What is Literary Magazine?
Creative writing, poster making, marketing, magazine writing, poems, taking pictures, short essays, and so much more is what happens in Saugus’ Literary Magazine class. Any writing involved is usually published once or twice a year. This class is able to help students develop better writing skills, learn about publication, and feel proud to share their work. Some schools participate in programs where students will compete against other students from different schools. Literary Magazine is the perfect class for anyone to take since you don’t necessarily have to be good at anything and there will still be jobs open for you in the class.
Student Interview: Isabella Celi
Senior student at Saugus High School, Isabella Celi, has been in Literary Magazine for all 4 years and she is currently an editor this year. Some things an editor does is help choose which student work will be published for that time, proofreading work for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, picking out/approving final layout and design of the magazine, printing, assigning tasks for other students, staff members, and decision making. There are many things Celi likes about the class but here’s one of the biggest reasons why. “I like the fact that we are all one big family, that everyone is able to be themselves with no judgement, everyone helps each other out.” Some kids will either get put into classes, whether they picked it or not, but Celi had another reason why she joined. “I was really inspired by one of my sister’s friends who was an editor in this class a few years back. I heard about the class when I was in grade school and I went to the drive up festival of the arts during quarantine, and I went through the magazine section and I loved it.”
In every class no matter the subject or teacher, there will always be a challenge. One challenge in Literary Magazine is the teacher. “One of the challenges is Mr. Button (the teacher of the class), because he’s super strict with the deadlines and really wants to make sure everything is on point with how it’s supposed to be and it can get a bit annoying or stressful at times.” Most people would assume they have to be good at writing or art or taking photos, but according to Celi, you don’t have to be. “No, you don’t have to be good at anything. Many kids who join the class at first aren’t good at some of the sections, but there are plenty of other things they can do. Whether you’re good at something or not, you’re able to get better from it if you’re not already.”
Student Interviews: Shaun Rivera
Freshman student at Saugus High School, Shaun Rivera, has been in Literary Magazine for just this first year and is a student editor. Some things that Rivera likes about the class is how open it is for everyone. “I like how the class is very open for everyone. You don’t have to be good at drawing or writing or anything else. You progress and get better at what you’re doing as the class goes on.” Riviera chose to be in the class because he thought that it would be a fun and memorable experience. Some people only stay in classes like that for only a year but Rivera says he will want to come back again for his next years of highschool. One challenge Rivera finds about the class is just staying on top of things. “I find that it can be hard to stay on top of your set schedule for the class especially if you’re the picky type of person who wants everything to look perfect.”
