The 2014 edition of the Hawthorne High School literary magazine, The Empyrean, debuted on June 3 at a launch party hosted by Well Read New & Used Books.

The party was a celebration of the hard work required of members of the high school’s Creative Writing Club who are responsible for the content, design and layout of the annual magazine. Students from the school’s Art Club added illustrations to the works chosen for publication. The students read their own works to parents and friends and then enjoyed snacks and beverages as they explored the club’s scrapbook and collection of older Empyrean magazines.

The online edition was also unveiled and may be accessed by the general public through the high school’s homepage or at http://goo.gl/xIPKGY.

The Creative Writing club meets each week in writer’s workshop groups to create, share and edit works of poetry and short fiction.  Also, throughout the year, the club members traveled to the Louis Bay II Library and Well Read New & Used Books to meet with a number of published authors who shared their writing experiences and encouraged the young writers. This club also visited the New York Public Library for a guided tour of the Fifth Ave branch and its exhibit “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter.”