The South Central Conference literary magazine “Musings” has replaced the East Central literary magazine “Perspectives.” Both organizations give students an opportunity to get their work published– that could be short stories, poems, art pieces, or any form of writing at all. The new conference didn’t just affect teams and sports, but the world of writing and publication as well. Despite having similar functions, the change forced students to adapt to new rules and timeframe.
“‘Musings’ includes student artwork as well as creative writing. Although the selection process is very similar–advisers from all schools getting together to finalize selections for publication–the timeframe this year was much later; we were finalizing selections when, last year, we were handing out copies of the booklets,” English teacher and Berlin adviser of ‘Musings’ Andrew Reise said.
Junior Emelia Beulen, co-chair of the Wordsmiths of Berlin, submitted two pieces of poetry this February to be reviewed for publication.
“I really like being able to put myself out there and share my work with others. It’s really exciting, and not as nerve-wracking as sharing it out loud at a competition,” Beulen said.
Beulen’s typical writing style is lighthearted and even funny at times. This year, however, Beulen decided to submit something a little deeper and personal. Her poem, “I Told You I’d Love You Forever” is being published along with “Poetry to Me.”
“I wanted to write something darker, and out of my usual element. The idea of love taken too far came to mind, and I used imagery to give clues about what the narrator is doing and what happened,” Beulen said.
Freshman Sarah Majeskie’s first published short story, “Alone in the Universe?” is a mysterious and thought-provoking story of aliens discovering life on Earth. Majeskie says she appreciates the opportunities she and many others have here at BHS to write and publish.
“Being a writer in a world of AI and so many other people who also want to publish makes me really grateful for the opportunities BHS provides to young authors,” Majeskie said.
