As 2020 began to take its course, writers and artists had the opportunity to submit their work to this year’s Literary Magazine and the Literary Festival contest.

“In January, I start asking for submissions … then around the beginning of February, I send it in to whatever school is hosting [the Literary Festival], and the school sends it off to the different judges for the categories,” magazine sponsor Kelly Ferraro-Leipus said.

Submission categories include Dramatic Scene, Short Fiction, Poetry, Personal or Research Essay. Freshman and sophomores also had the opportunity to submit personal narratives and descriptive sketches.

Following the submission process (which ended on Jan. 30), many contributing students will be invited to the Literary Festival on April 21 at Romeoville High School.

“In April, we go to Lit Fest, and we get critiques from authors and judges,” the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Sara Dyke said.

Students can also attend workshops under various literary categories during the festival.

Poetry/Literary Club member Charice Salazar said, “We attend workshops throughout the day to improve our writing, see things through different viewpoints, and think about writing in a different way.”

Literary Festival can give students the chance to explore different facets of their writing and receive feedback from professional writers.

“Most students don’t know how interactive Literary Festival is,” Ferraro-Leipus said.

Dyke said, “It’s so diverse. It’s not just William Shakespeare. … It’s different than what we have to read in class. … It’s interesting to see how other people can shape the same medium,” Dyke said.

Members describe Literary Magazine as different from other school publications.

“It’s a lot different than the newspaper or the yearbook club. We’ve got a strong community like they do, but it’s more laid back. All three are focused on design, but this is everything from the entire school. … It’s very raw. There’s no exposition. No format. It’s just a selection of the writers [at East],” Dyke said.

Poetry/Literary Club member Emma Brock said, “The Lit Mag showcases students writing just for the purpose of celebrating the writing.”

Members and leaders alike said they have much to look forward to this season.

Salazar said, “[We want to] get more people involved… Not many people are aware of what it is.”

“I’m very excited for Lit Fest, as always. I always love going and working all day,” Brock said.

“I would like to get more submissions and more diverse submissions,” Ferraro-Leipus said.

The Literary Magazine will be available for purchase in early May.