The One Blue Wall (OBW) publication staff held its Literary Night in the senior cafeteria on Friday, Dec. 8.
The event opened with refreshments and a few words from the One Blue Wall Editor-in-Chief, Haley Bagby (12, J&C).
“I was mainly excited for anyone who came to be able to hear the pieces all of our writers create,” Bagby said. “I was definitely aiming to make it enjoyable while still having this emphasis, because this is what literary night has always been about.”
One Blue Wall required each of its staff members to write and read a piece for Literary Night. Staff member Tyler Smith (10, J&C) had a different experience with the piece he read.
“I was incredibly nervous to go on, and I had a panic attack before and after reading,” Smith said. “But I am glad I did have to read. It’s good to be pushed out of your comfort zone every once and awhile.”
Kaelyn Harris (12, J&C) read a more personal piece about her girlfriend’s artwork.
“[My piece], ‘Impressionism,’ came from a thought I had while looking at my girlfriend’s artwork,” Harris said. “I wanted to climb inside the scene she’s doodled. I started thinking about how art is often a reflection of ourselves. I wanted to know the artist through her art and become it, so the artist would know me.”
Video courtesy of Sophia Goldberg (10, J&C).
One Blue Wall encouraged students not on staff and outside of the J&C magnet to read pieces as well.
Andi Wood’s (12, HSU) piece, “Four Way Stop,” elicited lots of laughter from the crowd. The piece detailed a traffic encounter that Wood had with an old woman.
“I was going to work one morning, and an old lady gave me the finger,” Wood said. Wood changed her piece just minutes before it was due. “I was initially going to write some poem about my feelings or something for my first literary night to be serious, but that just isn’t something I would do. I love to write poetry, but for me, literally nothing compares to making people laugh.”
The night was pure planning from start to finish, from fitting all readers into a schedule to accounting for the readers that couldn’t show up.
“It takes quite a bit of planning,” E. Streeter (11, J&C) said. “[The planning is] mostly just delegating amongst the staff and the creative writing class for what to bring.” Throughout the night, Streeter delivered several impromptu advertisement pitches for the sale of both magazines that brought laughter from the crowd.
The staff sold preorders for their upcoming issue, “The Blue Book,” and a new staff magazine, “Moon Dog.” The name Moon Dog came from the staff’s advisor, Mr. Kristafer Abplanalp (J&C).
“Moon Dog is our up-and-coming magazine where works selected and written by OBW staffers will be published,” Smith said. “It was also what Mr. [Abplanalp’s] dad wanted to name him instead of Kris.”
The One Blue Wall staff will host their Open Mic Night next semester. One Blue Wall has not yet announced the release dates of “Moon Dog” and “The Blue Book.”
