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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Co-Editor-in-Chief of Eucalyptus lit Iris Cai (12) peruses her literary magazine's website. “Our team is not only working together to help spread other voices, but we’re also helping each other grow and improve as well," Iris said.

Student-led literary magazines bolster youth writing community

by Jessica Wang, Winged Post Managing Editor October 9, 2024

Writing does not need to be just a classroom assignment — it can be a way of speaking to the world. Through something as simple as submitting a piece of poetry or prose to a Google Form, or copy-pasting...

Poetry offers students a place to express themselves, whether through writing, reading or reciting it. "You can just use words and use the feelings of those words to create a painting," Eric Zhang (11) said.

Poetry empowers student voices

by Suhani Gupta, Co-A&E/Lifestyle Editor April 30, 2024

Adolescence often feels like a struggle. In these turbulent years, teenagers may feel the need to express themselves, to make their voices heard. Poetry is one such mode of expression, allowing for a release...

Writers’ Advocate officers Tanisha Singh (12), Felix Chen (11) and Sydney Ling (12) analyze a mythology-themed poem "Gaea" for entry into the Scholastic Awards. Participants discussed how to use literary devices that communicated the writer's voice without sacrificing clarity for the reader.

Club Corner: Writer’s Advocate hosts Scholastic writing workshop

by Jeremy Peng, Assistant Copy Editor December 18, 2023

Writers’ Advocate Club hosted its annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards writing workshop during long lunch on Dec. 1 in advance of the competition’s Dec. 11 regional submission deadline. Club...

Upper school English teacher Charles Shuttleworth poses with his recent book titled “Desolation Peak: Collected Writings," a collection of Beat Generation poet Jack Kerouac’s writings. “I did some good investigation, and it was really fun,” Shuttleworth said. “I love [Kerouac's] writing, I really respect it, so to be able to transcribe it just for myself was worth it. Overall, I felt I got to know and understand him better than I ever had.”

Taking a peek into “Desolation Peak”

by Olivia Xu, Humans of Harker Managing Editor February 16, 2023

With $14.57 in his pocket and 900 miles to travel, Jack Kerouac hitchhiked to the North Cascades National Park in July of 1956. Beyond fulfilling his role as a fire lookout, he sought enlightenment, an...

Ellen Bass is the author of four poetry collections, including most recently, “Indigo,” published in 2020. Bass spoke with Harker Aquila about her experiences reading, writing, and teaching poetry, making a home and a life out of this art.

The Poet’s Project: ‘The magic and mystery of it’

by Felix Chen and Sarah Mohammed January 24, 2023

Ellen Bass is the author of four poetry collections, including most recently, “Indigo” (Copper Canyon Press 2020). Her poems have been published in the New Yorker and the American Poetry Review and...

Upper school mathematics teacher Caren Furtado observes several works of photography and art at the Artstravaganza exhibits. Campus art and writing exhibition Artstravaganza displayed student artwork and literature from the past year.

Artstravaganza arts and writing show exhibits student works and talent

by Alena Suleiman, Assistant A&E Editor May 7, 2022

A gingerly cut wooden butterfly perches on a black stand. A few feet away, crawling vines wrap around the neck of a glossy pine green vase. These are just some of the creations on display at Artstravaganza,...

Zubin Khera (11) and Vivian Bi (11) read writing in the latest issue of the Harker Eclectic Literary Magazine (HELM), which was produced by students and focused on the theme of renaissance this year. HELM often features student-written poetry, creative writing and miscellaneous forms of art.

Poem in your pocket: Celebrating National Poetry Month

by Sydney Ling, Reporter April 30, 2022

It’s hard to define what poetry exactly is. Poetry can be reading Shel Silverstein’s poems in second grade, black-out poetry with sharpies or “I Am” poems. Poetry can be Frank Ocean’s confessionals,...

Writer's Advocate officer Sydney Ling (10) listens as Sarah Mohammed (11) provides feedback on a club member's piece last Monday during the annual Writer’s Advocate Scholastic Awards writing workshop. “It was a very open and communal space where everyone felt pretty supported and held in their art, which is ultimately what we want to do,” Sarah said.

Students explore poetry and writing at annual Writer’s Advocate Scholastic Awards workshop

by Selina Xu, Reporter November 22, 2021

Five students attended the annual Writer’s Advocate Scholastic Awards writing workshop last Monday at 3:30 p.m in upper school English teacher Jennifer Siraganian’s room, where members reviewed each...

Seventy-four upper school students received regional awards in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, with the results announced on January 28. The Scholastic Art and Writing awards is a competition held annually in which students can submit various works of art and writing in a variety of categories.

Upper school students recognized in annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

by Isha Moorjani, Winged Post Asst. News Editor February 28, 2021

Seventy-four upper school students received regional awards in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, with the results announced on January 28. The Scholastic Art and Writing awards is...

I believe in writing in a café. Not literally, but going out into the world to experience things, to really observe the world and the people around you.

Written in the (café of) stars

by Sydney Ling February 6, 2021

I knew writers swore by writing in a café, but I didn’t believe in it for the longest time.  Last summer, I was trying to write a short story about “The Café of Stars,” a magical café that...

Near and Mitra scholars announced, beginning research process

Near and Mitra scholars announced, beginning research process

by Arushi Saxena, Global Editor May 10, 2019

The 2020 Near/Mitra scholars were announced by the library earlier this month, allowing eight current juniors the opportunity to delve into deep research over the next year with an opportunity to present...

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