For Immediate Release

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Avon Middle-High Graduate Brooke von Ehrenkrook to be Published in The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts 2018

AVON — Superintendent Paul Zinni and The Marble Collection, Inc. are pleased to announce that Avon Middle-High graduate Brooke von Ehrenkrook’s creative writing piece “When Flowers Cry” will be published in The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts 2018 on May 20.

“When Flowers Cry” was jury-selected from over 700 submissions of poetry, photography, artwork, and creative writing pieces by teens throughout Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts is the only statewide print and online publication featuring artistic pieces by students in grades 8-12 published by nonprofit The Marble Collection, based at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Works included in the publication are juror-selected in order to display works of true artistic excellence. The piece was selected last spring, when von Ehrenkrook was a senior, though it is being published for the first time in the spring 2018 edition.

Said von Ehrenkrook at the time of her selection in April 2017: “Throughout the process of writing and revising this story, I’ve gained a more concrete vision for what I want my writing to address. I’ve realized that the representation of and intersectionality between different identities is really important to me. ‘When Flowers Cry’ explores LGBT+ themes alongside mental and physical health problems, and I hope to continue exploring these themes, both in future creative writing and through my career in music.”

Von Ehrenkrook is currently finishing her freshman year at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley.

After being selected for publication, Brooke attended The Marble Collection’s free 6-week Mentoring for Publication Workshop where she was paired with a college mentor to develop and edit her work for publication and learn how to present her artistic vision audiences.

“Brooke has an innate talent for writing; her work, ranging from fantasy short stories to powerful poetry, reflects her own personal experiences as well as how she envisions the world could or should be,” said English Language Arts Department teacher Rebecca Howe, one of von Ehrenkrook’s past instructors. “She writes with heart and with the tenderness of conviction, creating original narratives in which countless heroines struggle to find inner strength or to recognize–or be recognized for–their own unique greatness.”

The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts is set for release in mid-May and can be purchased online. Spring Into Art, The Marble Collection’s annual magazine release gala, will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2018 from 3-5 p.m. at UMass Boston’s Harbor Gallery and will honor the published teens. The gala will feature an exhibition and sale their artwork as well as a program of teens reading their original creative writing pieces. Students receive free admission. General Admission tickets can be purchased for $25.

About The Marble Collection

The Marble Collection, Inc. (TMC), a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, publishes the only Massachusetts statewide print and online magazine of the arts featuring jury-selected artwork, photography, poetry and creative writing by students in grades 8 to 12. TMC pairs its teens one-to-one with college student mentors in its Mentoring for Publication Workshop to develop their 21st century skills through four steps: create, respond, connect, and present. In the 6-week workshop, teens explore the creative process, edit their work for publication and exhibition, and learn to present their artistic visions to audiences. At a time when budget cuts and an emphasis on standardized testing mean that fewer teens in Massachusetts have access to the arts, TMC collaborates with 200 Massachusetts schools and community groups to publish and mentor 125 teen writers and artists each school year. For additional information please visit: http://www.themarblecollection.org.

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