On Friday May 17th, Webb’s literary magazine Breakfast celebrated the release of their inaugural issue. The team worked all spring to complete a final product, from judging submissions, to designing a website, to formatting a physical zine. The magazine’s release party featured pancakes and music curated by Editor of Fiction Amelie Cook (‘20) and Editor of Art and Photography Patrick Dóñez (‘21).

After months of hard work, it was a day of relief for Breakfast’s editors, as well as for Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Cantwell. Dr. Cantwell decided to found the literary magazine as a platform for Webb’s writers and artists to share their work with the community.

Early in the season, “lit mag” meetings consisted of reading and critiquing student and faculty submissions. Associate Editor Amir Afzali (‘21) said, “We would give an initial rating on a scale from 1-5, then have a discussion of the piece. After the discussion, we would re-vote, yes-no.

After the deadline for submissions passed, the focus of the group shifted towards assembling the final product. Head Designer Michael Su (‘21) spent hours perfecting the website to display each piece, and a small group worked on designing a small physical magazine to showcase some exceptional work chosen by three faculty judges. Dr. Ardina Greco, Dr. Wendy Maxon, and Dr. Kevin Riel judged art, fiction, and poetry respectively, ultimately selecting work by:

• Jacob Weigand (‘20), Nina Luo (‘22), and Bridgid Corbin (‘19) in Art
• Laura Caldwell (‘21) and Sydney Wuu (‘20) in Fiction
• Olivia Vasquez (‘19), Garrett Goodrich (‘19), and Alicia Jaqua (‘21) in Poetry

Michael said, “Making the website wasn’t a complicated, challenging task. I constantly reached out to each editor to get what’s needed on the website and keep them on track.”

Copy Editor Nnenna Ochuru (‘21) said, “In forming the magazine, the group listened to each other’s interpretations of the pieces and understood why each piece attracted or spoke to us. We wanted to represent the Webb community though the pieces…We all took different positions in creating the magazine and came together to make something we’re proud of. It was also a fun experience getting to know people you don’t see during the school day.”

The season culminated in the release and distribution of 100 copies of the magazine, alongside the website home to all accepted work. The team is proud of their accomplishment, the first of its kind at Webb, and looks forward to publishing Issue 2 next year, when the activity will be led by Dr. Riel.