The Boom Site Literary Magazine

Hello, readers of the St. Croix Valley!

We are so very proud to present the first issue of The Boom Site Literary Magazine. It has been a tremendous pleasure to read work from some of the most talented budding young writers in our local community. What began as a small idea has transformed into a magazine with six staff members and our fearless advisor: Traci Post. All submissions have been reviewed by two editors, and our team is excited to present the final publication. Without Stephani Atkins, Traci Post, or The Shire Literary Center, my dream to connect local young writers would still be just an idea, and it has been remarkable to watch this come together.

I hope you enjoy reading the first issue as much as we have enjoyed putting it together!

Sincerely,

Elysia

Editor-in-Chief

A house is not a home

unless you make it yours

you have to breathe on window glass

mouth fog

to rub

and leave the smear...

"A House Is Not a Home" by Penelope

i am but a simple ghost; will you still love me? i am

but a simple ghost...

"i am but a simple ghost" by Rie

perhaps you enjoy writing mystery novels but let me tell you...

"i want you to trust me" by Rie

As the long days go by

Do you ever ask yourself

What’s the purpose of life?

Is it living and spending every second the best you could

Because some people couldn’t? ...

"Long lost days recovered" by Valentina

Zoom! The lemon yellow radical goes five hundred miles per hour,

He pivots the mars black steering wheel around and around like it is an extension of his body,

His ears mute the whole world around him like nothing exists...

"My Dad and the Racing Perspective of Life" by Valentina

Friends,

an ashy word,

so many people at once.

Bought instead of earned...

"Night Rain" by Maeve

Oh, foggy autumn

Swallow me whole;

Let me dissipate

Into your rain-soaked roads...

"Plea to Mother Nature" by Sarah Marie

I've got few words

And many things to say-

Somehow mountains can speak

Without ever knowing our language...

"Tacit, If You Bother to Listen" by Sarah Marie

A humble three-room dwelling, his room, narrow and sparse.

Shared with his older sister.

Suppers were small, simple and meager, hardly adequate for a growing boy...

"Untitled" by Wren

a new year a new me a new life a new

time waiting planning crying

i am

drowning...

"when the world sleeps" by Rie

The fire was coming. It swept towards the village from all directions. It was bursting with heat, and as it loomed over the small buildings, it turned into thick tendrils of deep black smoke...

"Beyond the Wall of Darkness" by Alex

I have always been fascinated with fire. So warm and bright. I love it even though it killed my parents when I was ten months old. They were killed so long ago that I shouldn’t remember them, but I do...

"Flame of the Hearth" by Ella

I shuffled deeper into my blankets and couch cushions as I heard the floorboards creak. A quiet murmur of good night was heard from my roommate and I waved my hand up in response, quickly bringing it back down to return it to warmth...

"It's Raining Somewhere Else" by Retirw-Tsitra

Amaranth has three definitions:

I

It is a shade of red that smells of ham glazed with Southern hospitality.

the kind of dinner you dream of in the fields...

"Amaranth" by Eleanor (Poetry Editor)

Everyone has to use the restroom no matter who they are or how they identify. Would a cisgender man or woman be prevented from using the restroom? Of course not...

"May I Use the Restroom?" by Hannah (Poetry Editor)

Sunlight bounced off of the crests of waves on the lake, spilled over the stretch of blue water and burst through the branches of the pines, turning the verdant ground into a kaleidoscope of color...

"Up North" by Ella (Prose Editor)

Recently, I surpassed the age of sixteen, turning seventeen years old. Although seventeen means becoming one year closer to finishing high school and becoming a full-fledged, omniscient and legal adult, there is rarely much commotion associated with the age...

"Turning Seventeen and Realizing How Society Views Me" by Elysia (Editor-in-Chief)

Thanks to a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, The Shire is offering a summer writing program geared around our new youth literary journal, The Boom Site.

Join experienced writing instructors and published young adult authors like Jacqueline West, Anne Greenwood Brown and Jane Fredericksen as they explore developing a novel, non-fiction, poetry and drama with students. Illustrations, graphic novels and comics will also be featured.

As the umbrella organization for The Shire, Voices in the Valley, #HUSHpodcast, and The Boom Site Literary Journal, StoryArk nurtures storytelling in all of its diversity across the generations and through multiple media. By sharing our stories, we impact our selves, our community, our culture, our country and even our world.

StoryArk is a 501c(3) tax exempt organization that seeks to serve the greater good.

Email: steph@theshireonline.com
Website: theshireonline.com
Location: 640 Main Street N, Suit 34, Stillwater, MN 55082
Phone: 651-351-0804
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshireonline/
Twitter: @theshireonline