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Creative Writing Class Publishes Winter Edition of ‘Pillars of Salt’

Last springs issue of the Upper School Lit Mag— Pillars of Salt.
Last spring’s issue of the Upper School Lit Mag— Pillars of Salt.

Archer’s Literary Magazine “Pillars of Salt” publishes incredible student work twice a year.  The creative writing class assembles this collection of poetry, prose, fiction, photography, drawing, images of ceramics, painting, and other student work. This year’s winter literary magazine was just released to the Archer community.

As a little preview, below are two pieces of work that have been submitted to the lit mag. To see the entire digital flip book, follow this link: Pillars of Salt, Winter 2014.

[one_half last=”no”]

“Webs” by  Emily Ward ’15

It’s not yet ten in the evening
when I step over the edge of the courtyard,
and into the circle of paved stones, closed flowers, and shadows.

The umbrella,
which is never closed,
branches out across the rickety wooden table,
uneven metal chairs, and the tilted rose bushes.

The houses around me
are silent, quiet,
sitting in the glowing darkness
of a city that always teems with life
and light.

I don’t notice it at first,
the brush of the thin strand across my face,
soft and sticky at the same time.
I continue towards my door, only stopping when
I feel it again.

It’s like a stutter this time,
the thread skittering across my forehead and nose before
it breaks
and rests on my cheek.

My fingers find the cobweb,
the liquid lace of an arachnid,
and brush it away.

It’s that time of year when
all the spiders are out hunting,
squatting between the trees,
patrolling their webs with the finesse and dedication
of White House security guards.

Dozens of webs stretch out across the courtyard,
spinning and shining with brevity
in the glint of a reflected lamp on the main road.

There are layers,
webs that stretch from
window to door handle,
trellis to front step,
chair to flower pot,
and leaf to petal.

There is a psychopath’s mess of intertwining strings
hanging above our courtyard.
Some of the threads are small, short, spindly things
that break on contact;
others are thick, layered,
that snap after a step or two of stretching.

I brush them away as I advance,
my house only a few moments away.
I pull out my key
and fumble for the lock,
my fingers skittish and hurried,
because I found the webs,
but where are the spiders?

Featured Image: Last spring’s issue of the Upper School Lit Mag— Pillars of Salt. Photographer: Harris Hartsfield.

[/one_half]

“Ode to Brando” by Athena Schlereth ’14

Oh Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named
Desire. You, Apollo of my heart,
Inspire within me eternal flames.
It surely was your finest acting part.
You split the heavens searching for your Stella
Your sultry shouts had spoken to my soul
I wish that you would have called out “Athena!”
Your whiskey-tinged voice could burn a hole.

Because you had become obese and old,
I cringed to see you in Apocalypse
But age cannot restrict your smile of gold
And time cannot betray your handsomeness
I’ll always have your films to watch, adore
Where you, young Marlon, live forevermore.

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About the Contributor
Sydney Stone, Editor-in-Chief
Syd Stone graduated in 2016. She became the Voices Editor and the Social Media Manager during the 2013-2014 school year and continued in that position in 2014-2015.  She served as the Co-Editor-In-Chief of the Oracle with Sarah Wagner during her senior year. She played cello in the Upper School Orchestra, was a member of the Honor Education Council and was the senior chair of the Ambassador Leadership Team. She attended the journalism institute for high school seniors at Northwestern University, where she went on to pursue a journalism major in college.

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As part of Archer’s active and engaged community, the Editorial Board welcomes reader comments and debate and encourages community members to take ownership of their opinions by using their names when commenting. However, in order to ensure a diverse range of opinions, the editorial board does allow anonymous comments on articles as long as the perspective cannot be obtained elsewhere, and they are respectful and relevant. We do require a valid, verified email address, which will not be displayed, but will be used to confirm your comments. Because we are a 6-12 school, the Editorial Board reserves the right to omit profanity and content that we deem inappropriate for our audience. We do not publish comments that serve primarily as an advertisement or to promote a specific product. Comments are moderated and may be edited in accordance with the Oracle’s profanity policy, but the Editorial Board will not change the intent or message of comments. They will appear once approved.
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    Mary Louise PiccardMar 21, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    I just went to the Archer website, and the first words I saw came across my screen like the headlines scroll by in Times Square on a neon sign! PILLARS OF SALT!! Do I read it online or wait for the real thing to come home with my daughters?! Wait for the real thing, because there’s nothing like the feel of bound paper covered in words and photographs in your hands. No. I can’t wait. Congratulations girls! You did an amazing job on Pillars Of Salt this year! There are some stars between the covers! Thanks Wog for your leadership and guidance – I know the girls are grateful! Now I’ll wait patiently for the real thing to arrive later today, so I can read it again, then put in on my bookshelf with her friends!

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