Writers Den to Publish My Malden, My Self

Recently, English teachers have been encouraging their students to submit essay submissions for the chance to be in the first edition of anew Writers’ Den publication. This title for this year’s publication is My Malden, My Self , and will feature essays that students based off of their own selfies.

The idea to make a publication came in the beginning stages of even just the Writers Den. The program is supported by a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.  Part of the deal with getting the Writers’ Den funded was to make different editions of publications, apart from just having the den as a communal space.

Regarding the idea to make selfie essays the idea for this year’s publication, Larry Evans, the person responsible for running the Writers’ Den, credits MHS English teacher Sean Walsh as being the one behind the idea. Walsh proposed this because most students have written this essay as an assignment their freshman year which means that anyone could submit something if they wanted to, and it wouldn’t be something that they would have to take too much time out of their lives to work on, apart from making some revisions and meeting with Evans to see how to make it the best version of the writing.

Right now all submissions are welcome, but there isn’t a clear answer on whether everyone who submits will be featured in the publication. Evans says that it “all depends on the number of submissions [he] gets because there might not be enough space to have everyone’s essay featured if there are hundred of submissions. He says “it might end up having to be selective in order to get a good spread.” So far, though, he mentioned that he has already gotten a couple of submissions for the publication, and hopes to get more.

The designing of the publication will be a collaboration with Blue and Gold advisor and English teacher, Ryan Gallagher, and some of his students. Evans explained that “layout isn’t [his] specialty so [he] will mainly be involved in copy editing and working with students on their revisions.”

Evans hopes that this publication “gives Malden a sense of how interesting and unique every student is.” He also thinks that having this type of publication, now especially, “is really important because despite background differences, people can come together, see how similar they are, and see how they are all a part of the same community and how they should value each other.” Personally, he wants “students to feel like they are proud of themselves when seeing their work published.”

Evans sees this project “as a continuation of the Writers’ Den because it is supporting student writing and creativity.” The Writers’ Den also has other projects going on including Poetry Club and Spoken Word Club, which Evans feels have gone very well since their launch. He has enjoyed “getting to know students and takes pride and advantage in being able to teach them creative writing skills.”

If you would like to submit an essay, Evans can be found in the Writers’ Den, located in B326. You can begin looking out for the printed publication starting around mid-April.