Menagerie :::
Menagerie sweeps literary contests
The Lyons Township High School 2006 literary magazine, Menagerie, was awarded high marks by three national associations. Congratulations are in order.
The Columbia Scholastic Press Association awarded Menagerie a gold medal certificate, ranking it in the top 10% of all literary magazines in the United States. The judge called the poetry featured in Menagerie “reflective,” “vivid,” and able to “[make] the mundane new and fresh.” The judge had this to say about the artwork: “What talented artists you have! This is the best illustrated magazine I’ve judged – but you all deserve a lot of credit for solid layouts, unique presentations and technical strengths (conveying the image cleanly and accurately).” On the magazine as a whole, the judge said, “Your staff has managed to take completely disparate pieces and unify them thematically, but especially with the visual elements.”
Menagerie has ranked in the top ten of all Illinois magazines since 2003 by the National Council of Teachers of English critique. The 2006 issue was awarded a superior ranking in high school magazines within Illinois.
Finally, the American Scholastic Press Association presented LTHS with a 1st Place in high school magazines, ranking in the top 10% of all literary magazines in the United States.
The theme for the winning 2006 Menagerie was “Alias.” Editor-in-Chief N. Polito and the rest of the staff thought that every artist has an alias. “As people, we have so many different layers, and it is through self-expression that those layers are peeled away. In order to understand yourself, you must step away from yourself,” Polito said.
LT advisor Tom Stukel said, “What impressed me last year was the constant determination from the whole staff to make the best literary magazine possible. Everyone worked hard, staying long hours after school, putting in Saturdays, all to get the best artists at LT reveled in the pages of Menagerie.”
This year’s Editor-in-Chief senior L. Kubilius says changes are afoot for Menagerie. Instead of just being critiqued by Columbia University in New York, Menagerie will compete. “This year, Menagerie will go head-to-head against literary magazines of other schools across the nation, and in order to ensure a “stand out” magazine, we plan to change the feel of our magazine.”
Kubilius added, “We would like to include more prose pieces in the usually poetry dominated magazine. Traditionally, Menagerie has had a classic and simple look. This year, we would like to use bolder graphics, headlines, and other design elements. We really want to explore and takes risks in terms of design.”
# # #