Red Wheelbarrow October Showcase
Written by Quinn De Vecchi
Suddenly, the room quieted, the lights became brighter, and the Writing House became warm and welcoming. Then, four Creative Writing majors, the editors of the first issue of the year, stood in front of the crowd and began to introduce the magazine: the Red Wheelbarrow (RWB).
The Red Wheelbarrow was founded in 1975, a year before the Creative Writing major was established, and was run by a team of students from a variety of majors. Now, almost fifty years later, the first issue of the fall 2024 season has arrived, and is completely run by Creative Writing majors from IAA.
This issue was edited by senior Rhegan Stallworth, junior Kalina Oberweis, junior Ema Bekic, and junior Jade Rothbaum. It was interned by sophomore Alex Stillwell and advised by past Creative Writing director and current fiction teacher Mika Perrine.
RWB includes both writing and art in its printed section, and during the showcase, three to four singer-songwriters are chosen to perform a piece in front of the audience. In this issue, readers were Savannah Driver, Jada Sikora, Grace Choi, Lundyn Massey, Cam Joyce, Addison Hill, Andi Erickson, Blondine Moree, Bella Rotker, Charlie Lombardo, and Emilia Ramos. Visual Artists represented included Grace Choi, Aruzhan Nugmanova, Emily Guo, Stella Signorelli, Bradom Zhang, Hazel Groves, Sarah Giroux, and Willa Kurtz, and the performers were Zinnia Dungjen, Emily Zhang, and Imogene Stevens. Any major from IAA can submit both writing and art.
“It was really exciting to see the different pieces and all the different voices present in the Interlochen community,” Ema, a first-year student, commented. “It’s such an amazing opportunity, and I was really glad to have this chance to work with more people in both the Creative Writing and the Visual Arts departments. This type of experience is so rare for high school students, and I feel really lucky!”
“My piece was an artistic screenplay based on the idea of the apocalypse from Iowa. I’m from the Midwest, and this was sort of my love letter to the area in a way,” said Cam, a first-year sophomore Creative Writer from Illinois. “I’m thrilled to be a part of such an important tradition, and for the opportunity to hear the other writers’ pieces.”
As a tip for hopeful writers looking to publish, she said, “I would say that my only advice is not to think on it too hard, just submit a piece and let whatever happens, happen.”
At the end of the showcase, as Imogene wrapped up the show with one last final song, a roar of applause echoed through the Writing House’s Great Room. The Red Wheelbarrow showcase is a significant event of the semester, and RWB is an even more important magazine and publication. As the show concluded, watchers could tell that all of the pieces and works performed that day were hard works of art, and RWB was a great chance to show everyone their talent.
Live streams of RWB showcases, past and future, are accessible through IAA’s official Writing House Webcam. The next RWB submission opportunity will be available through their Submittable page in late January.