The winter edition of Calliope, Paly’s literary arts magazine, is on sale for five dollars each in Room 202 until winter break.

The magazine contains student-produced poetry, stories, photographs, artwork and drawings. Editors of Calliope selected the work from a variety of student submissions for their uniqueness and distinct voice, according to Calliope editor senior Hana Low.

"We look for interesting, well-written, creative, and original entries," Low said. "We want submissions from the heart."

This year, Calliope found guidance in Paly English teacher Kevin Sharp, the new adviser to the staff. Low and senior Camden Kimura are the editors-in-chief.

As in previous years, Calliope‘s next upcoming event after the sale of its winter issue is its spring contest, where Paly students can submit entries to be published in Calliope‘s summer edition.

Students wishing to submit work into the upcoming summer edition of the publication can email word documents of poetry or short stories and scanned artwork to [email protected]. Although digitally submitted entries are preferred, hard copies of student entries can also be submitted into boxes located in the library, Sharp’s room (Room 202), or a basket in the English Department.

Calliope is Paly’s second-oldest publication behind The Campanile, according to Kimura. According to Low, the publication is named after Calliope, the muse of epic poetry during the Greek times. Since the Paly publication focuses on poetry and the literary arts, this particular name is very fitting for the publication’s purpose, according to Calliope‘s members.

Despite Calliope‘s reported status as Paly’s second-oldest production, the magazine still faces some setbacks of its own today, according to Low.

"We’re still trying to find direction," Low said, referring to the recent changes in Calliope‘s advisers. Although Paly English teacher Tom Schellenberg was one of the previous advisers of the publication, after a few additional substitutions, Sharp now advises the group, according to Low.

Another current issue facing Calliope is the high female-to-male ratio of members and submitters, according to Kimura.

"We don’t get many submissions from males," Kimura said. "Men are underrepresented [in Calliope]." Last year, the eight-member production group was comprised of all girls, according to Low.

Nonetheless, because Calliope is an extension of the Creative Writing Club this year, Low believes that this relationship has helped the magazine receive a wider variety of submissions. As both male and female and diversely aged members of the Creative Writing Club focus on producing literary pieces, some of these compositions, in addition to non-club member submissions, are channeled into issues of Calliope. This results in a wider variety of submissions from all grades and all genders, according to Low.

As Calliope launches forward with sales of its winter issue this week, Calliope members hope that their publication’s main purpose will drive them to a successful year. Entries published in Calliope‘s issues are completely unedited and purely student work in order to stress the importance of self-expression, according to Kimura.

"We think it’s important for people to develop their own voice," Kimura said.