Spring EDITION OF Spectrum HIGHLIGHTS COMMUNITY

The Spring edition of the Spectrum Magazine, is a student-assembled magazine made entirely of student-written short stories, poetry, and visual art. It is now available for purchase in the bookstore for $7.

The magazine is divided into eight sections, all named after different locations around town: The Library, The Store, etc. After reading over the magazine several times, and after making some incredibly difficult decisions, I decided on, out of all the astonishing pieces, a few highlights from each of the eight sections:

THE LIBRARY: Science Fiction/Fantasy

• WORDS: 3 Short Stories by Abigail Salas:
  • Three short stories, all seemingly unrelated, but sharing the nostalgia of the ocean and how it calls back to the younger version of yourself to spend a few more hours drifting in its waves, just a few.
• ART: Photo, pg. 10-11 by Delaney Jones
  • A two-page spread of a photograph features a person, laying very comfortably in their bedroom, while a slightly translucent outline of that person hangs above them, all over a backdrop of a dream-like royal blue.

THE STORE: Narrative

• WORDS: You Told Me I was Unlovable by Anonymous
  • An amazingly heartbreaking poem that masterfully utilizes contradictory statements and sarcasm to express its pain and deliver several blows to the readers’ gut.
• ART: Photo, pg. 15 by Gabby Costa
  • A photograph showing a (seemingly) very large bottle of hand sanitizer, with a (seemingly) smaller person reaching up to its spout, symbolizing how most people felt like the pandemic felt like something bigger than they could control.

FRIEND’S HOUSE: Humor and Nostalgia

• WORDS: sleepover by Emily Brunton
  • Four short lines comprise a beautiful short poem full of nostalgia and disdain for parents as a part of growing up.
• ART: Collage, pg. 23 by Connor Prout
  • This particular collage has a chaotic feel to it, with a lightning storm outside and several pieces of food and clutter inside of a glowing kitchen, but it also feels like the people featured in the collage have made a home in this chaos.

THE RESTAURANT: Romance

• WORDS: Desert Oasis by Anonymous
  • By relating a mirage of a desert oasis to a lover that has promised the narrator everything but has left them with nothing, Desert Oasis builds a work that is sad, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
• ART: Photo, pg. 25 by Natalie Callihan
  • Two punk-dressed lovers, one with long, fluffy turquoise hair and the other with a pair of bunny ears, tell the viewer that they do not care what you think of them, for they are so lost in each other and that is what matters.

THE COMMUNITY GARDENS: Tributes

• WORDS: Hayden’s Colors by Leta Fulton
  • A joyous tribute to the emotions you experience when you find something hidden to you before that makes life a thousand times more interesting to live in.
• ART: Art, pg. 31 by Ally Morris
  • An enchanting art piece with a color palette of deep magenta, grey, green, and brown, that is the perfect introduction to the mystery and wonder of the community gardens.

THE GAS STATION: Horror

• WORDS: Unearthed by Riley Pratt
  • A story of the undead like you have not seen it before, each word in this page-long story is carefully crafted to make you feel chills down your spine on top of everything the story horrifically describes.
• ART: Art, pg. 39 by Emma Casteel
  • In contrasting colors of black and white, these two incredibly complex drawings utilize texture and line movement that leaves a lasting impression in the viewer’s mind.

THE SCHOOL: Drama

• WORDS: Savanna by Anonymous
  • The use of metaphors like gardens and cemeteries, as well as vivid descriptions of this girl known as Savanna, take the reader through the pain of realizing a friend is suffering but is too scared to open up about it.
• ART: Photo, pg. 47 by Delaney Jones
  • Stairs descending into the pitch-black waters of the ocean, where a large, shining moon waits for you just out of your reach.

THE MUSEUM: Eclectic

• WORDS: I Am From by Lesley Kagai
  • A triumphant celebration of all the various occurrences that make us human. The poem specifically mentions ordeals and challenges that black women and girls experience.
• ART: Photo, pg. 52 by Nicki Kilbourne
  • A haunting photograph of a mirror shattered on a maroon carpet, with a shadowy figure standing above it, reflected through the glass.

I wish to say that even if a particular work did not end up on the list, that does not mean I didn’t appreciate it for the wondrous work of art that it is. All authors created amazing pieces, and choosing favorites was quite tough. Keep your pen to the page, and keep creating.

The Spectrum Magazine is on sale now for $7. Make sure to pick up a copy in the bookstore and experience these for yourself!