Each year during the second semester, the written word is celebrated and publicized through the two-day event of Writers Expo and the literary arts magazine, Slant of Light, hoping to bring an engaging spin on writing to inspire students as they go about their future. 

Writers Expo

This year’s Writers Expo will occur on Thursday, March 20, and Friday the 21st, where guest speakers and the schools’ students and faculty will present and celebrate the written word. 

English teacher and Writers Expo coordinator Mr. Matt Tooley originally got involved when sharing song lyrics of a friend of his when Writers Expo was first taking off. He eventually stepped in when the other committee members stepped down, turning the event from a week-long event into two days. 

“We can show…how the practice of writing can make one’s life better,” Mr. Tooley said. “There’s all sorts of reasons why people might write, and so hopefully we can just celebrate writing… [Writers Expo is] just a way to celebrate it and have people be able to interact with writing and writers in a way that the classroom doesn’t usually provide for.”

This year, for Writers Expo, professionals in some of the top fields that LHS students say are interested in have reached out to participate in the event, such as creative design, business, healthcare and engineering. By bringing in these professionals, Mr. Tooley hopes that this event can help students think about themselves in these areas and how to use writing in these occupations and day-to-day life. 

Specifically, a variety of guest speakers are lined up to present at Writers Expo, including LHS alum, Rafael Frumpkin, who was on Drops of Ink when Mr. Tooley was an advisor. He currently teaches in the creative writing department at Southern Illinois University.

 The event also features Michael Moreci, a graphic novel writer from Chicago, who has written licensed material for “Star Wars” and “Stranger Things.” Peter Dankelson, a songwriter and co-author of his autobiography “How I Learned to Rock My Life” which spreads awareness and his story about life with Goldenhar Syndrome, is also one of the guest speakers. 

Writing can be applied to many aspects of life and in a variety of jobs, and Writers Expo hopes to allow students to find that bigger picture and walk away from the event with a few new things to take away from. 

Slant of Light

The Slant of Light literary arts magazine hopes to come out before the art show in May, giving students the chance to share their writing and artwork in print with a larger audience, including parents, staff members and students who visit the school and grab a magazine from the stands located around the main entrances. 

“I like to think of Slant of Light almost as like a historical record of the art and writing that was being produced that particular year here at LHS amongst the student body,” Slant of Light advisor Mr. Tooley said. “It gives students a chance to say they’ve been published in something, and it gives them a chance to showcase to a little bit of a larger audience, because while outside community members do come to the art fair, they’re not generally coming to Writers Expo.”

The magazine itself is usually around 28 to 40 pages long but is adjustable as Mr. Tooley hopes more students get involved. The Slant of Light staff and advisor award the Barb Gwin award to the best writer and the Art Award for the best artist. 

“You can always count on there being some really cool art and creative writing from students around the building,” Mr. Tooley said. “I’m always blown away by the level of talent that we have in our student population.”

In terms of both Writers Expo and the Slant of Light magazine, there’s potential for more student involvement. For either option, students can enter by taking a couple of minutes to reach out to Mr. Tooley by email at [email protected]. 

 “I wish more students took a shot and just submitted and realized all the benefits that there are to not only submitting their work to Slant of Light, but even just getting up on stage and having the guts,” Mr. Tooley said, “even if you’re scared to read something of yours and get [an] around of applause from an audience. It’s a pretty cool experience.”