Depaul’s Blue Book BEST OF ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL WRITING 2018-2019 BOX NO. ISSUE 1 Editor: Chris Green Managing Editor: Chris Watkins Series Editors: Editing Students in DePaul’s Masters in Writing and Publishing Subject: Creative Writing Department: English Editor: Chris Green Managing Editor: Chris Watkins Anthology & Website Design: Whitney Rauenhorst Series Editors, 2018-2019: Emmanuel Bara-Hart Eric Canan Ana Carolina Da Silva Moreira Jorge Paulina Freedman Madelyn Funk Amy Jesnionowski Rebecca Harrison Mina Kalkatechi Eva Lopez Benedi Miranda Malinowski Clare McKitterick Caitlin Pierson Anne Redd Layne Ruda Caitlin Stout Emily Winkler DePaul’s Blue Book Best of Illinois High School Writing 2018-2019 DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614 © 2020 by DePaul University Book Design by Whitney Rauenhorst All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. For more information, contact DePaul’s Blue Book: www.depaulsbluebook.com. Published 2019 Created in the United States DePaul would like to acknowledge the following faculty and staff moderators of the literary magazines from which pieces were chosen for the anthology: Adlai Stevenson High School James Barnabee Amos Alonzo High School Giedre Kazlauskas Belleville West High School Amber Thurnau Belvidere High School Janey Marinaro Benet Academy High School Lori Rogalski Chicago Lab High School Allen Ambrosini and Mark Krewatch CHI Arts Tina Boyer Brown CICS Northtown Academy James Klise East Aurora High School Amanda G Bussman Geneva High School Heather Peters Glenbrook South High School John Allen Hoffman Estates High School Kirsten A. Coakley Homewood-Flossmoor High School Sahar Mustafah Ida Crown Jewish Academy Marsh Aarons Ignatius High School Rachel Turkowski John Hancock High School Eric Splinter Joliet Catholic Academy Samantha Bush Kelly High School Tom Figel Lake Zurich High School Amy Pine Latin School James Joyce Libertyville High School Matt Tooley Lincoln Park High School Olivia Marton Metea High School Tiffany Gervasio Mundelein High School Laura Garcia Naperville Central High School John Hayward Naperville North High School Brian South Nazareth Academy Jeanne Paliatka Neuqua Valley High School Gillian Schneider Niles West High School Michele Lewis Palatine High School Rachel S. Bartlett Walter Payton High School Lola Roney West Aurora High School Jen Pauley Wheaton High School Trish Main Wheeling High School Laura Wagner William Fremd High School Nicole La Beau Woodlands Academy Jennifer Brostrom York High School Jennifer Shakelton Zion High School Jeff Burd TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………………………………………. i NONFICTION A LETTER TO BUDDY by Briannah K. Cook, Latin School of Chicago ………………………………………………. 1 BEHIND THE BLUE by Allison Lie, Naperville North High School …………………………………………………… 3 HE LEFT BUT I STAYED by Alexis Knight, Wheeling High School …………………………………………………... 4 COFFEE SHOP by Abby Rieck, Geneva High School ……………………………………………………………….... 6 THE PERSON I ADMIRE MOST by Natalia Torres, Kelly High School ………………………………………………… 7 FICTION THE CIRCLE by Marisa Barranco, Nazareth Academy …………………………………………………………….… 9 Excerpt from THE SUN BELT by Bella Brunke, Lake Zurich High School ………………………………………….. 11 DREAMS by Zane Carmine, Joliet Catholic Academy ………………………………………………………………. 12 LACES by Shane Lehnherr, Belleville West High School ……………………………………………………………. 14 UNIVERSE ACCORDING TO A PROCRASTINATOR by Henrik Neilsen …………………………………………………… 16 JAMAICAN RUM CAKE by I’deyah Ricketts, Latin School of Chicago………………………………………………… 18 A METAPHOR by Serena Rosado, Zion High School ………………………………………………………………… 19 BLUE-EYED SOUL by Natalie Scholz, Naperville Central High School …………………………………………….... 20 THE GILDED HEARTS’ CAFÉ by Israel Villa, Kelly High School ……………………………………………………… 24 ON ANGELS: OBSERVATIONS by Ziyin Wang, Naperville Central High School ………………………………………... 26 QUIET, QUIET by Max Zhang, Naperville North High School …………………………………………………….…. 27 POETRY BLUE’S FINALE by Safa Adbullah, CICS Northtown Academy ………………………………………………………. 30 SHE’S HAD ENOUGH by Elianna Ayala, CICS Northtown Academy …………………………………………………. 34 MY AFROPUFF by Abigail Brasch, Ida Crown Jewish Academy …………………………………………………….. 35 DECEMBER 20, 2017 by Alexia Briano, East Auroa High School ………………………………………………….... 36 NOBODY IN PARTICULAR by Ally Brynolf, Belvidere High School ………………………………………………….… 39 WILD FIRE by Emily Cho, Glenbrook South High School …………………………………………………………… 40 WRITER’S BLOCK by Caitlin Corso, Belvidere High School ……………………………………………………….… 41 SAINT VERONICA by Delaney Coyne, Ignatius High School ……………………………………………………….… 43 FOUND POEM IN JAMES PATTERSON AND BILL CLINTON’S “THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING” by Isabella DiPaolo, William Fremd High School …………………………………. 44 BE by Hannah Dougherty, Glenbrook South High School …………………………………………………………... 45 NOT QUITE by Greta Elmer, Palatine High School …………………………………………………………………. 47 FIREBIRDS by Hannah Fritz, Wheaton High School ………………………………………………………………… 49 MY NAME by Cayetana Geller, Mundelein High School ……………………………………………………………. 50 LEGACIES by Leah George, Wheeling High School …………………………………………………………………. 51 ACROSS THE BORDER by Alyssa Gomez, Joliet Catholic Academy …………………………………………………… 52 THE MYTH by Kayla Gornick, Lake Zurich High School …………………………………………………………… 53 UN NIÑO NACIDO by Isaias Guillen, CICS Northtown Academy ……………………………………………………. 54 OCTOBER WIND by Mia Huerta, Benet Academy ………………………………………………………………… 55 MY COMPOSITION by Melanie Jones, Zion High School ………………………………………………………….. 56 BETWEEN THE LINES by Karissa Kalnas, Hoffman Estates High School …………………………………………... 57 CORYBANTIC by Elliot Kraft, Wheaton High School ………………………………………………………………. 58 BUT THAT STAR IS NOT THE SUN by Serika Gabriella Laguit, Niles West High School …………………………….. 60 DON’T MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL by Camrynn J. Lawrence, John Hancock High School …………... 61 I AM THE DEVIL by Lex Lesniak, York High School ……………………………………………………………… 63 GENE by Emily Liu, Neuqua Valley High School ……………………………………………………..………….. 64 STAR CHILD by Hannah Maloy, York High School ……………………………………………………………….. 65 MASKS by Mia Martin, Homewood-Flossmoor High School ……………………………………………………... 66 MEDIATIONS IN A QUIET BUILDING by Olivia Marton, Lincoln Park High School …………………………………... 67 HUMANS by Esha Mishra, University of Chicago Lab School …………………………………………………… 68 NEVER ENDING by Tom Mohan, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School ………………………………………………… 69 AUTUMN by Lorena Monroy, Woodlands Academy ……………………………………………………………. 70 BECAUSE OF US by Aishwarya Pasham, William Fremd High School …………………………………………….. 71 THE RIGHT COLOR BROWN SKIN by Sophia Perez, York High School …………………………………………….. 72 BROKEN PUZZLE PIECE by Elle Plucinsky, Geneva High School ………………………………………………….. 73 DEATH OF A DREAM by Lauren Puscheck, Benet Academy ……………………………………………………….. 74 A NEW BEGINNING by Adrian Rocha, East Auroa High School …………………………………………………… 76 LESSONS by Stella Roney, Walter Payton High School ……………………………………………………………. 78 IMPERFECTIONS by Holly Ryan, Lake Zurich High School ………………………………………………………… 79 21ST CENTURY GIRL by Megha Saravanan, Metea High School ………………………………………………….. 80 GARBAGE IN C MAJOR by Melissa Satmar, Lake Zurich High School …………………………………………….. 81 STORMS by Jessica Schardl, Belvidere High School ……………………………………………………………… 82 INTERSECTION by Evelea Solgos, Auroa High School …………………………………………………………….. 83 THE PATTERN OF SOUND by Cassie Wang, Stevenson High School ……………………………………………….. 84 GRUB by Winston Wang, Stevenson High School ………………………………………………………………… 85 OCEAN-CRADLED MOON by Samantha Warner, Neuqua Valley High School ………………………………………. 86 THE STAR-SPANGLED REMIX by Mariah-Haussmann-Watters, ChiArts …………………………………………… 87 A THOUSAND COLORS by Madison Wilson, Libertyville ………………………………………………………….. 88 REFLECTIONS by Avery Vang, Libertyville High School …………………………………………………………… 89 GO AHEAD by Marlo Virina, Benet Academy ……………………………………………………………………. 90 Acknowledgments Special thanks to Chris Watkins for his hard work bringing this anthology to life, to Whitney Rauenhorst for her brilliant web design, to Michele Morano for her help making this project possible, and to the graduate students from DePaul’s Masters in Writing & Publishing program for their thoughtful choices for this anthology. i NONFICTION A LETTER TO BUDDY by Briannah K. Cook Dear Buddy, Let me start by saying I’m sorry I kicked you off of my bed last night. And the night before. I can tell my tumultuous sleeping habits, best seen by the increasing number of dents in the wall, have taken a toll on you. Despite that perfectly stitched smile and your gleaming plastic brown eyes, your fur isn’t as lustrous as it used to be, it’s matted and faded, your bowtie’s askew, and your body is limp like you’ve lost weight. Time hasn’t been good to you. I haven’t been good to you. All the bloody, runny noses, coughs, and sneezes I burdened you with and never washed out. You’re a glorified piece of tissue, but that doesn’t mean I can toss you like trash. I remember when I got you. Lying on a king-sized air mattress in the cool basement, I was staring at the ceiling lost in my thoughts when my mother walked in. The basement was my favorite place in the house. I found it soothing, the subdued natural light and crisp air tinged with the smell of rubber. My mind was tranquil. The air mattress enveloped my body like I was sinking underwater.