Music in words Ebooks vs books Young adult genre Writing Tips Importance of storytelling Fairy Tales
fall 2019
Table of Contents Features 4
Literature’s requiem
10
Writing a new way
16 24
Audiobook vs hardbook
30
The art of music in words
The evolution of Young adult
Pages 2
Once upon the dark
8
The essence of writing a story
14
Recipe of a bad story
21 28 34 36
Hard copy e-/ audio books Choose your next YA book Credits page Letter from the editors page
1
Have you ever wondered about the fairy tales, not the Disney remakes but the grusome originals? Answer the first question and then you will start on a quest to find the right story for you!
Yes
START
D
o you believe in happy endings?
No
Rich
W good?
ould you be clever, rich, or
Cle
Good
S
hould there always be a moral to the story? Yes
No
W
ould you willingly sacrifice yourself?
Yes
No
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Graphics by Sara Garg
ver
The Little Mermaid
The Little Match Girl
M
arry into royalty, or be born royal?
Marry
W
ould your villain be human or monster?
Born Royal
Human Monster
D
o you want to fight?
D bad?
Good
o you find magic to be good or
Yes
No
Bad
W
ould you fake your heritage for fame? No Yes
Cinderella
Jack the Giant Killer
Snow White
Ce
THE te
ica
rtif
of
RO
King
BLE
TA UND ip
rsh
be
m Me
r fo
ned Sig
ing :K
’s ur
th Ar
n
So
The Valiant Little Tailor
BlowTales Sara Garg 3 Seven In AFairy
Fairy Tales Sara Garg 3
Literature’s requiem
The quintessence of storytelling
S
By
torytelling is a very diverse skill. Many people have preferences When telling a story, others try something new, and there is such diversity because of its evolution. Storytelling is a skill that requires somebody to try many things in order to master, that is why some of the best authors are praised for their diverse storytelling. Nonetheless, many storytellers have preferences in how to tell a story. “There is no one right way to tell a story,” Said Jennifer A. Nielsen who is best known for writing the Ascendance Trilogy,“Every plot will demand a slightly different approach so the art in writing is to figure out for this plot, what is the most compelling, the most dynamic, and then to go with that approach, even if it’s different from what you’ve done before,” The Format is essential for storytelling, from telling the story chronological order to the
different interpretations of a conclusion. Knowing how to format a story is essential for storytellers, especially when they consider what type of story they are telling and how it contributes to the effect of it. Marshall Ryan Maresca , an author who is best known for the Maradaine novel said,“Figuring out structure for your writing is vital, but the right structure for something I write but not be useful or helpful to someone else,I
Hector Resendiz
Photo by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Consider Sage in The False Prince Through his eyes...Had the story been told by Conner, the master of the estate where Sage has been taken, Sage would be the villain of the story, the spoiler of a brilliant plan to save the country. Had Imogen told the story, Sage would have been a kid with a good heart who ultimately sells out to Conner in order to save his own skin, but at a very high price.
Jennifer A. Nielsen
always outline my novels, to a specific outline structure that I developed, but that structure isn’t necessarily useful to anyone else”. The structure of the story is essential for formatting. When storytellers have reached some form of structure, then they will know what type of story they would be telling. Making an outline, like Marshall Ryan, would be useful since it is like a first draft of your story, and is good for deciding what feeling they want to express when telling a story. Storytelling is an art. One can have the most interesting plot and make it boring because they tell it without any pizzazz. Brian Yasky, an author who is best known for writing Alien invasion and other inconveniences, said”A style and voice can sometimes be what makes a piece of writing distinctive”. Making a story interesting could be difficult. Since they are so many ways to tell a story, one must adapt in what feeling they want when telling their story. It requires many aspects, most importantly making the reader interested in the characters.”Nothing is more important than
character,” Said Brian “If you can get readers to care about your characters then you’ve got them”. Writing style is also something to consider when telling a story. If everyone has the same story, nobody would tell it completely identical. Someone’s writing style would affect the interpretation of the story being told.”
Photo by Marshal Ryan Maresca
[Style] is a slippery pig to pin down,” Said Marshall Ryan “Every writer has their own voice, and that’s going to change the story told”. You should be diligent when considering the diction for telling a story. It is
obvious that some words hold more weight than others, and that can make for such great dialogue. Many stories are told in different perspectives, such as Beowulf and Grendel, to show the different sides of subjectivity. This isn’t something necessary in storytelling, but this concept is interesting as the audience gets an insight on both sides.”Thorn of Dentonhill is a story about a studentturned-vigilante who’s fighting a drug cartel,” Said Marshall Ryan “swap the protagonist and antagonist, it’s about a businessman plagued by a nuisance who’s destroying his enterprise”. These are only some of many, maybe infinite, ways of telling stories. Storytelling has evolved over the years and has become an inspiring art. There are so many beautiful stories that are memorable because of its storytelling aspect. Storytelling will only continue to grow and become something more significant over the years. Endsign
Interpretation of Stories Hector Resendiz 5
Author appreciation, a deeper dive into the lives of a been simmering, something I hadn’t quite figured out what it should be. With a word count limit and a close deadline, I was able to sharpen that idea into a solid punch of a story. Biblio: What inspired you to write? Maresca: Honestly, I’m not sure.It’s always been a thing that drove me, even when I wasn’t sure what I would write, I Marshall Ryan Maresca was certain it was what I wanted to do. It’s Biblio: What do you always been what I’ve enjoy about your first been inspired to do. piece of writing? Biblio: What is your Maresca: Let’s talk favorite piece of about Jump the Black, writing? my first pro short Maresca: My favorite story sale. One thing novel is Watership I enjoyed about that Down. It’s such a great was how efficient that story that is wide and process was. Short epic while also being stories are not my forte; small and personal. I really don’t think in It does a great job them. But through a establishing character, friend of a friend, I was building the world of invited to submit to the story, filling it with an anthology that was mythology and purpose. being put together. Did I’ve read it more times I have a short story than I can count, often for an anthology? I enough that I’ve had really didn’t, but I two paperbacks fall had an idea that had apart on me.
Jennifer A. Nielsen Biblio: What do you enjoy about your first official piece of writing? Nielsen: There’s a great satisfaction in typing “The End” on any project, but when it’s the first, it’s an incredible thing to realize you did this huge thing from start to finish. Regardless of how good the writing is, it’s still very exciting just to know you’ve finished. Bibio: What inspired you to write? Nielsen: In sixth grade, I discovered The Outsiders by SE Hinton. It was the first time when I looked up an author, it wasn’t
authors some old dead guy or someone who seemed to have some special life foreign to mine. SE Hinton was a teenager when she wrote this book that I adored and as a teen, she felt so real to me. I thought that if she could do it, so could I. Biblio: What is your favorite piece of writing? Nielsen:Of my books, if I had a favorite, I’d have to have a least favorite, and I don’t think that’s possible to name, so it’s more accurate to say that I love all my books, just for different reasons. Of someone else’s writing, my favorite books is probably Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling.
boy looking for his birth parents, a journey story. I explored issues of identity, and it was a good experience for me. Biblio: What inspired you to write? Yansky: Not sure. I loved to read. I loved stories. I was always good at writing in school. Then when I gave it a try I loved trying to make stories. It became a passion. Biblio: What is your favorite piece of writing? Brian Yansky Yansky: I don’t have one. I like the books of Biblio: What do you enjoy many writers. A few about your first official that I love are Terry piece of writing? Pratchett, Ursula Le Yansky: I do have, still Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, in my possession, my Gabriel Garcia Marquez. actual first piece of official writing. I think it was done in the first or second grade and was called “Santa Claus and the 27 Bad Boys.” It was memorable for its simple but elegant plotting OR if you mean what did I enjoy about writing my first published novel? I had fun learning my process. Also, it is my most autobiographical novel. It was about an adopted Interpretation of Stories Hector Resendiz 7
The Essence of writing a Story
Exposition
Definition: A comprehensive description and explanation about of an idea or theory. How this impacts a story: In a story, exposition is essentially the background information. This information can tie with anything about the story(Examples: Characters, setting, and historic events).
Falling action
Definition: The parts of a story after the climax and before the very end. How this impacts a story: The falling action is the outcome of the climax and tension decreases, so the story goes to the conclusion.
Graphics by Hector Resendiz
Climax
Definition: The most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex. How this impacts a story: The climax or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension and drama, or it is the time when the action starts during which the solution is given.
Conflict
Definition: A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one. How this impacts a story: A conflict in literature is defined as any struggle between opposing forces. Usually, the main character struggles againts some other force. Rising action comes soon after this.
Rising Action
Definition: Rising action in a plot is a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest, and tension in a narrative. How this impacts a story: In literary works, a rising action includes all decisions, characters’ flaws, and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax.
Conclusion
Definition: The end or finish of an event or process. How this impacts a story: A conclusion is the last part of something, it’s end or result. A conclusion is what you leave to the reader.
Interpretation of Stories Hector Resendiz 9
Writing a new way Ways to improve your storytelling
Written by Christina Hwang
Amber Elby’s books at Genuine Joe’s Coffeehouse. Photo by Christina Hwang.
T
yping and retyping The process of storytelling in written form All it takes to become a writer is to sit down and write. The idea is true, but that’s only the beginning of creating something new. Many writers know the basics of writing: plot, language, and characters. However, writing is much more complex than that. There are many layers and subtleties to the art of writing, which can discourage people from the start. Brenda Marie Smith, winner of 2018 Southern Fried Karma Novel Contest, explained that the process of writing may be arduous, but the end product can be worth the challenge. “It’s harder than you think it’s going to be, but almost everything we’re doing is hard. It’s well worth it in the end,” said Smith. Due to writers’ perseverance, there are so many stories out there. Ones full of magic, ones full of new places, ones full of emotional turmoil, and thousands more have been written. Stories can reflect what the writers are, what they want to show, and what they want to see in this world. Stories don’t appear out of nowhere. Netherfeld trilogy author Amber Elby explained that experimenting can help create a new story, and it
most likely took the author many tries to find what was right. “Just experiment a lot. Find what works for you… Always look for ways to improve, ” Elby said. A common writing tip is to write every day since it can progress a story and could vastly improve the writer’s writing skills. That writing habit is not necessarily the best to have because on some days, writing jus can’t happen for whatever reason. Elby recounted that one day, the cat knocked all the dishes off a cupboard, and Elby wasn’t able to write due to disturbed thoughts and wondered if the cat was evil. Other days, writing can be difficult for young writers due to pre-existing tasks and conditions such as school and work. “I don’t think that writing every day is a good strategy necessarily for those who live in the real world,” said Elby. Even though deadlines can be stressful, they can be helpful to keep the story moving. Elby sets up mini deadlines, which are writing a certain amount of words before that particular day. Mini deadlines are especially helpful in preventing procrastination. Elby often adds a minor punishment with the mini deadline to further prevent procrastination and to give a reason for a goal.
For example, Elby will not eat ice cream until 20,000 words have been written by July 1. “Where I have a deadline two weeks away and I’m not where I want to be, I’ll be like “No ice cream for those two weeks” or something like that,” said Elby. Meredith Byrd, a high school English teacher from Virginia and writer of historical fiction, has found it helpful to give students a deadline for a writing assignment. It allows students to complete their assignments with a goal in mind. Deadlines can also be helpful for writers. “I really liked deadlines. Because otherwise I’ll spend so much time procrastinating that I won’t get anything done,” said Meredith Byrd, high school English teacher from Virginia and writer of historical fiction. With the deadline in mind, writers often plan out the plot and have notes for the characters to use writing time efficiently. Some writers don’t use plan and just improvise. For both the planners and improvisers, ideas and plans can be scrapped. Writing is fluid, so things can end up differently than expected. In fact, Smith often begins to write even though there are only some broad ideas. Improvising the writing tens to allow Smith to go into a groove or
How to (and not to) Write Fiction Christina Hwang 11
trance where writing just flows smoothly from brain to hands.
something. Starts and Stops There can be many starts
their first drafts can be important since it can
“And, I think it’s a very normal; thing to tell stories. It’s just a quesion of whether or not you want to write them down,” ~Brenda Marie Smith, author
Elby’s books on Genuine Joe’s Coffeehouse table. Photo by Christina Hwang “I just write and I kind of let the stories and characters type me where they seem to want to go with control[the characters] actually control over the course,” said Smith. Writers can struggle with words because it doesn’t sound right or flow smoothly. Another issue could be that the writer still keeps the words due to stubbornness or worry. Smith has had that issue many times and solved it by acknowledging that words were just words. By that viewpoint, Smith reasoned that there were hundreds of ways to describe
and stops in the process of writing. For example, the idea for the story is not working out. Most writers encounter some kind of obstacle, and it can be very stressful. However, there are ways to lessen the stress when the obstacle is encountered. To become a more wellrounded writer, one should know how they write, who they are, and what they want from this story. It can be helpful to know the shortcomings and strengths, so there can be specific areas to grow in. Writing tends to reflect the writers and their wants. All pieces of writing carry a distinct flavor, and some tend to have a specific focus. The focus often is something personal to the writer. Once the identity of the writer is sorted, voice is the next thing to tackle. The voice one has in
establish the tone of the writing. However, writers can hyperfocus on the first draft so much that it becomes an obstacle and causes stress. The first draft is part of the bigger picture, and writing can flow easily if there is a big picture. With any big picture, the details are important, but they can come later “I think probably the biggest thing that helped [me] improve my writing was focusing on my writing process. Not worrying so much in the first draft about how it sounded. I’m just trying to get the ideas out,” said Byrd. Even though the ideas are out, they may be scrapped for several reasons. Then, it’s back to gathering new ideas. While searching for inspiration, the writer may encounter writer’s block. For some, it can be incredibly easy to get rid of. On the other hand, others might find writer’s block
difficult to overcome. Some “trick themselves” into writing more of the story. “I do a couple of different things. First of all, I set a timer for 20 minutes. And I just tell myself, hey, it doesn’t have to sound good. You don’t even have to plan on keeping this writing, you have to write for just 20 minutes,” said Byrd. Writer’s block can also be solved by new found inspiration, which can strike from anywhere. For some people, inspiration strikes from an observance of their real world. For Smith, an old memory of being on an old swing set during a windy storm serves as inspiration. “Because sometimes, real life is weirder than fiction,” said Smith. For others, inspiration can come from one’s beliefs and ideals. If a writer is passionate about disability rights, then their activism and hopes can influence their writing in a significant way. “But, also what inspires me is that there’s things going on in the world that need to be addressed and after spending so much of my life as an activist, I decided that maybe I have better luck making change if I wrote fiction,” said Smith. After all, a story can give a lesson or impact lives. Some authors find that their voices are louder in fiction than the real world. Once the ideas and inspirations have been gathered, the support needs to be thought about. Worldbuilding is often a support for
all the ideas, but it can be a very slow and detailed process. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. A world contains many things: people, environment, culture, and more. World-building is essential for two reasons: it sets the stage for your characters and readers, and it’s important that the readers can understand. However, a mistake that can happen with worldbuilding is that there is too much exposition and not enough rising action. “Just have to do it one word at a time. You can’t dump big buckets up front. You have to, you know, dribble it in,” said Smith. Nonetheless, world-building is still necessary because if there’s no information, then the reader may not understand anything. World-building does not have to be something visual such as environment. Relationships of the characters can also build a world. “So, you have to build their world,their situation, their friendships and relationships,” said Smith. Once the writing process of the rough draft is relatively over, then critiques and revisions can happen. Critiques can be incredibly helpful because the piece and writing skills can be improved. An example of a good critique partner is that they help with clearing the portrayal of
words in the writing. The writer’s voice may be strengthened, and the work can become more personalized or unique. Ms. Byrd has seen many students’ papers over the years and has often needed to help students with finding their voices. A revelation that Smith had was that a clearer writer’s voice can dramatically improve a student’s writing. “I think that I try to look at everything individually. You want your work to stand out individually… I think overall as different individuals we all have different focuses and different strengths... I just try to figure out what can help this one individual piece be as clear as possible,” said Byrd. Storytelling has been done by humankind for centuries. Every story can become part of the writer’s mark on the world and legacy. It will be a matter what kind of legacy will be left behind. Smith has noted that records of stories only exist if the writer is willing to have that legacy. “I think it’s a very normal thing to tell stories. It’s just a question of whether or not you want to write them down,” said Smith. Endsign
How to (and not to) Write Fiction Christina Hwang 13
Mix idiot plot flour, 1 good line per page salt, and no organization sugar together
Mix it all together!
Graphic by Christina Hwang
Mix horrible worldbuiding milk and lack of character building and development cream
Put mix into cake tin
Recipe for a Bad Story Ingredients:
• 2 gallons of horrible worldbuilding milk • 1 cup of lack of character building and development cream • 1 teaspoon of 1 good line per page salt • 2 tablespoons of no organization sugar • 20 ounces of idiot plot flour • 4 eggs of unhatched plans • 1 butter stick at procrastinating until the last minute degrees Fahrenheit • May add any other toppings • Preheat oven with 1000 degrees Celsius.
Whisk unhatched plans eggs
Bake at 10,000,000 degrees Celcius of pain, lack of motivation, and time constraint
Make butter at procrastinating until the last minute degrees Fahrenehit
This is your abomination. It loves you and will never let go of you
How to (and not to) Write Fiction Christina Hwang 15
Taking The Throne
The Rise of Audiobooks
By Gabriel Villa
Duncan Jones’ book outside my house near garden. Photo by Gabriel Villa
W
ith the increasing
conveniency of audiobooks, the amount of them being bought has risen substantially, challenging the hard copy book as the most popularized and most bought type of book. As time goes on, the more audiobooks being used by the newer generations of people the higher possibility for them to eventually kill off hardcopy books and end their reign as the most used platform of book. Hard Copy Books have been used by the larger population of people for quite some time. They have revolutionized the world of storytelling and writing by allowing people to share their ideas and thoughts for education and also as a mean of entertainment. Their evolution began when a painting on a wall was one of the only ways people could
write. Throughout history the book has evolved from wall paintings to clay tablets to parchment to now present day paper. Now, a more modernized form of book, the e-book, has come into play. The e-book shares
accessible, and the devices that can be used to read them are much smaller than actual books. The affordability of e-books also makes it a great platform to use as a substitution for an actual book. Although books have come a long way and along the way, they have begin to take note of my ideas rightfully and daydreams expand upon claimed the them, from there my craving for throne as writing expanded immensely the most and soon I wanted to write used way to stories from my day dreams of tell stories. the wild and nature. But now as modern ~Duncan Jones, Local Author technology is on the similar aspects of a rise, the audiobook hard copy book, but challenges that throne with the integration and threatens to kill off of technology which books. makes it so that it Since the 1930s can be accessed on audiobooks have almost any electronic been on the rise. At device with a screen. first, they were used First brought up in the sparingly and only by 1970s, e-books have the blind, and only then become a more versatile released for public use way to read. With in the 1950s. They are the widespread use now considered to be of electronic devices, more accessible than e-books are very easily e-books. Hard Copy Books vs. eBooks Gabriel Villa 17
James Walker, Moderator of Librivox said “With an audiobook you can listen anywhere at any time.”
so accessible online. They are convenient to use, when reading a book or e-book it is attention
With audiobooks all that is needed is something that can play audio. This is one of the reasons Librivox app design, courtesy of Librivox why audiobooks gained popularity, and another reason is the affordability and the convenience. Duncan Jones, an austin based author said “If I were to make audiobooks I would probably make them at a lower cost.” There are many companies that offer large selections of audiobooks, which explains why they are
demanding, multitasking while reading is mostly out of
Audio Book
E-Books
Hard Copy Books
the question. Although, with an audiobook it is much easier to multitask since you won’t be reading, but listening. “When reading a hard copy book you must put forth your full attention to reading, with audiobooks you can multitask and in general get more done,” said Walker The large following of hard copy books of people with the pure preference of reading rather than listening is one of the main reasons why audiobooks still haven’t taken the throne. “This means if current trends stay in place, e-books will eventually kill off hard copy books,” said Walker. As the newer generations of people begin to gain access to the internet, the audiobook may begin
to overtake hard copy books. “Honestly, no, I don’t think e-books will kill off hard copy books,” said Jones This is the point of view that many share, although the thought lingers about audiobooks. “That they will come close to killing hard copy books.” says Walker There is evidence of this with the rising amount of people using audiobooks, with a survey done by the Pew Research Center, they asked people from the public what form of book they use the most frequent. Most answer hard copy books, and a lower amount respond with audiobooks. However this survey from Pew Research Center was taken in 2015. When the survey was taken again in 2019 the amount of most frequent use had risen for audiobooks. When the survey was completed the amount that answered reading
hard copy books was left unchanged. Without any gain in the amount that read hard copy books, e-books are certain to over take them. That would make sense, but in many cases the platform that is used usually depends on the event that a person would take place in that day.
Walker But with the older generation sticking to hard copy books, It can be expected that hard copy books will stay on the throne for quite some longer.
Duncan Jones at a local cafe, photo by Gabriel Villa
“It depends on where I’m at,” says Jones. This is usually the case for most people. Like most people, the use of audiobook or hardcopy book is based off of convenience. “I find audiobooks to be more enjoyable than hard copy books, with an audiobook you can listen anywhere at any time”. Says Hard Copy Books vs. eBooks Gabriel Villa 19
Hard Copy vs
3500BC - Tablets and symbols 2400BC - Papyrus scrolls 600BC - Stanardized writing system founded 500BC - Parchment writing 200BC - Wax tablets 105BC - Mass creation of actual paper 400AD - Manuscripts of parchment 868AD - First Book made in china 1041AD - First moveble printing system 1439AD - Printing press was created
Men
1832 - Book sleeves made for hard back 1860 - Creation of cheap paper back books 1920 - Rise of Paper back books
Women White Black 18-29 Yrs 30-49 Yrs
1935 - Creation of penguin paperbacks
50-64 Yrs
1938 - Fall of paper back books
Before HS
1971 - Beginning of transformation to digital 2000 - Ebooks take over hardcopy books as the new format
Audio Book
Hispanic
E-Books
65+ Yrs
Hard Copy Books
High School College Past College Urban Suburban Rural 0
20
40
60
80
100
E and Audio Books
1877 - Creation of phonograph 1878 - Demonstration recording 1930s - Recording times increased with storage 1934 - Recordings were sent to the blind 1935 - First books are sent to the blind 1950s - Record companies mass produce commercial recordings 1960 - Audiobook player distributed widely in UK 1960s - Cassete player was created and used for audiorecordings 1970s - Selling and renting of audio tapes 1982 - CD format for audio was launched 1995 - Digital format audiobook company Audible was founded 1997 - Another hand held recorder launched 2002 - Casetts are falling in popularity, DVD rises 2008 - CD’s represent 78% of audiobook sales
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Created by Gabriel Villa
2010s - Digital downloads soar 2015 - Audiobook sales threaten ebook sales 2017 - Audiobook sales yet again increase 2019 - Audiobook sales threaten Hardcopy book sales
Hard Copy Books vs. eBooks Gabriel Villa 21
What is the best selling novel of all time? Don Quixote In which book did the longest sentence ever printed lie? Les Miserables
I W C W J Z T K T R B R H P G
S T R G K H T D O E J J B N H
N E M I Z J E J L Q D Q I M A
T B L D T A N P P U T L W H X
DEADLINE LANGUAGE REQUIEM
H H P A D I J I L I L Y H B W
S S O L T G N D A E U X X Z K
C Z I Z D Y Y G T M D R D I U
D N P O E T R Y N Y A W A X H
E M Z W C Q R I Q T G Y T V U
EBOOKS PLOT STORYTELLING YOUNG ADULT
Z D M A H O P H A Z N B S U K
C Y S V T C W Q U F U K B U V
V Y A S H R Z C O Q O Z I H M
E G A U G N A L O O Y D U U M
P R T I M I M L B E P T S Z W
FAIRY TALES POETRY WRITING
T P E A I U F E T Q Z A P G Y
What famous Sherlock Holmes phrase was never actually said by Holmes in the books? “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
Edgar Allen Poe’s Poem “The Raven” was originally going to be about what animal? A parrot
What material were Cinderella’s shoes originally made of? Fur
23
The evolutio young adult lite Written by Caleb Howard
An empty school library awaits book unboxing. Photo by Caleb Howard, Photo Editor.
on of erature
W
hile the young adult genre is well known today, it hasn’t always been that way. Young adult (YA) is a genre typically meant for the audience that it is named after. It is a very unique genre for many reasons, and it is widely debated what actually makes a book young adult. Author Natalia Sylvester expresses her thoughts on the topic. She has written several adult books and her first young adult book is soon to be published. “When I look at it thematically what makes a book a young adult book is it’s written specifically to connect to a) the readers, to young adult readers, but also to connect to what makes this particular time in their life so unique… a time where that discovery and newness of self is also intermingling with some of the difficulties that come with it, and that uncertainty, and all that there is to explore in that’”. Sylvester’s definition of the young adult genre provides a clear cut distinction of YA from juvenile or adult fiction--genres that share many similarities with YA. Distinguishing between these genres is important when one is talking about YA. Cynthia Leitich Smith, a New York Times bestselling author and author of “Rain
The Young Adult Genre Caleb Howard 25
is not my Indian Name”, become increasingly better are positive and that YA is “Hearts Unbroken”, and about representation of kids moving in a good direction. many other books had a of all backgrounds and so “I also think that the similar, but different view on that’s been really wonderful industry is understanding the matter. to see, and that’s work that in that it’s not just a simple “Adult fiction sometimes is ongoing and needs to answer of saying ‘cool we’re features a younger continue,” said Sylvester. gonna have more books protagonist--Stephen King Sylvester also touches on that include people of all is fond of that approachsome of her experiences backgrounds’, it matters -but such stories have growing up reading who’s writing them, and it a reminiscent quality, young adult books that matters how they’re being informed by an adult publicized, and it matters sensibility rather that they’re getting than one of the the proper marketing “When I write moment.” support that they need, something I hope that The idea of it matters that they get classifying young good artwork on their it’s going to help adult as a separate covers and it matters someone else, who needs that they’re not just genre from adult or juvenile fiction reenforcing stereotypes. to feel empowered to is something that So it’s really complex and think about their own is relatively new. nuanced representation Historically, the that’s ongoing and I feel stories, and then feel genre was almost like that’s really changed empowered to tell their nonexistent. While the industry quite a bit people have always in the last 5 or 6 years own stories, and to been writing for this since I began, and I’m realize that they have audience, the term really grateful for that, YA is newer. and I don’t feel like those stories that are worth “I remember when were conversations that telling, worth hearing, I was a teenager I were happening as openly was really into all and as often when I was and worth sharing,” these Christopher younger,” Sylvester said. Pike books and all Sylvester offers a unique RL Stine books and perspective in that ~Natalia Sylvester, Author these horror books her first young adult and some of them book, Running will be were suspense coming out in spring books, but they were did not include diverse 2020. While she has been definitely written for young representation. writing professionally for adults… I don’t know if the “There was a lot in my life roughly half a decade, she is industry defined it in the that I never saw reflected on relatively new to the young same way,” said Sylvester. a page and I think that that’s adult genre. Her views on Young adult literature something that people in young adult literature are has undergone very rapid publishing are trying to push shaped by many of the new development since its for right now to change, and developments in the genre. beginnings, specifically in for it to change for the better “I think that the beauty of including more diversity. in a very mindful way,” said publishing is that it’s great “Movements like ‘more Sylvester. to have newer author’s work, diverse books’ have helped Overall, she believes that the and to have new voices and the young adult industry developments in the genre emerging voices and that’s
only going to make the literary world as a whole more beautiful and more rich
Smith. it gets published and shared YA writing and publishing with the world and it kind has changed a lot, primarily of takes on a life of its own, in the past because each person that decade. As reads it, and I think that a result, this is true for all art is that it has it’s open to interpretation, changed so each person that reads the way it, is bringing, they’re not that many only reading what’s on the people view page, but they’re also bring literature. their own experience to the “When page, and so that story will I write mean something different something to each reader and I think I hope that that’s really beautiful,” said it’s going Sylvester. to help someone else, who needs to feel empowered to think about their own stories, and then feel empowered to tell their own stories, and to realize A stack of copies of the book “Holes” Louis that they Sachar. Photo by Caleb Howard. have stories that are and more representative of worth telling, worth hearing, all the experiences that are and worth sharing,” said out there,” said Sylvester. Sylvester. Development of all literature Sylveser is hopeful for her generally changes with the new book and the impact presence of new voices. it will have on young adult “There’s been a huge influx audiences. of new authors, including “What I hope is that it’ll find relatively younger authors. readers who it speaks to, and That said, most young adult not necessarily in the ways authors don’t publish more that I imagine, also maybe than one or two books. For in ways that I can’t imagine a myriad of reasons, the because I think that part vast majority do not sustain of writing is that we The Young Adult Genre Caleb Howard 27 careers in the field,” said write a story and that Endsign
I am Princess X by Cherie Priest
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The Giver by Lois Lowry
dystopian
mystery
Should You Read Next? fantasy
Warcross by Marie Lu
Sci Fi
fantasy
Sci Fi or true fantasy?
coming of age
Something like gravity by Amber Smith
romance
The Selection by Keira Cass
Graphics by Caleb Howard
horror
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
t ar St
r He
e
dark disturbing
historical
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
question
Horror or dystopian?
Disturbing or makes you question your world view?
Historical or mystery?
Darker themes or lighter themes? light
Romantic elements or fantasy elements?
romance
Romance or coming of age?
What YA Book
The Young Adult Genre Caleb Howard 29
The song of the written word
Poets’ inpirations and reasons to write poetry By Sara Garg Varsha Saraiya Shah reading her poem titled “Aphorism”. Image courtesy of Shah.
P
oetry began as a song, for the first poets sang their poems and never recorded them with ink. As humans evolved, so did poetry and thus it became what it is in the 21st century: the art of music in words.
Poetry never fully outgrew its roots because it always held some musical elements from the song it was. Similes, metaphors, and rhymes of poetry make the author’s message flow with an undercurrent tune. Poetry always has more beneath the surface because
every phrase holds meaning in such a condensed form. While poetry holds challenges distinctive to itself, it can also hold great meaning and beauty.
A unique art As Sophia Naz, a poet and writer nominated for the Pushcart Prize said, poetry is work. That can make convincing oneself to write poetry a challenge, but poetry also has strengths that make it worth the effort. Naz said that poetry can do things that prose cannot. “It also allows me to express ideas, emotions, things that ordinary language is inadequate in expressing many of those complex states of being that we experience as human
beings,” Naz said. In addition to conveying
more of the writer’s essence, poetry also contains a multitude of meanings because it is open to interpretation by the reader. Varsha Saraiya-Shah, who has written a book of poetry titled “Voices”, said that openness to interpretation also makes poetry
different from prose. “One poem can mean so many different things to different people,” Shah said. “Perhaps that’s the most unique contribution a literary form like poetry can make, which you won’t find anywhere else,” Poetry is limitless, for everything can be written about. Shah was working on a poem that stemmed
These books explore a deeper meaning in the world as a whole with poetry in the voices of south asian poets. From left to right images courtesy of Finishing Line Press, Copper Coin, and Shanti Arts Publishing.
off cheese. Pramila Venkateswaran, co-founder of a poetry festival and author of multiple collection of poetry, has written a poem inspired by ants. Without any limits, a writer can do many things with an art like poetry. “Poetry can be such a variety of things: it can be letters, it can be pure description, it can be things that you’re complaining about,” Venkateswaran said. Poetry does have many factors to be considered and many devices to be utilized, but they just add to the complexity and beauty of poetry. These things are not hurdles to overcome but rather subjects in school to learn. “All these things make it unique.” Shah said, “there are so many possibilities.” A poem doesn’t truly end when
Poetry Sara Garg 31
the reader finishes reading it. Shah said that amazing poems leave the ending open for the reader to interpret. “At the end,” Shah said, “you may feel, keep begging that ‘what’s next?’” The way a poem ends matters, she explained, it closes that door at the end or leaves it open. As much as the end matters though, so does how it starts.
inspiration that floats around, but that can be hard for people who do not often look closely at the world. Instead of looking closely around themselves, those writers can look within. “Write from your heart, you don’t have to think about form, or how it’s supposed to sound, or anything like that,” Venkateswaran said. Inspire yourself Just writing can be a very simple way to start a poem Starting a poem may seem she explained. Anything hard at first, but it can also can spark poetry: a single be very easy. Poetry is the line, a basic idea, or even a language of the universe, word. and it can be seen to envelop Some forms of inspiration everything when one can can seem daunting to see it. some, but other forms of “Poetry is so much inside inspiration can be done by all of us, so once you put the anyone. pen onto paper it’s all going “Sometimes I just to spill out,’’ Venkateswaran randomly read,” Shah said, said. “and then I will just put it aside and write something”. Naz also Poetry is gave so much inside advice for inspiration all of us, so once saying that you put the pen aspiring onto paper it’s all writers going to spill Pramila Venkateswaran, should just out. Poet “read, read, read.” Reading, With poetry living all around looking for the little people and inside them, it things, writing from can seem that all that needs one’s heart, all of these to be done to find the first things make inspiration thoughts behind a poem is to easier than people think. look carefully for the poetry “Something strikes me, in the world. Looking for the anything at random, and little things is a widely used what’ll happen is I’ll jot way to catch some of the down a line, an idea, or
Pramila Venkateswaran reading a poem at Poet’s House, New York City. The Poet’s House is a public library of poetry. Image courtesy of Venkateswaran.
something and it kind of just perculates inside.” Naz said, “very rarely... does an entire poem just come to me.”
At the end, you may feel, keep begging that, ‘what’s next?’ Varsha Shah, Poet
The reality of inspiration tends to be different than what people believe. The pressure to write a whole poem in one sitting disappears once one learns about the reality of it. Venkateswaran said that
writing can be the most inwardly rewarding part of poetry. Relaxing the pressure to finish a poem quickly and write something perfect lets one enjoy the process more fully. “You are going to write a lot of bad poems.” Shah said, “It’s given. And that should not be disheartening in any way.” Even once they find inspiration and the will to persevere, some wonder about the overall point of poems and what a poem does for the writer. They wonder what is gained by writing.
The only thing left behind A legacy is something that goes beyond death. It is what humans, with such short lives, leave behind as a signature for the future generations. A poem can hold great power, for it can become a person’s legacy. “Poetry is open ended, it has limitless possibilities, it has no other function than being itself.” Naz said, “and in being itself, if you are... writing poetry, then it’s you, it yourself. So you can think of the poem as your own signature in this world. Your linguistic signature.” Legacies are important to humans, but they are not the only thing poems can embody. A poem can become an extension of a writer, a way to figure out who they are. Poetry can be a way to say everything they want and need to say. Poems are limitless, not only in meaning
to the reader, but also in possible meanings for the writer. “Poetry does a lot more than what a political speech does, or a history book, or a sociology textbook.”
poem will teach the creator about themself. “You write a poem and through that poem you can find out something about life,” Venkasteswaran said. “The poem teaches you something, it tells you how to think.” The poem will be a teacher Then it is and it will also you, it is yourself. be a part of So you can think of the poet, she the poem as your own explained. signature in this It shows the world. readers how Sophia Naz, Poet the poet sees the world, and also helps the poet figure out how they see the world. Venkateswaran said, “it goes “That is poetry,” beyond, way beyond that.” Venkateswaran said. “It’s She said that writers must every way you experience keep going and preserving. the world. Through all of Their legacy will be worth your senses and beyond the difficulties and so will your senses.” the lessons the writer learns along the way. The Endsign
Sophia Naz, a poet nominated for the pushcart prize, looking into the distance. The pushcart prize is a writing award. Image courtesy of Naz.
Poetry Sara Garg 33
Credits Page
Christina Hwang
Christina is a person and that’s all you need to know. You’re still here to read about her? Since you’re still here, she’ll tell you one useless fact about herself. Her leg was paralyzed at one point, and Christina was never diagnosed. The doctors discharged her, and she recovered within several days. She helped with this toddler of a magazine, Biblio, contributing with the feature article about storytelling and the ASF about cooking a great novel. She’s pretty sure that she also raised team morale because without laughter, the team was just dying at the hands of merciless InDesign.Christina wants to be a psychologist or therapist because mental healthcare is so bad right now that people really shouldn’t joke about it. She wants so many other things, but a few that she will disclose are to write an actual good draft of something, travel to all of the continents, and have more fluency in her languages.
Sara Garg When she’s not getting lost in the walls of the Liberal Arts and Science Academy where she is a freshman, Sara enjoys playing piano, writing poems, and spending time with her friends. One of her much loved things to do is read, and fairytales are a favorite subgenre of hers. Other pastimes that she often engages in include procrastinating homework in creative ways and stressing about school. She has won Youth Poet of the Year at the Houston International Poetry Festival 2017. She has also gotten awards of excellence for her PTA Reflection Literature entries. In Biblio, Sara was a designer of various elements, and she wrote an article on poetry and created a pick your path infographic about the original fairy tales. Her dreams for the future involve a job as a geneticist or neurologist, but she is looking forward to a lucrative side career of sleeping.
Gabriel Villa Gabriel is a very care-free person that is always tired of everything, although finds happiness in the smallest of things. He enjoys his time watching various videos on youtube, listening to music, and playing games on his PC. He doesn’t really have any interesting hobbies besides Mountain Bike riding and messing with PC parts. He is also interestingly into cybersecurity and hardening of OS and servers, takes part in a competition known as CyberPatriot. His future is a mess, wanting to become many things all over a variety of subjects and topics, but he focuses his path on cybersecurity, cause that’s what he’s good at. If you’re wondering what he did, he did the part that talks about books and ebooks and audiobooks.
Hector Resendiz Hector is a very eccentric person. He likes to play video games, read interesting articles about random things, and procrastinate.Hector has beaten Dark Souls Remastered, even though it is an updated version of an old game, it’s still pretty hard and something worth noting; it is so hard that one of it’s players who was attending college and made a bet to beat the game on its hardest difficulty said,” a degree is easier than Dark Souls”.For Biblio, Hector wrote a story about the opinions and suggestions of authors in writing a story, and explain the elements of storytelling.What Hector wants for the future is to become an actor and pass LASA in (hopefully) one piece. Arrivederci.
Caleb Howard Caleb does not like talking about himself. He spends his time at school, and then when he gets home he spends his time on homework, with some Netflix watching thrown in on the side. When he is not doing homework Caleb is either reading, playing Minecraft, or sleeping. He spends his weekends with his Destination Imagination team working on their solution this year and attempting to try to make it back to Global Finals for the 5th time in a row. Caleb wrote about the history of the young adult genre, specifically looking at where the genre is going in the future. Caleb wants to do something with computers in the future.
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Biblio To you, the person who’s reading this
Photo of the team. Photo taken by Lucie Young. With the name Biblio, you probably expect something grand like feature articles of people nerding out over books. That is not what you’re getting here. Biblio means knowledge in latin. Here, we are giving you a lesson on humanity’s best trait: storytelling. Often when people think of story-telling, they think of classical literature such as Moby Dick. However, storytelling exists in many forms. And, many people can tell a story, but can they write? Some write few but heartstriking words that makes the world taste a little better. Poetry is a form that teaches the poet and the reader something new. It pulls your environment and introspection into a piece of writing.
Some write realistic journeys that are improved with humor and character development. YA allows people to express their youth and the possibilities of youth. We may be young, but we can solve a mystery in a small town! YA transcends genres since YA is just an age group. You can see a young person like yourself defeat dragons or depression. Some write in ways that affect the story. Writers are like chefs; the way one prepares a meal can never be the same as the meal prepared by a different person. Perhaps, their writing appeals to your tastes, but others make you want to bleach your eyes out. Some don’t even write! Well, they still do. It’s a matter of how the story is communicated. Who said that
stories are paper and ink? Stories can be anything. Some want to write but don’t know how. That’s a question that may never be solved, but you can still find your path as a writer. It may take a while, but the price is worth it. Being able to express yourself in the way you want is incredibly rewarding. It took a lot of planning and improvising. We went far and wide to consult experts and spent hours on every detail in this magazine. But, the hard work has paid off. We now can drop this knowledge off to you, so you may pass it to others. Disclaimer: Knowledge is not a disease
We’re proud that we even have a magazine to publish. The process was arduous, and it seemed impossible. However, working together we did something we are all proud of; we told new stories, the stories of Biblio.
Keep dreaming, or don’t, we don’t own you,
The Editors of Biblio