Literary Magazine

Avonside Girls’ High School will be launching a literary magazine, entitled Phasing, The magazine has been created by Year 10 students through the Creatives in School programme in collaboration with writer Chelsea Houghton and AGHS teachers Lisa MacKay and Christine Rayward. The 80-page magazine was created by students during a semester course called “Writing for Change”. Students not only wrote the content but have been fully involved with the entire magazine production process. The magazine will be available in both print and digital formats.

Over the past two terms, students have developed work in a variety of genres to contribute to the magazine. They have worked on finding their voice through writing. Types of writing include poetry, opinion pieces, fiction and writing on dealing with COVID-19.

Students have worked hard considering the challenges they have faced over two terms of hybrid learning and COVID, with students trying to get the most out of their education during tough times. Hybrid learning meant students had certain days on and off site and online learning. Students managed to push through and create the magazine, titled Phasing. All the students have contributed pieces of their choice and worked collaboratively to put them together to make the magazine, at every stage of the process. This has taught them real world experience in all areas of writing, publishing, and promotion.

In the writing process, students experimented with many forms. Students chose a problem of their choice and had to research them and create an essay describing them. We had many different issues brought up and it is a big revelation to all the problems we have today.

Creatives in Schools is a wellbeing programme delivered by the Ministry of Education. Avonside Girls’ is part of the first wave of this in schools, and COVID delays has meant that it is one of the first schools to complete the programme. Chelsea Houghton is the chair of literary journal Takahē Magazine, a Christchurch based magazine that was founded in 1989.

The students have until the end of term working on the magazine, which will be launched at the Avonside Girls’ High School on Tuesday 9 August at 5.30pm.