Cole Schnell
Business/Ads Manager
New literary magazine, The Branch, was released its first issue on Nov. 1. WGHS has had other literary magazines like Reflections, which ended in 2012.
The Allwrite interns are trying to revive Reflections with The Branch, but with a new name to give it a fresh start. Every first school week of the month, the magazine will be released. Three hundred copies will be printed for every issue and distributed through the English teachers.
The Branch publishes student’s work. Students submit works online through wgbranch.com. The branch will accept any fiction work. There are no set maximum lengths. If a piece of work is too long, The Branch will contact the author and work with her/him to cut it down. There is no minimum.
All entries are due on the 20th of the month before the month of the issue unless posted differently.
“Gives students a opportunity to publish their work,” Dorothea Starr Lebeau, author of Shall I Compare Thee to Her said; “I like writing and other people to see it.”
Artists may also submit work for the cover, and there is photography contest with a theme unique to each month. Photos can be submitted via email to English Teacher, Steve Leftridge.
The Branch’s goal is to fuel WGHS Allwrite Festival. All works published in The Branch are submitted to contest for a Franzie, which is a literary award given to a student during Allwrite. Franzie winners talk and read their work in the first assembly of Allwrite.
There is also to a puzzle integrated into the magazine the gives away hints about Allwrite such as this year’s theme and speakers.
The magazine is broken into five different sections: a general section which will have a different name every month (“Cornucopia” in November), “Reflections,” “Coffee Mug Club Meeting at [different places],” “Papercuts” and “Webster Wayback.”
The general section has the works that don’t fit in the other sections.
“Reflections,” named after the WGHS previous literary magazine, is where the more dramatic and emotional works go.
Coffee Mug Club is where the works are written by members of the Coffee Mug Club that are inspired by a mouth unique club field trip.
In November, members went to Laumeier Sculpture Park. The Coffee Mug Club is WGHS writing club. The club meets once a month. November the members met at the St. Louis Art Museum and the pieces will be in the next issue.
“Papercuts” are for works 50 words or less that are inspired by the month’s unique word. The November’s word was “time.” The last section is “Webster Wayback” for works written by past students published in previous literary magazines.
The Branch’s teacher sponsors are English teachers Leftridge and Rita Chapman.
The Branch is being funded through gofundme.com. It has already raised enough money to fund The Branch this year: raising over $1,000 on the first two days the campaign was available to donate. Also, readers of The Branch can buy subscriptions through gofundme.com.
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