Continuing the seemingly endless push toward the publishing of content online, the 2020 FCHS Literary Magazine is being published exclusively online for the first time.

After 16 years of being published in a print form thanks to yearly grants from the Fluvanna Education Foundation, Literary Magazine Club members learned that the foundation was unable to provide a grant for the 2020 “Undefined” magazine. That, combined with the COVID-19 shutdown, meant that Journalism Adviser Elizabeth Pellicane and 2020 Literary Magazine Editor Mia Martinez decided to publish the magazine in digital form only.

The magazine’s stories and poems were created in the Creative Writing classes of Pellicane and English teacher Sheron Haley. Artwork was submitted by FCHS art teachers Michelle Coleman, Mike Morris, and Amanda Herring from students in their classes. Final selections were made by Literary Magazine Club members Martinez, Mia Smith, Tyler Harris, Kessler Potter, Edward Rackley, Nora Wells, and Riley Yowell.

Martinez took the submissions selected by club members and created the magazine using the software Canva during her spring semester in Pellicane’s Journalism II class. After the shutdown, she had to finish the magazine at home with the assistance of Pellicane. The final version was sent to school principal Margo Bruce mid-May, and will be submitted to the Virginia High School League (VHSL) for judging in June.

“It’s disappointing that we can’t provide our student writers and artists with physical copies of the magazine like we always have done,” said Pellicane, “but we plan to post the magazine as a link on our student website, The Fluco Beat, as well as to post it through Facebook and in emails to district staff. Hopefully, we’ll be able to have a Literary Magazine reading party at school in the fall so we can recognize our writers and artists,” she added.

The magazine can be read as a pdf by going to the Fluco Beat’s Fine Arts Corner, or by clicking this link.