Thanks

From all of us here at the Literary Magazine, we would like to thank everyone who has submitted an art piece for our publication. It is our pleasure to serve as West Jordan High's creative voice for each and every student and we have enjoyed the many brilliant works of art we have received. With that said, we are still accepting submissions and would LOVE to see yours turned in! So if you are looking for something to occupy yourself during the break, why not head over to the inspiration page and get started on a masterpiece for the world to see? Remember that with your submission we need you to complete the form located here. We hope you have a happy holiday break and stay safe!

Empty Canvas

The Empty Canvas

By Samantha Foote

Golden waves of the sunset fell across the blue ocean, the sand, once a pure white, had long since turned a virtuous gold. The dark grey clouds were gathering above, each one looked as if they had been painted by God’s hand, on a white canvas with supple watercolors. The clouds closest to the fading sun lighting up and making an imaginary doorway into heaven itself; each cloud after shining like a rainbow of various purple’s and pink’s. In the last rays of the dying sun a few fish and mammals could be seen taking a leap from the warm water into the cooling air. On the right stood a long dock, it extended 100 feet into the cerulean sea and stood as a large ship beacon. No large ships had docked there in years, several small fishing boats could be seen tied to the tall wooden posts, but the main feature was anything but a boat. On the very end of the dock as if it were a toll booth was a small shabby building. It had a large bay window facing the sun on both the east and west, easily watching and waiting for the coming and going of the sun each day. A man sat facing the dying flame, his hand hovered over paintbrushes, bottles and platforms stood waiting for the paintbrush. Each bottle eager to feel some of their contents drained, the slender pallets waiting to be touched with cool paint and smeared into a new rainbow of colors. The dry, blank, canvas ready for the heavy weight of paint; show off the colors of dark clouds threatening impending rain, the gold and red colors of each dying day. Before the man could set any of his own fire to the white, the image had faded completely. Now tiny stars were appearing on a now black sky. New colors were lifted to replace the light, each one darker and heavier. Few of these tiny friends bathed with white light shone, the clouds covered up the common stars. A new canvas, just as dry as the first, replaced the first one. Each canvas had its own responsibility, one to carry the sunrise, another to hold the day, even another for the sunset, and one to show the darkest night. Each a new stage of life, each one depicting the simple life of a normal man; the painter of course was anything but normal. Only when an abnormal picture came, only when he saw an image of his own life would he paint. Then would he show the world the rare beauty that came with stumbling through every step of life. His life was anything but what society considered normal, but for the rest of his life the canvas would never be painted. That was the most beautiful thing he could paint after all, the only thing that almost all could relate too. It was only fair that his best painting be blank, his painting be nothing but white. The world after all was an Empty Canvas.

December Contest

Guess what's here? The December prose contest! If you have any short stories then submit them to lit mag now for your (very big) chance to win 25 dollars and to have your work published in the literary magazine. Submissions due Jan. 15, so you have time to work on something over the break. Thanks for submitting and happy holidays!

MAGIC!

Literary Magazine is holding a Magic (magic, magic, magic) show to raise money for the M.A.D. Jags Charity, the Children's Justice Center. It will be on December 12th at 7:00 p.m. Come see "Lefty" the magic extraodinare perform for people of all ages. The tickets are $5 at the door.

A Very Inspiring Student

Here at the Lit Mag we receive plenty of submissions, but sometimes there is that artist that catches your eye that you just know is a diamond in the rough. Suzie Carson, a senior here at Dub Jay, is a very inspiring poet that has sent us many of her poems and we are very impressed. We sat down with her to see just what she was doing to produce such lovely poetry.

-What is your favorite color?
Green
-What inspires your artwork?
Music I listen to and life experiences
-Where did you learn and develop your writing skills?
In 9th grade I became interested, other than that I haven't. I am taking a creative writing class next semester.
-What helps you produce you art?
Listening to music
-Do you practice any other artistic skills?
Ceramics, drawing. I write short stories as well!
-Out of all your poems, which is your favorite?
That's like asking a parent their favorite child!

Well there you go. It seems like Suzie is a creative soul that has a very special artistic talent. Read one of her poems below and if you like it as much as we did make sure to tell her when you see her in the halls!

Can You Find Me?

Too many doubts in my mind, I can hardly breathe

Too many voices, crowding out mine, it’s hard to speak

I’ve seen photographs, broken mirrors, tell me what you see

I can’t say for myself, can you see something in me?

I’ve lost my trust, can you still trust me?

Fading fast, can you still hear me?

I’ve lost my faith; do you still believe in me?

I’ve lost my way… can you find me?

Lived a small nightmare, It’s time to dream

Doubting myself for so long, not sure what I can be

I’ve seen too many lies, not sure what to believe

Stuck in a shell most of my life, it’s time to be free

I’ve lost my trust, can you still trust me?

Fading fast, can you still see me?

I’ve lost my faith; do you still believe in me?

I’ve lost my way… can you find me?

Am I a princess? Could I be a queen?

Is the something good in me that I could not see?

Are you still there? Do you still wait for me?

Am I too far gone?… can you find me?

By Suzi Carson

Need Some Help?

We suggest going to this blog. It's relatively new, but it has a lot of good tips. It doesn't matter whether you're a fiction writer or not.

http://blogofafictionwriter.blogspot.com/

Staff Spotlight!

Our Staff Spotlight this week features....

MacKensie Culligan!

Job: Marketing Assistant

Bio: Strive For Greatness

Excited for in Lit Mag: Hanging out with friends and having a good time

Favorite Color: Orange

Favorite Food: Mac& Cheese

Favorite Poem: No favorite poem

Favorite Book: Hunger Games

Favorite Movie: Miley The Movement

Favorite Piece of Art: Photography