Genre: 11th

TAYLEN LI

The Home by Christmas Campaign On September 15, 1950, Maggie Higgins woke up to the deafening blast of USS Mount McKinley’s horn, signaling the beginning of the invasion. She sat up, pushed a messy wave of auburn hair from her face, and swung her legs over the bar of the sleeping berth. Ms. Higgins shoved Read more…

TAYLEN LI

Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk was a pioneer of modern American conservative politics. He played a major role in securing Trump’s victory back in 2024, and his influence on Gen Z has been undeniable – completely reshaping how my generation engages with politics. The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a personal tragedy, but also a national Read more…

MICHAEL LIN

A Journey Through the Familiar: William T. Vollmann’s California In 2006, Sean Wilsey and Matt Weiland came up with an idea to write a book. It took them two years to pull together a collection of travelogues, detailed narratives, and encapsulating essays. State by State: a Panoramic Portrait of America, was to be a compilation Read more…

MICHAEL LIN

Setting: A story’s support and meaning  By Michael Lin “Authors use setting to create meaning, just as painters use backgrounds and objects to render ideas.” ~Eudora Welty  Often overlooked and brushed past, setting is the main supporting column of any great story. Without setting, the characters wouldn’t have a place to be at all, anywhere, Read more…

JASON QIN

Jason is just beginning Intro to Rhetoric which uses State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America as textbook. Many years ago (10) another student wrote an essay on Joe Sacco’s inimitable style, but in Jason’s foray into the unit, he hit a line drive that kept on sailing until … HOMERUN! One of the Read more…