{photos by Cami Smith and Haley Haynes-Carstens}
Greetings on this fine Monday! Today’s blast from the (recent) past comes from Sarah Shotwell, our High School History and Literature teacher and advisor for the Hanging Lantern Review literary magazine:
On May 27th, we had an incredible night at our second annual Hanging Lantern Review Spring Reading and Release Party at Kreuzberg, CA in downtown SLO. Students from SLOCA and other teen writers from around the Central Coast read their award-winning poetry, fiction, and nonfiction while parents, friends, teachers, and local bystanders sipped coffee and tea and thumbed through the brand new, beautiful summer issue of Hanging Lantern Review, sloCAHS' awesome student-run lit journal. The students reading at this event are truly some of the most talented young writers in our region, and hearing them read their work was a true pleasure. The baristas at Kreuzberg were even impressed!
This year has been an adventure for those on staff at the magazine. As faculty advisor for this team, I got to watch as students really took ownership over their various staff roles. They learned to meet hard deadlines, to follow through on their commitments, and to dream big and see those goals realized. As with last year, we all have learned so much together about writing, editing, and the creative process, but also about planning, budgeting, fund-raising, graphic design, event coordination, and marketing. The resulting product is truly a testament to these kids' teamwork, and I couldn't be prouder of them. The quality of the writing included in this issue is tremendous, and visually, the magazine itself looks and feels like a work of art.
Please stop in at the SLOCA Bookstore to pick up a copy for $10. We know you won't be disappointed, and 100% of your purchase will go towards Hanging Lantern Review and our continued efforts to build and nourish a community of young writers here on the Central Coast.
SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with the above mentioned business.
