Spooks and submissions: Pandora’s Box offers writers and artists publication opportunities and contests

Mouna Hakim

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A+poster+for+Pandoras+Boxs+Scare+Your+Socks+Off+competition.+The+student-run+literary+magazine+runs+several+holiday+related+submission+contests+throughout+the+year.

Gwen Almeida

A poster for Pandora’s Box’s “Scare Your Socks Off” competition. The student-run literary magazine runs several holiday related submission contests throughout the year.

Pandora’s Box, Carlisle High School’s literary magazine, is run by the Creative Writing class under the supervision of English teacher Sarah Clayville. The class, which is made up of 22 juniors and seniors, is filled with enthusiasm for literature and creative writing.

“We all have a passion for reading and writing,” said Peyton Bramble, one of Pandora’s Box’s copy editors. “It’s unlike any other English Class I’ve been in.”

Clayville, who teaches the Creative Writing course, helps the staffers brainstorm ideas for the publication.

“Ms. Clayville comes up with most of the ideas that are related to Pandora’s Box,” said Claire Neiberg, one of Pandora’s Box’s co-editors-in-chief.

However, most of the work done in the class is overseen by the editors of the publication.

“Claire Neiberg and Emily Munoz are the co-editors in chief; however there are other editors for subcategories of submissions,”  said Peyton Bramble, Pandora’s Box’s copy editor. “They basically keep us in check and have access to submissions from people who have submit.”

The section editors of Pandora’s Box handle much of the technical work done to submitted pieces.

“As editors, our job [is] to revise all the pieces of work that are submitted in our respective areas,” said Grace Lippert, the publication’s Poetry Editor. “We all work with the other members who help make decisions and suggestions.”

However, students in the class do much of the planning for the publication together.

“We do not run on a strict schedule,” said Lippert. “We come up with contest or promos to encourage submissions to fit a certain theme around holiday times; however, most of the time submissions are open for mostly any content.”

During holiday seasons or other parts of the year, the publication often decides to operate submission contests. These contests are usually decided upon by the members of the publication’s staff.

“We come up with the ideas as a group in discussion. We have brainstorming sessions and a lot of great stuff like the Scare Your Socks off Contest,” said Bramble.

“Scare Your Socks Off,” Pandora’s Box’s Halloween submission contest, gave writers across the school a chance to share any scary or otherwise Halloween-themed pieces they had with the rest of the school.  The contest’s submission period ended on Monday, October 23, and the writer who submitted the scariest story to the contest will receive a pair of Halloween-themed socks filled with candy. The winning story will also be featured on Pandora’s Box’s website.