Sonder by Chloe Landisman

Sonder

The Workspace Journal of Art and Writing Issue 1 | June 2017 | Origins

DAWN OF A NEW DAY Cover Art, Sophia Bellissimo Paint on digital tablet.

Sonder n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own— populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk. From The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

Editorial Team: Editor: Chloe Landisman Staff: Rafael Lipp Bridget Suchar Sophia Bellisimo

Board of Advisors: Cath Fraise Nicole Crane Kathryn Haydon Amy Landisman Lili Lipp

Copyright ÂŠ 2017 Workspace Publishing No portion of the journal may be reproduced without the permission of the authors. All rights to the works printed here remain with the author.

Contents 6

Introduction

Chloe Landisman

Pigs are Cute Beatrice Lipp

10 Mountain Born

35 Dolphins

Raphael Lipp

Helena Pinto

13 My Map to Someone

38 Wings of Fire

Quinn Pinto

Penelope Suchar

14 One Story

39 Puffer Fish

Helena Pinto

David Hunter

22 Through the Woods

40 The Magic Crayon

Mikaela Landisman

Henry Genden

24 Metaphor Collaborative

Nora and the Whales Helena Pinto

25 The Woods T.W. Crane- Messina 26 Sea Life

50 Possibility Collaborative 53 Smelly Skunks

Christopher Haydon 28 Untitled

Charlie Wermuth 56 Coffee Stained

Ellie Hunter

Chloe Landisman

33 Annoying Locations Kylie Landisman

59 I Like Life T.W. Crane-Messina

Art & Photography Gwen Niles

Riley Singleton

Bridget Suchar 12, 43, 49, 54

On Origins

Julia Scataglini 20

Mikaela Landisman 37

A Brief Introduction “Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees.” -Marcel Proust

Dear Reader, The word Sonder is roughly defined as the realization that other people have lives that are just as vivid and intricate as our own. We, as humans, retain the privilege of a single life, one experience, and only one story out of billions. Creativity is the strongest platform for expression of individuality; this makes it an ideal apparatus for understanding other people. Writing, photography, and art essentially open a window into another’s mind and heart; giving the beholder a brief opportunity to understand someone else’s feelings and experiences. Sonder: A Workspace Journal of Art and Writing, has been created to augment the creative environment at Workspace; for students to not only showcase their work, but to communi6

cate, sympathize and learn from the work of their peers. Growing up, my closest friends and I gathered for weekend slumber parties where we would stay up all hours sharing with each other the stories we had written. We’d stay awake until the early hours of the morning, dreaming up intricate plotlines in which our protagonist's oftentimes flew on the backs of dragons and climbed tall, haunted mountains. In retrospect, I feel that having the opportunity to read their work and share in their process opened my mind to new perspectives and ideas. That experience of understanding is what I’m aiming for Sonder to perpetuate in the minds of its contributors, readers, and staff alike. The inaugural issue of Sonder focuses on the theme Origins, as in the point or place where something begins or arises. Everything around you has an origin story if you look closely, whether it is a flower sprout poking it’s head out of the earth for the first time, the cellphone you’re holding in your hand that was made by someone you’ve never met, or even the idea you had as you awoke this morning. 7

Beginnings, like changes, are constant. When we presented this theme to the students of Workspace, I was absolutely stunned by the amazing creative work they offered in response. I couldn’t be more proud of all of the contributors and the love they put into this project. Thank you all so much. Sonder would not be possible without you. With love,

Chloe Landisman Editor-in-Chief

“I write to understand as much as to be understood.”-Elie Wiesel

CELESTIAL CITY Gwen Niles

Mountain Born Raphael Lipp

My father had always told me to stay away from the mountain lions. He told me stories of wanderers who had disappeared, but I never believed it. Standing on the porch of our little cottage on the mountain side, I couldn't stop looking at them as they mingled next to the cliff side. Before I knew it, I was creeping towards them. I wanted a better view of them. I heard rustling, but dismissed it quickly, sure that it was just the breeze. I was 200 feet away, and I could see all the muscles in their body rippling as they walked. They seemed to be waiting for something, as though they knew where I was and what I might try to do. I heard the faintest patter, like pillows hitting the ground, and in an instant felt powerful jaws grip my collar. I was both amazed and terrified of what they might do to me. The pack of mountain lions followed me and my carrier into a cave so dark ghosts couldn't see. They ate me alive. They left none of my body wasted, except for my bladder. 10

That is how I came to haunt this mountain, no longer alive, but also not dead. I would see ghosts sometimes, but I am no longer afraid of their world because I was never remembered by any of my family. I was purged from their memories by the hunger of that cave, because it ate my soul as the mountain lions ate my body. I am now just a pale conscience of who I used to be. Driven mad by eternity, never allowed to rest or go past the mountain.

COLOR WHEEL Bridget Suchar

MY MAP TO SOMEONE Quinn Pinto

It is far away at the zoo Up the hill down the road Under my bed on the floor In the yard In the castle after dark Through the air on the roof In the morning underwater In the ocean on a sunny day In the trees over the mountains In my dream in the clouds

One Story Helena Pinto

Sometimes I feel like this is it. It’s over, or why can’t this all just end already? This is a story that I hope will teach all of you a lesson; that sometimes even the worst of the worst can lead to the best of the best. It was September of 2016, I was in my second year of middle school and everything was normal. I had a science homeroom teacher, and four others that were okay. My math teacher wasn’t the nicest, but my other teachers were - well like a normal teacher would be. Life was as perfect as a normal public school life could be. The daily gossip, band, after-school activities, the normal stuff. I had great friends, whom I had stuck to since the first day I came back to public school, and I made many new ones that I still talk to today! My mom had talked about going back to homeschooling before, but homeschooling was just an option I didn’t even think about choosing at the time. So, rapping this up, I didn’t think anything would change. But, of course life took an unexpected turn. I didn’t think so at the time, but it did. It all started when I was playing chase and rolled 14

my ankle. I had already done this at least five times before so it wasn’t that different. I went to the doctor and found out that I fractured my ankle. So what? A normal life injury, right? No boot needed, just rest and physical therapy. Everybody does this once in awhile. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard and all. My goal of moving up a level in dance was delayed - I had to be out for a few weeks. I was still going to school, life was as normal as it could be besides the injury. But when the few weeks past by I should’ve known something was off when my ankle seemed to be getting worse instead of getting better. But I had faith that my ankle would improve by working hard. After all, it was December now and we were getting ready for Nutcracker! Eventually, got it to calm down and I participated in the Nutcracker and it was great! I took a week off from physical therapy because they were closed for Christmas weekend. I couldn’t wait for Christmas! I also had two weeks off from school which was pretty great too. Though, I still had homework. What I hadn’t noticed in my excitement for Christmas was that my ankle got worse. After Christmas Eve, everything changed. That night, on Christmas Eve I went 15

to the hospital over my leg. I had to miss the party with my family because of a hospital doctor that didn’t know what was going on with me. After that, I went back to school as if nothing happened. After Christmas Eve, things got better and nothing like that happened again. When I went back to physical therapy, the therapist noticed something else was wrong. Turns out my whole body was hypermobile which makes my back and legs flexible. My leg and back weren’t right. I was scared! All of the sudden another attack happened at physical therapy and I had to stay home from school for two weeks. Homework was very hard to catch up on, and suddenly, seeing doctors was everyday life. Every doctor seemed to unfold something new. The attacks became everyday life too. And sleep, don’t even get me started with sleep. Getting an hour without waking up was a miracle at the time. I went back to school for maybe two weeks. But when we noticed things weren’t really progressing we decided to miss some more and spend it at physical therapy. It was during that time when my mom thought we would be better off homeschooling now. I hated the idea of starting something new again and leaving without saying good16

bye to my friends. I objected to the idea of having to change everything: my lifestyle, friends, everything. I didn’t know that soon the votes in my family to make a change would overrule me. We paid a visit to Workspace, which we had known about before. But me, thinking that it would never happen, didn’t pay too much attention to it. I took a look around. I loved the building and all, but the thought of having to start over and say goodbye to my friends still held me back. It was when we were invited to open mic night the next day that I changed my mind. That day was when Riley and Halle introduced themselves and also brought back the memory of how nice and open homeschoolers really were. I started to think about it. The thought of being friends with them cured the sickening thought of being all alone for the rest of the year. I watched the open mic performances and enjoyed them! I forgot how different homeschooling groups were from public school. Everybody who was homeschooled wasn’t embarrassed by their secret talents, or messing up. Even if they did mess up, the crowd would cheer them on and encourage them. In public school everyone would laugh, and you'd be scared, and made fun of for life. I started think17

ing about being apart of some of the groups there, and being friends with people I never thought I would ever be friends with. I had never thought of this before. I also started to remember that some of these people were in the same boat as me. Some people were leaving public school too. Not everyone was home schooled their whole life. So, I agreed to homeschool again and leave public school without saying goodbye to anyone, even though I would miss it very much every day. I had to miss the very first day because I made myself sick from being so nervous. Now, I feel like I shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been nervous. I started on a Thursday and joined an art class. After that art class, I discovered that Riley, the person I saw at open mic also just left public school like me! She was one of the first friends I made at Workspace, along with Kira and Peri, who I had also met that day. They all welcomed me as if I was a long lost friend who had known them for life. I felt so welcomed and special. It was unlike public school, where I had felt like an outcast while I was on crutches. Then I realized, here, I would make real friends that care. And at public school you'd be in a different class every year. 18

I would never forget that day. I was so happy that I started something new and enjoyed it! I am happy I made the choice to homeschool again. And if I could go back in time to change anything, it would be the fact of going back to public school. I would change it to still homeschooling. This also makes me happy with the way things happened. Even though it may have been hard and very painful, it would have never brought me here! I would have never ended up where I am today. So, in closing, even though things may seem like the worst of the worst, they will always end up as the best of the best! And look where I am today! I am happy and in a work-in -progress of being all better! I want to thank everyone for making this happen. I feel so loved and enjoyed. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never felt as happy as I am today. Thank you!

UNTITLED Julia Scataglini

Through the Woods After Dark Mikaela Landisman

Laughter rings out the wind whispers bluebirds sing enjoy the time you have to smile as you walk through the woods after dark

THE BIG BANG Riley Singleton

METAPHOR Featuring the words of Kylie Landisman and Quinn Pinto.

Happiness is a shiny life. Q .P.

Life is a Jolly good horse. K.L.

Fear is a wordless angry mom. Q.P.

Happiness is a fierce prayer. K.L.

THE WOODS Thurston Wolf Crane-Messina

Sea Life Christopher Haydon

The sea turtle, with a specked shell, glides through the soft, warm sea. The fish make way for the turtle, as he swims past the bright, shiny coral. All is well in the sea. The fish peacefully swims through the seaweed. As he passes through a tall, yellow petrified coral forest, and a spiky plant, he swims onward, home. The starfish lies in the moist, wet sand at the bottom of the ocean. 26

The water washes calmly over him as he takes a rest from sea life. Nothing hurries in the sea.

Untitled Ellie Hunter Fur black as night and white as the moon teeth sharp as a knife honey colored eyes stare into the night its ears pricked up and at attention and a nose big and black.

ORIGINS: WORKSPACE A compilation of images captured in a photography flash mob. Featuring the work of Bridget Suchar, Charlie Wermuth, Chloe Landisman, Helena Pinto, Mikaela Landisman, Riley Singleton. Participants were assigned to walk one-hundred steps from Workspace’s hub and take three photos—one high, one low, one from a strange angle— wherever they find themselves in the building.

Annoying Locations: A Book Spine Poem Reimagined Kylie Landisman

Annoying Locations The Levitating Demons Ceilings Cool What a Terrible Idea!

Pigs Are Cute Beatrice Lipp

He looks cute But I don’t want to write about him All I know is their smell is strong and they are dirty That’s all I know about pigs I would have a pig as a pet. Their feet are like horse feet so they couldn’t cut into the couch.

Dolphins Helena Pinto

These dolphins travel in groups. They’re always together. They are jumping out and into the water Probably heading to their destination Most likely, home. They are probably a family And they’re making loud splashes They could be sad or happy Because the smiles on their mouths Don’t mean that they are happy

Because that’s what they’re born with So it doesn’t define them They are a dark grey on the top and A light grey on the bottom.

SAKURA Mikaela Landisman, painted on a digital tablet.

Wings of Fire Penelope Suchar

I use my wings of fire

To travel where the mountain meets the moon. Which is the land I lost In a legend.

The Puffer Fish David Hunter

The puffer makes this shape when it feels threatened by something. You can imagine a puffer as a party balloon. The puff has another defense

which is to produce a kind of gas that can calm the nerves of the attacker.

The Magic Crayon Henry Genden

Once there was a blue crayon. It was rather unremarkable in its makeup, in that, it was made of the same wax and coloring of all the other crayons, but because of an accident at the factory, this one was large. Very large. Four feet, seven inches to be precise. Because of this absurd size, the crayon found itself behind the building in a bin for “irregulars” waiting to be recycled. Before the crayon was recycled into wax for the factory to reuse, a boy named Colin saw the humongous crayon sticking out of the bin and decided he had to rescue it. After all, you didn’t see a four pound crayon every day! So, on his way home from school, Colin slipped into the bin and retrieved the crayon. He decided to call the giant Harold, because a crayon this big deserves a name. Colin took Harold home. Upon seeing Colin with a giant, blue crayon, his Mother said, “where did you get that crazy crayon?” Colin, who now regarded Harold as more of a friend than a crayon, told his Mother about finding Harold behind the factory, and saving him from the cruel fate of recycling. With a sigh, she told him, “OK. I don't approve of you taking something that 40

doesn't belong to you, but that is a remarkable crayon. If you want to keep it, I will find out how much it cost, and you can work off the money to pay for it.” Colin was thrilled, and took Harold up to his room. Colin’s room was full of interesting things like a bookshelf in the shape of a boat, blackboard walls covered with stars he had drawn, jars full of marbles and collections of stamps, coins, insects and rocks. His room was so full, that he couldn't find a good place for his new crayon. So, he stood it up next to his bed. He took out a big roll of paper, spread it out on the floor and tried to draw with Harold. It was easier than he thought it would be. When he was finished, he had a nice drawing of a beautiful Persian cat. His Mother called him down to supper, so he set Harold back up near his bed leaving the picture on the ground. Later, Colin came back up to sleep. As he got into bed, he saw a shooting star fly past his window. He made an absurd wish that the drawings he made with Harold would come to life. The next morning when he awoke, the cat he had drawn was sleeping at the foot of his bed…alive and real. No longer blue, the cat was in full color and exactly as Colin had imagined him! Colin was excited, but couldn't be41

lieve his eyes. He checked the now blank paper over and over again, while the cat purred and rubbed against his legs. To check his incredible luck, Colin picked up Harold and drew himself some breakfast. as he drew, the lines turned into a delicious meal of bacon, eggs, toast and juice. As he sat and ate his breakfast, Colin stared at the absurdly big and now magical crayon. He finished eating, stood up and spoke to Harold for the first time. “Harold,” he said, “we are going to have some fun…and do some good in this world.”

SUNSET Bridget Suchar

Nora and the Whales Helena Pinto

Nora was a very smart girl awaiting a new adventure. She was twelve years old- an only child, and lived in Vermont, a very cold place – and loved to study the ocean. The ocean wasn’t close to where she lived, but she was looking forward to a long summer trip to Cape Cod this week! There, she would spend her month studying more about the waters in person. This amazing trip could be her only opportunity to see what was really happening in the ocean. When the day of the trip finally came, Nora made sure she was on the road as quick as possible. It may have been a hike for her parents, but she didn’t want to waste any time! In the car, Nora wondered what would happen after her arrival at Cape Cod. During her research, she found out that Cape Cod wasn’t only known for their ocean full of fish but for their humongous Humpback, Finback, and Minke whales. So Nora and her parents booked a whale watching tour for the next day. This could be her chance to get out onto the big blue on her first day there. Minutes, which felt like hours to Nora 44

who was busy taking notes, passed before the boat slowed to a stop. Nora looked up from her notebook as the tour guide explained over the speakers: “Here we are in the territory where a few of our favorite Humpback Whales roam!” All of the tourists pushed and shoved past Nora and her family, eager to get to the front of the boat for a better view. Nora, unaware of the people coming towards her kept on noting in her notebook until: SWOOSH! Another tourist bumped into Nora and her notebook went flying overboard. “Oh no!” Nora cried as she watched her red notebook fade more and more the further away it got as it disappeared into the sky about to land in the water. But just when Nora was about to look back, she heard a big SPLASH! Nora turned around to see that, not so far away, there was a huge whale! The crowd oohed and ahead except for Nora’s dad who seemed rather disappointed and attempted to look away. Suddenly, the crowd gasped as the whale flipped out of the water and Nora’s note book was flung back onto the cruiser! Nora ran to grasp her book and smiled at the whale who seemed to be waving back with his fin. As the whale disappeared under the wa45

ter, the tour guide spoke: “Now you just saw that cutie named Leah! Surprisingly, she’s only a baby whale, which is why she’s so playful. Unfortunately, as many of you guys know, these whales are slowly dying off. They are on the verge of extinction. Actually, they are on the top ten list of endangered species.” Nora’s eyes widened at the sound of “Dying off.” They’re going away? “Mom, Dad,” she said, “we have to do something about this!” Her father was relieved that someone else said that the whales were endangered for him. “But how?” Her mother asked. The rest of the whale watch tour passed; all Nora could do was think. How was she going to save the whales? Well, if she saved some of them in Cape Cod, she could certainly raise awareness for everyone around the world, she thought to herself calmly. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into Nora’s head: what if … she could make a mini movie? Then she could make her own website to bring awareness to the world! That’s a great idea! She thought to herself, again. Now, all she had to do was plan. It was time for her to save the whales. At the beach house, Nora did more research of why the whales are becoming extinct. She found out that one of the reasons why was that there is pollution in the ocean. Pollution 46

comes from all the things that people throw out. Except, this time, we are littering and some of our trash is getting put into the ocean. The whales are getting caught in trash and other plastics! Some whales even get lost in the water now because spilled oil affects the whale’s hearing. They aren’t able to hear each other! Nora started to think that, if we keep our Earth cleaner, we can help the whales by stopping pollution from going into the water. Days passed and Nora finally finished doing what she had to do. First, she went on another whale cruise and took videos of the whales playing; just like she saw before. Then she added the words to her video, grouped the videos together, and then her movie was finished! Now that her movie was finished, all she had to do was put it on her new “Save our whales” website so that everyone could see it! She hoped that this plan would work … if it did, the whales would be saved! Yay! The day came when she posted her new video on her website so that everyone could see it. Surprisingly, many people did! The next time she went to the beach, everybody was cleaning up after themselves and others. And this sudden awareness was all because of Nora, a teenager who hadn’t had a clue about whales before that cruise. 47

Writing, photography, and art essentially open a window into anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind and heart; giving the beholder a brief opportunity to understand someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feelings and experiences.

*Thank you to Claire Fraise for editing Nora and the Whales. 48

PINK Bridget Suchar

Do you have any animals or mammals that need to be saved near you? I bet you do! You could do this too! You can be like Nora and help us save our animals! Animals are family to us … they help us in many ways … shouldn’t we help them?

POSSIBILITY A collaborative poem created by Quinn Pinto, Penelope Suchar, Kylie Landisman and Thurston Wolf CraneMessina.

Smelly Skunks By Charlie Wermuth

You may not have seen a skunk, but you’ve probably smelled one. Skunks can be found in many places and have well developed scent glands that allow them to spray a foul and noxious odor when threatened. This odor is caused by musk, a mixture of chemicals that contain sulfur. These chemicals have a nauseating odor and, if sprayed at an attacker’s eyes, skunk spray can cause temporary blindness, so when you see one, retreat! Skunks can be found in rural, suburban, and urban areas and have been found in North America, South America and Central America. Some skunks live in grasslands and in the West such as the western spotted skunk. Different species of skunk have their own physical traits but generally a skunk weighs 6-8 lbs and can run 5 mph. The common striped skunk has a pattern of black and white stripes of fur while the western spotted skunk is still black and white, but instead of stripes, it has spots! Another example is that some species of skunk have brown fur, or even creamcolored fur! Skunks are omnivores and eat a variety of foods. A skunk’s diet includes plants, snakes, 52

crustaceans, and small mammals. Skunks eat snakes because they are immune to snake venom. Skunks only eat rabbits, rats, and other small mammals as a last resort and sometimes kill poultry to eat their eggs. These are just a few of the reasons that make so interesting. But remember, if you see one, keep your distance!

UNTITLED Bridget Suchar

HAPPINESS Sonder Staff

Coffee Stained Chloe Landisman

Long after the sun fell asleep you and I would fill our time-worn coffee mugs with promises of a future with a little more sugar and milk. I always tried to ignore the way our honeycolored false hope would spill over the sides, burning and staining my fingers, because I thought listening to cadence of your heartbeat dancing to an espresso song was true bliss. Its always our most idealistic, beautiful promises that are the hardest to grind up into a dark, pacifying brew. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay. After all, my mother always taught me to drink my coffee dark 56

because you only find the truth in its purest, harshest, form.

“I LIKE LIFE” Thurston Wolf Crane-Messina

Sophia Bellisimo Thurston Wolf Crane-Messina Henry Genden Christopher Haydon Ellie Hunter David Hunter Chloe Landisman Kylie Landisman Mikaela Landisman Beatrice Lipp Raphael Lipp Helena Pinto Quinn Pinto Julia Scataglini Riley Singleton Bridget Suchar Penelope Suchar Charlie Wermuth