Harker’s Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM), the finished product of months of work by its staff, came out for sale today and will continue to be sold tomorrow during lunch.

Throughout the year, members of the staff came together to vote on submissions and discuss the publication. While the design was completed by club member Emily Chu (12), the layout and arrangement of pieces were mostly organized by co-editors Juhi Muthal (10) and Justin Gerard (12).

“It was pretty hectic because both of us were pretty busy all year,” Justin said. “We had a lot of trouble trying to find the layout of the magazine and a lot of time spent just trying to organize it.”

Sorting through submitted pieces allowed Juhi to notice trends in this year’s submissions compared to those of previous years.

“This year’s submissions were very strong as usual, but we got a lot more art this year for some reason than writing, so this magazine features a wider selection of art than writing,” she said.

Junior Efrey Noten, who contributed a writing piece and helped with HELM’s production, felt that the caliber of the magazine helped to present his work in a favorable light.

“What normally happens is when I write something and then I look over it a few months later I tend not to like it because somehow my writing mind has changed so much, but I think–what I put in HELM this year–I still like it,” he said. “I can read over it and still appreciate what I wrote so I think that says a lot about the quality.”

For Justin, seeing the finished product is the most rewarding aspect of their work.

“Finally getting it all together and finally actually publishing it–it’s like something you can really be proud of; it’s a physical legacy,” Justin said. “I just like looking at it, maybe like feeling it and touching it; it’s just that special.”

Throughout lunch, many expressed the same appreciation for the magazine as they stopped by to purchase a copy. Several students and faculty bought the magazine to read their peers’ work or enjoy the art and writing inside.

“I am interested in reading everything in it and looking at the art, and I also want to support the people,” Helen Woodruff (9) said. “It looks really professional; I like it.”

Copies of HELM can be purchased in Manzanita for $10 during both lunches tomorrow. Students can bring cash or charge to their student accounts.