Creative Writing Blog

Two poems, “Abandoned Girl” by Francesca Badalamenti ’18 and “Perennial,” by Alena Zhang ’18, have been published in Black Fox Literary Magazine Issue 13, Winter 2016. Francesca’s poem is after “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser. The poems will be forthcoming on the WAM blog. Congratulations, Alena and Francesca!

This fall, five Newark Academy students published in three different genres on Teen Ink’s online magazine. Sanya Bery ’17 published her personal essay, “A Dirt-covered Secret, That Can Save Us All,” which was selected for the front page of the magazine’s hot topics/environment section. Jennifer Huo ’18 published her poem “The Summit.” Ben Leit ’18 published a humor/short story called “Michael,” which was chosen for the front page of the action/adventure section. Megan McCullough ’18 published her poem, “Shattering Ice,” which received a Teen Ink Editor’s Choice Award. Alena Zhang ’18 published her poem, “Pulse,” which also received a Teen Ink Editor’s Choice Award. Congratulations, writers!

“The Shipwreck” a poem by Maddie Christmann ’18, written in Creative Writing class as an emulation of Robert Wrigley’s “After a Rainstorm,” will be published in the November/ December issue of the national print magazine, Cicada.

“Traffic,” a poem by Betsy Zaubler ’17 written as part of a joint project between the Creative Writing and Digital Photography classes, was selected for publication by the Live Poets Society of New Jersey.  Congratulations, poets!

SaVonne Anderson ’13, a current student at Fordham University, has published a book of essays entitled Womanifesto. In it, SaVonne comments on the experience of discovering womanhood by telling the story of her own journey. From the loss of her mother and overcoming shame of her body to learning to love and finding the power in her own voice, SaVonne tells her story. She gives much needed insight to what it’s like to be and become a woman and gives a voice to the experiences of silenced women around the world. In The Womanifesto, SaVonne encourages girls and women to be the best versions of themselves as they embrace the beauty in womanhood. The book was edited by her classmate, Alyssa McPherson ’13. Bravo!

Three Newark Academy students were honored as “Topical Winners” in the Live Poets Society of New Jersey high school poetry contest. “What the Stars Hold” by Young Se Choi 18, “Family Affairs” by Abdul-Nafea Syed ’17 and “Hold Her Hand” by Isabel Young ’17 were selected for publication. Congratulations, poets!

“Donalbain and The Irish Limbo,” a one-act play by Emma Hoffman ’16 will be published in Canvas Literary Journal  in July 2015. Emma wrote and revised the play in her Creative Writing class. Congratulations, Emma!

Zaubler, Mudrick & Poisson donning their Gold Medals

On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, Haley Mudrick ’15, Gabrielle Poisson ’17 and Betsy Zaubler ’17 were awarded Governor’s Awards in Arts Education for their creative writing accomplishments. Haley was honored for her personal essay, “If I Could Write to Truman Capote,” Gabi for her play “Worn Thin,” and Betsy for her play “Thanksgiving Surprise.”

The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education began in 1980 to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts, recognizing the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. National and statewide organizations select the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Haley was nominated for the award by the NJ Council of Teachers of English, Betsy and Gabi by the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.

The awards ceremony was held at the War Memorial Theatre in Trenton and included performances by several of the winning artists. Congratulations Haley, Gabi and Betsy!

Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 was given her Distinguished Honors Award by Mr. Gus Friedrich, Dean Emeritus of Rutgers SCI, New Brunswick, at the Letters About Literature Award Ceremony.

Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 was awarded Distinguished Honors at the Letters about Literature Contest ceremony on May 19, 2015 at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, NJ. Three other NA winners, Gioia Basile ’19, Asha Varma ’20,  and Haley Mudrick ’15 were unable to attend the ceremony. The four were among 43 chosen from about 2,000 entries. The annual contest is sponsored by the Library of Congress and the NJ Center for the Book.  Bravo, Gioia, Asha, Liz and Haley!

A personal essay by Young Se Choi ’18,  “Darkness Within,” earned Teen Ink online magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award for Nonfiction. Teen Ink also published another essay by Young Se, “Remembering Concussion.” Congratulations, Young Se!

Betsy Zaubler ’17 won 2nd Place for her short story “Shooting Stars” in Rider University’s 35th Annual national High School Writing Contest. The story will now be considered for publication in Rider University’s literary magazine, Venture. Congratulations, Betsy!

Michael Lee ’15 & Haley Mudrick ’15 with novelist Roberta Clipper

Michael Lee ’15 and Haley Mudrick ’15 were honored at the NJCTE (New Jersey Council of Teachers of English) High School Writing Contest Award Ceremony at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains on April 23, 2015. Haley’s Gold Medal personal essay, “If I Could Write to Truman Capote” and Michael’s Bronze Medal poem, “Why I Do My Homework,” were recited for the audience by trained orators. The guest speaker, novelist and Rider University professor Dr. Roberta Clipper, posed for a photograph with the winning authors.

Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 won the 2015 National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Award for Superior Writing for her personal essay, “The Art of Losing,” and a portfolio of other creative work. She is one of 141 winners selected from juniors across the nation. An excerpt of her essay will be published in the NA alumni magazine, Outreach this spring. Congratulations, Liz!

Four Newark Academy students won Distinguished Honors in the Letters about Literature Contest sponsored by the Library of Congress and the NJ Center for the Book. Letters by Gioia Basile ’19, Asha Varma ’20, Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 and Haley Mudrick ’15 were among 43 chosen from about 2,000 entries. The awards ceremony will take place on May 19, 2015 at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, NJ. Bravo, Gioia, Asha, Liz and Haley!

“Unembellished We” by Mollie Wohlforth ’15 has been accepted for publication in Polyphony H.S., one of the most longstanding and prestigious teen literary presses. Her poem, “Golden Oldie,” was selected as the Poem of the Day and published by Cuckoo Quarterly, Spring 2015. Congratulations, Mollie!

Haley Mudrick ’15, Gabrielle Poisson ’17 and Betsy Zaubler ’17 will receive Governor’s Awards in Arts Education for their creative writing accomplishments. Haley is being honored for her personal essay, “If I Could Write to Truman Capote,” Gabi for her play “Worn Thin,” and Betsy for her play “Thanksgiving Surprise.”

The Governor’s Awards in Arts Education began in 1980 to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts, recognizing the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. National and statewide organizations select the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and visual arts. Haley was nominated for the award by the NJ Council of Teachers of English, Betsy and Gabi by the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey.

The award ceremony will be held at the War Memorial Theatre in Trenton on May 27, 2015, and will include performances by several of the winning artists. Congratulations Haley, Gabi and Betsy!

Plays by Gabrielle Poisson ’17 and Betsy Zaubler ’17 are two of four scripts selected as statewide winners in the 32nd annual NJ Playwrights Festival high school contest. Both plays will get a staged reading by professional actors during the Playwrights Festival on June 2, 2015 at 7pm. In preparation for the performance, Betsy and Gabi will be working with theatre professionals from Playwrights Theatre of NJ who will work on their plays as dramaturges, directors and actors. Gabi’s play, “Worn Thin,” was written during the 2014 Page to Stage June Term and revised in 2015 in the Creative Writing class. Betsy’s play “Thanksgiving Surprise” was written and revised in Creative Writing. Congratulations to both playwrights on this huge accomplishment.

Every year the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English holds a statewide writing contest for high school students. Haley Mudrick ’15 won the Gold Medal for Nonfiction for her essay “If I Could Write to Truman Capote” and Michael Lee ’15 won the Bronze Medal for Poetry for his poem, “Why I Do My Homework,” an emulation of “Why I Write Poetry” by Major Jackson. You can read their work in the display case outside the English Office. The award ceremony will be held on April 23, 2015 in Scotch Plains, N.J. where their work will be performed by trained orators. Michael will also be invited to read his poem at the 2016 Dodge Poetry Festival. Congratulations Haley and Michael!

Plays by Joshua Martin ’16,  Gabrielle Poisson ’17 and Betsy Zaubler ’17 are three of 15 scripts to reach the final round of judging in the 32nd NJ Playwrights Festival annual high school contest. Gabi’s play, “Worn Thin,” was written during the 2014 Page to Stage June Term. Josh’s play, “Pick a Chick Wayne” and Betsy’s “Thanksgiving Surprise” were written in Creative Writing class. This year, the Festival is implementing a new step in the judging process that requires playwrights in the final round to complete a revision of their work using feedback from one of their contest readers. Betsy, Gabi and Josh will combine festival feedback with suggestions offered by their Creative Writing class to revise their scripts and resubmit them by March 6th. Wish them luck!

For the first time, this year the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards will host a celebratory reading in a renowned independent NYC bookstore featuring a select group of Northeast Region-at-Large Gold Key award recipients. Daniel Kwiatkowski ’15 has been invited to read a 5-minute excerpt from his Gold Key Flash Fiction piece, “Can We Escape?”  The reading will take place at McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince Street (near the intersection of Lafayette Street and Prince) on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 from 6pm to 8 pm. Two Guest Readers from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts will also be present. Congratulations, Daniel!

“Shadow Friends” by Gabrielle Poisson ’17 and “Carnival Games” by Kiran Damodaran ’17 won 1st and 2nd place respectively in the the Writers’ Slate annual writing contest sponsored by The Writing Conference, Inc. This year’s contest theme was “friendship.” Gabi and Kiran won in the “Narration” category. Their stories have been published in the Spring 2015 edition of the online magazine, Volume 30, Issue 3  (Poisson, p. 66; Damodaran p. 88). Congratulations Gabi and Kiran!

“Lipstick Medals,” a poem written and performed by Mollie Wohlforth ’15 for the Creative Writing Morning Meeting Presentation on January 30, 2015, was accepted for publication by The Live Poets Society of New Jersey. The poem was selected as a “Topical Winner” for their “Of Love and Dedication” issue. The morning meeting poems were written on the themes of red and/or black. Mollie’s poem alludes to the color without naming it. Congratulations, Mollie!

Lipstick Medals by Mollie Wohlforth

This year 24 NA students across five grades earned 51 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in the following categories: critical essay, drawing, flash fiction, journalism, personal essay/memoir, photography, poetry, science fiction/fantasy, scriptwriting and short story. Congratulations to the following students:

HONORABLE MENTION distinction, which shows “tremendous creative promise and places the student in the top 20% of the Northwest US region,” was awarded to: Isabel Alland ’17 (Flash Fiction), James Blume ’19 (Flash Fiction, Poetry), Josh Charow ’16 (2 Photography), Young-se Choi ’18 (Personal Essay, Short Story), Courtney Cooperman ‘16 (Personal Essay), Cosimo Fabrizio ’18 (Flash Fiction, Personal Essay), Emma Hoffman ’16 (Short Story), Lynna Huo ’15 (drawing/illustration), Daniel Kwiatkowski ‘15 (3 Flash Fiction, Poetry), Eva Lebovitz ’18 (Poetry), Claudia Lu ’15 (Personal Essay), James Marcucci ‘16 (Science Fiction), Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 (Personal Essay, Short Story), Gabrielle Poisson ’17 (Personal Essay, Poetry), Anne Ruble ‘17 (Poetry), Isabel Snee ’18 (Flash Fiction) and Abbey Zhu ’18 (Flash Fiction).

THE SILVER KEY AWARD, which indicates “high honors on the regional level and places students in the top 15% of their region,” was earned by Mark Berger ‘17 (Poetry, Short Story), Josh Charow ’16 (Photography), Amy Chen ’15 (Personal Essay), Courtney Cooperman ’16 (Journalism), Emma Hoffman ’16 (Flash Fiction, 2 Poetry, Short Story), Daniel Kwiatkowski ‘15 (2 Poetry), Claudia Lu ’15 (Critical Essay), Mauranda Men ’16 (Poetry), Haley Mudrick ’15 (Poetry), Unnathy Nellutla ’19 (Flash Fiction, Short Story), Gabrielle Poisson ’17 (Flash Fiction, Dramatic Script), Dean Tan ’18 (Short Story) and Lance Tan ’17 (Flash Fiction, Poetry).

THE GOLD KEY AWARD, which is “the highest level of achievement on the regional level and places students in the top 10% of their region,” was earned by Emma Hoffman ’16 (Short Story), Daniel Kwiatkowski ‘15 (Flash Fiction) and Anne Ruble ‘17 (Personal Essay, Poetry).

Work by Gold Key winners will go on to compete at the national level. Good luck Emma, Dan and Anne!

Emma Hoffman’s poem “Cathedrals” was published in the Spring 2015 issue of The Louisville Review, Volume 77.  TLR is an adult, mainstream literary magazine founded in 1976 at the University of Louisville. The text of “Cathedrals” is posted on the Writing, Art & Music forum WAM! for your reading pleasure. Congratulations, Emma!

The literary magazine Five Quarterly will feature the work of Mollie Wohlforth ’15 on its “Almost 5Q” blog (February 13, 2015). Five Quarterly was c0-founded by English Department faculty member Vanessa Jimenez Gabb and colleague Crissy Van Meter. Ms. Gabb invites NA students to submit their high quality fiction and poetry to 5Q. Those interested in being a guest editor should submit an application to her. You can read Mollie’s poem, “Unembellished We,” on the Writing, Art & Music forum known as WAM!  Congratulations, Mollie!

The Winter 2015 issue of Canvas Literary Journal will publish three poems by Alicja Madloch ’15, “my vantage point,” “Consider This a Tribute Poem,” and “there happen to be things i’ve observed” and a poem by Mollie Wohlforth ’15, “Snow Day, Revisited.” Congratulations, poets!

To read the winning poems, click “continue reading” below: Continue reading →

McPherson & James at the 2014 Dodge Poetry Festival

Alyssa McPherson ’13 and Flannery James ’14 performed their poetry at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on October 24, 2014. The reading of NJCTE and National Student Poets took place in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. Alyssa and Flannery were invited to read because they were awarded Gold Medals in Poetry by the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English in 2012 (Flannery) and 2013 (Alyssa and Flannery) and went on to receive Governor’s Awards in Arts Education at an April 2013 ceremony at the War Memorial Theater in Trenton. The Dodge Poetry Festival, where Flannery also read in 2012, is a 4-day biennial event in which audiences attend readings and discussions offered by dozens of internationally acclaimed poets. A Star-Ledger article about the festival, which you can find here, includes quotes from Alyssa and Flannery.

Alyssa is a sophomore at Brown University and Flannery is a freshman at Columbia University. If you would like to read their work and/or see a video excerpt from the performance, you can find them on NA’s Writing, Art & Music forum, known as WAM! Congratulations, poets!

McPherson reading her poetry in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

“Consequently,” a poem by Alicja Madloch ’15 was selected for publication in the Fall 2014 issue of The Cuckoo Quarterly: A Literary Magazine by Young Writers, vol. 11. The theme of the issue was “Fired Up.” The magazine currently seeks submissions for its upcoming volume 12 with the theme of “Voices.” Congratulations, Alicja!

Work by four Newark Academy students was chosen from over 3,000 entries for publication in The Apprentice Writer, Vol 32, a literary magazine of Susquehanna University. The published poems include “Why I Pray on My Knees” by Amani Garvin ’15, “Speech Like Glitter” by Alicja Madloch ’15, “Symphony for the Lost” by Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 and “Love and Cars” by Greta Skagerlind ’14, who also had a short story in the anthology.

Alicja Madloch also published her poems “About Sleepless Nights” in the Black Fox Literary Magazine, Vol. 10, “Postmortem” in Canvas Literary Magazine and “Hipsters” in Vademecum Magazine.

Daniel Kwiatkowski ’15 published his poem, “Brothers” in the July/August issue of Cicada Magazine. Congratulations to all five students on their impressive summer publications.

Former NA Creative Writing student and Minuteman reporter Elizabeth Coscia ’12, is a New York Observer reporter operating out of New York and Washington D.C. with a background in politics and culture. She attends Georgetown University. You can find Elizabeth’s many compelling articles here at the New York Observer website. We are proud of you, Elizabeth!

Daniel Kwiatkowski’s poem “Expecting Rain” will be published in the Fall 2014 issue of The Louisville Review. TLR is an adult, mainstream literary magazine founded in 1976 at the University of Louisville. Congratulations, Daniel!

Greta Skagerlind (4th from the right) on stage at Carnegie Hall.

Brendan James and his photo “Everglades Anhinga” at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery.

Brendan James ’14 and Greta Skagerlind ’14 accepted their Scholastic Gold Medals at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, June 6, 2014. Their work was among 1,700 pieces chosen for Gold and Silver recognition from 255,000 entries nationwide. The ceremony featured many prominent speakers, including First Lady Michelle Obama, who addressed the winners by videotape.

Greta’s graphic design piece, “Cut and Dry,”  is on display at the Sheila Johnson Design Center at the Parsons School for Design, 66 5th Avenue at 13th Street, and Brendan’s photograph, “Everglades Anhinga” is at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 West 14th Street, 2nd floor through June 14th.  Selected works from the Art.Write.Now Exhibit will tour major U.S. cities for the next two years, beginning with Washington D.C. next month.

Greta & Brendan tasting gold!

Although James Blume ’19 was unable to attend the Carnegie Hall ceremony, his short story, “Are Rabbits’ Feet Really Lucky?” is on display on Kindle at the Art.Write.Now Exhibition. Congratulations National Gold Medalists!

“Holi Festival of Color,” a photo taken by Brendan James during his India immersion trip, on display during the Carnegie Hall ceremony.

“The City,” a poem by Danielle Sidi ’14 was selected for online publication by Poetry.org as part of their “Poet-to-Poet” project in which students write responses to famous poems. Danielle’s poem is a response to Elizabeth Bishop’s  poem, “The Map,” and can be found here on the Poets.org website as well as in the display case outside the English Office. Bravo, Dani!

Alicja Madloch‘s poems “What Happens When I See You,” and “About Me” have been selected for publication in the forthcoming print and online editions of BRICKrhetoric Literary & Visual Arts Journal, Vol. 15, May 2014.  Her poem “Speech Like Glitter” appears in Issue 8 of the Pomona Valley Review, Spring 2014.  Congratulations, Alicja!

Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 won Honorable Mention for her poem “Posture” in Rider University’s 34th Annual High School Writing Contest. The poem may be published in Rider’s literary magazine, Venture. Almost all of the contest winners were juniors and seniors. Elizabeth was the rare sophomore to receive recognition for her work. Congratulations, Elizabeth!

A poem by Amani Garvin ’15 entitled “Christian in a Masjid” was published on page 2 of  the May/June 2014 issue of Cicada national print magazine. A copy of the magazine is on display in the Hawkes Memorial Library. The poem can also be seen in the display case outside the English Office. Take a look at this wonderful poem. Congratulations Amani!

Daniel Kwiatkowski ’15 won the Teen Ink Nonfiction Contest for his personal essay, “Not Just a Headache.” The essay was published in the April 2014 issue of the national print magazine. Another nonfiction piece, “Stuck,” was published in the May 2014 print edition. Daniel has also published work this spring in magazines including Canvas Literary Magazine, Cicada Magazine, The Cuckoo Quarterly, Flip the Page, GREYstone, Miracle-e-zine, and The Young Wanderer. For links to the various publications, go the the Class of 2015 page and scroll down to Kwiatkowski. Congratulations, Daniel!

The literary magazine Five Quarterly will feature the work of three Newark Academy students on its “Almost 5/Q” blog. Alicja Madloch‘s poem “Speech Like Glitter” will be published on July 25, Mauranda Men‘s poem “Incomprehension” on August 15, and Laurel Gupton‘s poem “It Tasted Like Pennies,” on August 22, 2014. The current issue of Five Quarterly, c0-founded by English Department faculty member Vanessa Jimenez Gabb and colleague Crissy Van Meter, can be found in the Issues tab of the 5/Q site. Ms. Gabb invites NA students to submit their high quality fiction and poetry to 5/Q. Those interested in being a guest editor should submit an application to her. Congratulations, Laurel, Alicja and Mauranda!

Every year the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English holds a state-wide writing contest for high school students. This year’s prompt was “Disaster.” Junior Haley Mudrick received a Merit Award in the Personal Essay category. You can read an excerpt of her essay in the display case outside the English Office.

Haley Mudrick (back row, 2nd from left)

The award ceremony was held on April 10, 2014 in Scotch Plains, N.J. Congratulations, Haley!

Newark Academy junior Claudia Lu won an Honorable Mention in the Letters about Literature Contest sponsored by the Library of Congress and the NJ Center for the Book. Claudia’s letter received one of 29 Level III Honorable Mentions selected from about 2,000 entries. The awards ceremony will take place on May 13, 2014 at Grounds for Sculpture. Bravo, Claudia!

Mollie Wohlforth‘s poem “Dry Feet,” has been selected for publication in the forthcoming print and online editions of BRICKrhetoric Literary & Visual Arts Journal, Vol. 15, May 2014. You can read the poem in the display case outside the English Office. Congratulations, Mollie!

The English Department is now accepting applications for the 2014 -15 Creative Writing Workshop. If you would like to be considered, please send one sample of your creative work (a poem, story, script or personal essay) to Mr. Scerra at lscerra@newarka.edu by Friday, March 28 at 3pm. In your email, please explain why you would like to take the class. Your level of interest and motivation is an important part of the selection process. Students who applied previously are encouraged to reapply.  Applying for the class does NOT mean you are required to take it, but it does reserve a space for you if your application is approved. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. James at tjames@newarka.edu or drop by the English Office.

Three Newark Academy students were awarded Scholastic National Gold Medals: James Blume ’19 for Flash Fiction (“Are Rabbit Feet Really Lucky?”), Greta Skagerlind ’14 for Design (“Cut & Dry) and Brendan James ’14 for Photography (“Everglades Anhinga“). National recognition is awarded to the top 1% of the over 200,000 works submitted. Their work will be displayed at the “Art.Write.Now” National Exhibit in NYC for three weeks following an award ceremony on June 6, 2014 at Carnegie Hall. You can read the short story by James Blume in the display case outside the English Office. Congratulations James, Greta and Brendan!

Short stories by Zoe Rollenhagen ’14 and Elizabeth Merrigan ’16 won 1st and 2nd place respectively in the the Writer’s Slate annual writing contest sponsored by The Writing Conference, Inc. Their work has been published in the April edition of the magazine, Volume 29, Issue 3. Congratulations Elizabeth and Zoe!

NA had its strongest Scholastic year ever with 29 students across 5 grades earning 64 awards in flash fiction, humor, journalism, personal essay/memoir, poetry, science fiction/fantasy, scriptwriting, and short story, as well as in design, painting, and photography. Congratulations to the following students:

HONORABLE MENTION distinction, which shows “tremendous creative promise and places the student in the top 20% of the Northwest US region,” was awarded to: Mark Berger ‘17 (Personal Essay, Flash Fiction), James Blume ’19 (Poetry), Paul Brown ‘17 (Flash Fiction), Courtney Cooperman ‘16 (Poetry), Tommy Damiano ’15 (Poetry), Mark Dempsey ’16 (Poetry), Claudia Hyman ’16 (Poetry), Brendan James ‘14 (Senior Art Portfolio), Flannery James ’14 (Personal Essay, Flash Fiction), Daniel Kwiatkowski ’15 (3 Poetry, Personal Essay), James Marcucci ‘16 (Personal Essay), Mauranda Men ’16 (Poetry), Haley Mudrick ‘15 (Personal Essay), Jordyn Norris ‘14 (Personal Essay), Kristie Petillo ’14 (2 Short Story), Anne Ruble ‘17 (2 Poetry), Rebecca Tolpin ‘14 (Personal Essay, Journalism), Remenna Xu ’14 (Poetry, 2 Personal Essay, Dramatic Script).

THE SILVER KEY AWARD, which indicates “high honors on the regional level and places students in the top 15% of their region,” was earned by Courtney Cooperman ’16 (Journalism), Emma Hoffman ‘16 (Short Story), Brendan James ‘14 (Film & Animation), Flannery James ’14 (Fantasy), Daniel Kwiatkowski ‘15 (2 Flash Fiction, Short Story), Elizabeth Merrigan ’15 (Poetry), Kristie Petillo ’14 (Personal Essay, Fantasy), Gabrielle Poisson ’17 (Short Story), Zoe Rollenhagen ’14 (Personal Essay), Anne Ruble ‘17 (Flash Fiction), Ryan Skorka ‘17 (Flash Fiction), Lance Tan ‘17 (Short Story), Jocelyn Tolpin ‘17 (Short Story), Rebecca Tolpin ‘14 (Poetry), Eve Verzani ‘17 (Personal Essay), Remenna Xu ’14 (2 Flash Fiction, Humor, Short Story & Dramatic Script).

THE GOLD KEY AWARD, which is “the highest level of achievement on the regional level and places students in the top 10% of their region,” was earned by James Blume ‘19 (Flash Fiction), Courtney Cooperman ’16 (Personal Essay), Emma Hoffman ’16 (Poetry), Brendan James ‘14 (3 Photography), Flannery James ’14 (Poetry, Senior Writing Portfolio), Kristie Petillo ’14 (Short Story), Greta Skagerlind ’14 (Design), Andie Wei ‘14 (Painting), Hannah Zack ‘14 (Personal Essay).

Work by Gold Key winners will go on to compete at the national level. Good luck!

Emma Hoffman‘s short story “Dell’uva,” about grape pickers in 20th century Molise, Italy, is this week’s feature on the 5/Q blog. You can read Emma’s story here.

The winter issue of Five Quarterly, c0-founded by English Department faculty member Vanessa Jimenez Gabb and colleague Crissy Van Meter, can be found in the Issues tab of the 5/Q site.

Ms. Gabb invites NA students to submit their high quality fiction and poetry to 5/Q. Congratulations, Emma!

Three poems by Newark Academy students were published in the March/April issue of Cicada Magazine: “Coming Home?” by Daniel Kwiatkowski, “Closing” by Elizabeth Merrigan and “Love and Cars” by Greta Skagerlind. In addition, Daniel’s poem, “Expecting Rain,” was published in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue.  A copy of the March/April issue is on display in the Hawkes Memorial Library. Take a look at these wonderful poems. Congratulations Daniel, Elizabeth and Greta!

BRICKrhetoric Literary & Visual Arts Journal January 2014 issue will publish three pieces by Daniel  Kwiatkowski:  “Not Just a Headache” personal essay, “Expecting Rain” poetry, and a photograph. The December 2013 issue, Vol. 13, features a personal essay by Claudia Lu, “In the Dark,” and a photograph, “Windows” by Alicja Madloch.

Seven Newark Academy students recently published work in Teen Ink’s online magazine.  Claudia Hyman ’16 published her short story, “Strangers,” and poem “My Brother,” Daniel Kwiatkowski ’15 published his short story “Faith Matters,” personal essay “Not Just a Headache” (both Editor’s Choice Awards) and his poem, “Expecting Rain.” Haley Mudrick ’15 published her poem, “Every October After.” Hannah Tarnow ’16 published her poem, “The Game,” Andie Wei ’14 published her poems, “Codependency,” and “In Regards to People Asking How I Feel About Him,” Remenna Xu ’14 published her story “Gonzo Life,” (Editor’s Choice Award), her poems “To Ty Logan” and “Foreign Languages” and her memoir “To Answer His Questions,” (Editor’s Choice Award) and Hannah Zack ’14 published her story, “Of Oil Paintings and Insanity.” Congratulations!

Sami Kennedy ’11, a current junior at Hendrix College in Arkansas, had her essay “The Other Side of the Scope” published by the Huffington Post’s “Impact” blog. The essay was originally written for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Sami describes herself as a pre-med biochemistry student hoping to use her own experience with illness to help the next generation of sick kids. She has also been published by The Treatment and is a blogger for Improve Care Now.

Five Newark Academy students will have their work published in the Fall 2013 issue of Rider University’s annual literary magazine, Venture. In the university’s 33rd Annual High School Writing Contest, Flannery James ’14 won 1st Place in Poetry & Nonfiction, Alyssa McPherson ’13  won 1st Place in Fiction, Harry McCarthy ’13 won 2nd Place in Poetry, Claudia Lu ’15 won 3rd Place in Nonfiction, and Elizabeth Vogel ’13 won Honorable Mention in Nonfiction. In addition to publication, the contest awards $100 for 1st Place, $50 for 2nd Place, and $25 for 3rd Place. Congratulations, writers!

Three Newark Academy freshmen, Laura Boyman, Johnny Capobianco, and Olimpia Kane, won Honorable Mention Awards in the Letters about Literature Contest, sponsored by the Library of Congress and the NJ Center for the Book. The letters written by Laura, Johnny and Olimpia were 3 of 14 Level III honorable mentions selected from about 2,000 entries. The awards ceremony took place on May 14, 2013 at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J.

The Apprentice Writer, Susquehanna University’s annual anthology of distinguished high school work, will publish pieces by four Newark Academy students in their Fall 2013 issue. From about 3,000 submissions received, the editors selected 65 stories, poems and essays for publication, including work by Elizabeth Vogel ’13, Flannery James ’14 and Kristie Petillo ’14. From several hundred photography submissions, they selected ten images for publication, including two by Brendan James ’14. Congratulations Liz, Flannery, Kristie and Brendan!

One Teen Story Fiction Contest seeks submissions of original, unpublished short stories, 1,500 to 4,000 words, written by teens ages 14-19. The judges are looking for “interesting characters, a unique voice, and of course, a beginning, middle and end.” The winning story will be published in the May 2013 issue of One Teen Story. Contest winners will receive $500 and 25 copies of the magazine featuring their work. The winner of the contest will also have the opportunity to edit his/her story for publication with a One Teen Story editor. Honorable mentions will be chosen in three age categories: 14-15, 16-17, and 18-19-year-olds. Deadline: May 31, 2012.

Congratulations to Dillon denehy                                    Who won the creative writing quiz                                      He answered all the questions correctly                           And this prize is truly his

His beauty is unmatched by fashion models                    His neck long like a giraffe                                                    His cheeks are oh so rosie                                                     His hair second only to taffeta

I’ve seen you play drums at coffee house                                                                                      And in morning meeting too                                                                                                                 I would love to be in panic switch                                                                                                     Do you need someone who plays the kazoo?

Now congratulations to you my dear friend                                                                                You’re a winner Dillon denehy                                                                                                            If I had to rate you on the Richter scale                                                                                             I would definitely say you’re a tenehy.

– Tucker Iverson

On January 24th, members of the Creative Writing Workshop presented poems about one another to the Morning Meeting audience. How closely did you listen? Whoever scores the highest on this quiz will receive a dazzling prize (described below). Please post your answers in the comment section below and “like” us on Facebook:

1. Which member of the class was described as looking like Clark Kent? (Hint: Like Kent, he works for a newspaper.)
2. Who was said to have wobbly knees during Morning Meeting announcements?
3. Which class member is a fan of Cory Montieth?
4. Whose name was almost rhymed with another word before the mic was snatched?
5. Whose eyes were compared to pearls?
6. Which class member was compared to a red hot fever?
7. Who was praised as a helpful and honest reader of work?
8. Which writer was said to have written a story involving a circus?
9. Which writer keeps the class LOL-pin?
10. Whose heart was broken?

BONUS QUESTION: Was the prom proposal real or a perfectly orchestrated piece of theater? Or, to put it another way: Can two people really be such talented writers AND great actors? If so, what does that say about life’s inherent fairness? What about those of  us who can’t write OR act?

THE PRIZE? The person with the most correct answers will have a personalized poem written about him/her by class member Tucker Iverson ’12 to be read at Morning Meeting. Fame and glory await you!

The Suspects: