The English Department’s annual “Voices in Literature and Culture Conference” is taking on a new form this year and expanding the scope of its theme to ensure that the conference remains accessible to student participants from all three divisions of the school. The conference went live as a digital exhibit this month, featuring 16 student works around the theme of “Storytelling.” The works span a wide array of media, from written works of poetry, essays, and short stories to visual arts including ceramic creations and costume designs.

Regardless of their media, every piece of student work tells a story. Lauren C. ’24 tells her story of grief and healing in her poem “My Micro Odyssey.” Evelyn C. ’21 tells the story of the Indonesian Genocide in a ceramics body of work. Pearl L. ’24 tells the story of her experience in March 2020 in her poem "one two three and four are just numbers."

“The work that (the students) are doing is so thoughtful, and vulnerable in a lot of cases, and really shows their intellectual curiosity,” said Dr. Jessica Bremmer, English department chair. “Participation is completely optional for students. They are making a choice to share their work with the community when it's not required, and I think that’s pretty remarkable. It’s also a chance for the students who view the work to see a different side of their classmates. It's a different way to connect and get to know each other.”  

This is the first year that the theme of the conference has deviated from the topic of the Upper School “Perspectives in Literature” class. This interdisciplinary English elective focuses on a new topic each year, but this year’s class topic of “Colonialism and Post-Colonialism,” would have been too limited to give Lower and Middle School students a chance to be part of the conference.

Click here to explore the Voices in Literature and Culture Conference 2021 digital exhibit.