majority of their faces. That this would be our last high school experience. Both together and alone. I was relieved to be moving on because all that had troubled me (the final exams, the short duration of friendships, the fears of fitting in) were no longer things I’d have to worry about. They no longer meant anything. And yet, at the same time, I found that I was sad. Because while I was indeed leaving behind the things that were troubling, I was also leaving behind those few things that had made me happy (my first time reading A Tale of Two Cities, publishing my work in the school magazine, chicken sandwich Thursdays). While the negative things did indeed overpower the good, those small things still meant something. And as much as I would have liked to believe that graduating would have allowed me to let go of every negative moment, ,the reality was that it didn’t. Because every memory I had lived through meant something. It would always mean something.
It’s truly remarkable how every single moment we live, every single second that passes, holds significance in our life and in who we become. While I do not believe our past is the defining factor in who we are, and while I believe we have the ability to change our lives and sculpt our future into what we want it to be, I truly do believe that every moment we experience, we experience for a reason. Whether it is choosing who will stand beside us at our wedding or if we “want fries with that.” Staying up late to finish an assignment, ignoring that call, or deciding to pick dandelions while the others chose to climb the tree. Every moment that passes has influence on the person we have sculpted ourselves into. While we may forget one second or think another is meaningless, the person we become and the life we live is in some way affected by all of the moments we experience. It’s quite a beautiful belief, I’ve realized. The fact that our life is conjured up of uncountable opportunities, made solely for the purpose of allowing each and every one of us to grow and change. The fact that my high school experiences won’t always define me is relieving. The fact that they have made me stronger and shown me perseverance is enlightening.
This is one thing I’ve appreciated about the writings and artwork in our fourth issue. No matter how simple nor how complex, these teens all do an amazing job at capturing the significance of a single moment in a person's life. However, they also display that opportunities and outcomes live beyond that moment. In Cate Pitterle’s short story “Bus 143,” the main character makes it a point to alert a distracted woman of an arriving bus. While this was not something he intended to benefit from, the piece goes to show what the simple kindness brought along with it. In “The Summer All Our Lemons Turned to Limes,” Leila Barnes depicts through imagery and other literary devices what it was like to be in love. She then goes on to show what love does to the heart. And in the cover, “Lavender Path,” we see a girl who appears to be walking away. However, we also see that while she did choose to walk away, there is more that awaits her. As you read through this issue, I ask that you try to acknowledge the significance of a single moment. I think that, by doing so, you’ll see how much this issue transformed not only the writers and artists, but how much it will transform you.
Marriah Talbott-Malone
Prose Editor
Courtney Felle Editor-In-Chief
Maheen Shahbazi Poetry Editor
As I stood next in line to walk across the graduation stage only a few nights ago, I spared a quick glance at the crowd of my fellow peers. I took in all four hundred and fifty of them, spray-tanned and teary-eyed, both fearful and yet hopeful for what was to come next. Just as my name echoed across the expanse of the auditorium, my heart swelled and I felt the release of a breath. I hadn’t realized until that moment that this was most likely the last time I would see the majority of their faces. That this would be our last high school experience. Both together and alone. I was relieved to be moving on because all that had troubled me (the final exams, the short duration of friendships, the fears of fitting in) were no longer things I’d have to worry about. They no longer meant anything. And yet, at the same time, I found that I was sad. Because while I was indeed leaving behind the things that were troubling, I was also leaving behind those few things that had made me happy (my first time reading A Tale of Two Cities, publishing my work in the school magazine, chicken sandwich Thursdays). While the negative things did indeed overpower the good, those small things still meant something. And as much as I would have liked to believe that graduating would have allowed me to let go of every negative moment, ,the reality was that it didn’t. Because every memory I had lived through meant something. It would always mean something.
It’s truly remarkable how every single moment we live, every single second that passes, holds significance in our life and in who we become. While I do not believe our past is the defining factor in who we are, and while I believe we have the ability to change our lives and sculpt our future into what we want it to be, I truly do believe that every moment we experience, we experience for a reason. Whether it is choosing who will stand beside us at our wedding or if we “want fries with that.” Staying up late to finish an assignment, ignoring that call, or deciding to pick dandelions while the others chose to climb the tree. Every moment that passes has influence on the person we have sculpted ourselves into. While we may forget one second or think another is meaningless, the person we become and the life we live is in some way affected by all of the moments we experience. It’s quite a beautiful belief, I’ve realized. The fact that our life is conjured up of uncountable opportunities, made solely for the purpose of allowing each and every one of us to grow and change. The fact that my high school experiences won’t always define me is relieving. The fact that they have made me stronger and shown me perseverance is enlightening.
This is one thing I’ve appreciated about the writings and artwork in our fourth issue. No matter how simple nor how complex, these teens all do an amazing job at capturing the significance of a single moment in a person's life. However, they also display that opportunities and outcomes live beyond that moment. In Cate Pitterle’s short story “Bus 143,” the main character makes it a point to alert a distracted woman of an arriving bus. While this was not something he intended to benefit from, the piece goes to show what the simple kindness brought along with it. In “The Summer All Our Lemons Turned to Limes,” Leila Barnes depicts through imagery and other literary devices what it was like to be in love. She then goes on to show what love does to the heart. And in the cover, “Lavender Path,” we see a girl who appears to be walking away. However, we also see that while she did choose to walk away, there is more that awaits her. As you read through this issue, I ask that you try to acknowledge the significance of a single moment. I think that, by doing so, you’ll see how much this issue transformed not only the writers and artists, but how much it will transform you.
Marriah Talbott-Malone
Prose Editor
Courtney Felle Editor-In-Chief
Maheen Shahbazi Poetry Editor