At WITS, we are always on the lookout for opportunities for our student writers to share their work beyond the classroom. We believe that high school students have something important to say and we encourage them to believe that their ideas matter.
One organization that shares our belief in the importance of student writing is Crashtest, a new biannual online magazine founded and run by the creative writing students at the Fine Arts Center, a public arts high school in Greenville, South Carolina. The Crashtest website, also student run, reflects their core mission:
“Here at Crashtest we believe being alive right now is what matters. We don’t think the ability to observe the world and form an opinion is denied us because we can’t yet rent a car. We don’t think the experience of being human kicks in at a certain birthday, or that building a life we want to live, in a world that can sustain us, should be delayed until we have all the right paperwork in place.
We think that literature matters. We think that ideas are what it means to be human. We think that culture is built through communication and that communication is not always nice and not always easy to digest. We think Samuel Beckett was right when he said a writer must, ‘Fail. Fail again. Fail better.’ We think we are all on the same planet breathing the same air. We think we have something to say about that. Do you?”
Crashtest is currently accepting submissions for their Inaugural Issue, due to be published in the Spring.
Who: If you are currently a student in grades nine through twelve, Crashtest wants to hear from you.
What: Crashtest publishes poetry, stories and creative non-fiction in the form of
personal essays, imaginative investigation, experimental interviews, or
whatever else you would like to call it. We’re looking for writing that has both a
perspective and a personality. We’re looking for authors who have something
to say. Our only request is that you don’t send us work which you found boring or tedious to write. No enforced school assignments, please!
When: Crashtest accepts submissions all year long, but to be considered for the Inaugural issue, submissions are due by April 15th, 2011.
How: Crashtest only accepts email submissions. To submit please select three to five poems, one short story or one essay/interview/play/other that you think best represents your work. Attach it to the email as a Word Document (.doc file) or a Rich Text Document (.rtf file.) Submit your work to editor@crashtestmag.com.
For more information about the magazine and the submission process, check out: www.crashtestmag.com
