Student Writers in Spotlight at Evening of Celebration

It was the Creative Writing Program (CW) students’ time to shine at the 15th annual Evening of Celebration on Tuesday, May 22. Hosted by Substitute Director of Creative Writing Rebbecca Brown, the event honored students in the CW for all their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the craft and the program.
 
“This year marked my first Evening of Celebration, and it was quite an honor to commemorate the remarkable work of some of Milken's finest literary artists,” said Brown. “As is evidenced by the immensely talented students and their supportive families along with many dedicated administration, faculty, and staff present at the event, it is clear that the creative writing program at Milken continues to flourish!”
 
Family, friends, faculty, and staff mingled during the reception at the top of the evening, enjoying refreshments and tunes by Abigail Yadegar ’20 on the keyboard. The evening featured readings of original poetry and fiction from the CW leaders and the Spotlight Storytellers from the Writes of Passages throughout the year.
 
“The evening was a wonderful opportunity to see the talent of our creative writing students and see how everyone has grown as writers,” said Aaron Saliman ’18, who read his story “For Monsters,” a magical realism piece about isolation and growing up alone.  
 
It has been a great year of accomplishments for the CW. Six students had their works published in outside publications. The 2017 literary magazine,“Serendipity,” earned the rank of Recommended for Highest Award from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). This is the third year in a row that the lit mag has been recognized for its excellence.
 
The 2017-2018 Creative Writing Leadership team was honored: Aaron Feldman ’18, Creative Writing leader/Writes of Passage coordinator; Robert Carlson, Creative Writing co-leader/Writes of Passage coordinator; Hannah Kekst ’18, Creative Writing co-leader /Writes of Passage coordinator & literary magazine editorial staff; Aaron Saliman ’18, editor-in-chief – “Side Effects;” Slava Chemerinski ’18, Art Editor – “Side Effects;” Sammy Frohlich ’20, Creative Writing marketing and promotion; and Emma Klein, artistic director for Writes of Passage.
 
Each student leader was given a Moleskin Journal with their name embossed on the cover. Following the presentation, the editorial staff of this year's literary magazine, “Side Effects,” were recognized: Aaron Saliman ’18, editor-in-chief; Slava Chemerinsk ’18, art editor; Hannah Kekst ’18, Middle School fiction/poetry editor; Noah Cohen ’18; Alexandra Orbuch ’20; Talia Rubinstein ’19; and Jake Damico ’20.
 
The 2018 CW Leadership team who will be taking the reins next year was introduced: Robert Carlson ’19, leader; Abigail Yadegar ’20 and Samantha Frohlich ’20, co-leaders; Emma Klein ’20, artistic director; and Alexandra Orbuch ’20, literary magazine editor-in-chief.  

A highlight of the evening was the appearance of Director of Creative Writing Melody Mansfield. She spoke about each of the writers' works describing the different styles and techniques they employed in their writings.
 
The event is a favorite among the CW students. It is a time for them to share their works and celebrate their successes with their peers, family, friends, and faculty. "I find being a part of the Creative Writing community at Milken, and helping lead that community to be very fulfilling, said Emma Klein ‘20.  It's really great to feel so involved in helping this program flourish, because it has always been close to my heart," Klein read her poem “Fire,” a personal piece about speaking up and experiencing fiery emotions.
 
"Being a part of the Creative Writing Program has given me the wonderful opportunity to learn from my peers and enjoy their writing,” said Feldman. He shared his story called “Bloodied Snow” a dark story about a man trying to track down a Nazi war criminal after World War II.
 
"Evening of Celebration is always one of my favorite nights of the school year, because it makes me realize how impactful the creative writing department has been on students' lives,” said Saliman.
 
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