Galt students publish book of creative works
“The Liberty Ranch High School Writing Club has jumped into creative writing with both feet. I’ve read every word, and these young people are not only writers. They’re creators, thinkers and observers.” JOY DAWN KING, AUTHOR
Parents, teachers and classmates gathered in Galt on Wednesday evening for a book signing to celebrate the publishing of the Liberty Ranch High School Creative Writing Club’s first collection of poems, short stories and more.
Anngela Schroeder, Liberty Ranch High’s creative writing teacher, thanked the audience for attending in the school’s library as the student authors sat at tables to her right, ready to sign copies of the sold-out book that is also available on Amazon.
“The book came out on April 14. We sold out of our 30 hard copies, I’m already about to order more. I wanted this to be a legitimate, tangible book that they could be proud of.” Schroeder said.
Schroeder began by reading a letter from author Joy Dawn King, who was unable to attend as a guest speaker as she had originally planned, encouraging the students to never let fear stop them from writing.
“The Liberty Ranch High School Writing Club has jumped into creative writing with both feet. I’ve read every word, and these young people are not only writers. They’re creators, thinkers and observers. When these students leave school, they will forever be able to put on their resumes that they are published authors,” Schroeder said, quoting King.
Schroeder then spoke for herself, saying that as a published author she knows all too well the struggles of writer’s block and the fear of presenting written work for others to read.
“I tell all of my students that giving someone else your writing to read is like offering your child to the world and asking what they think. Every one of these students had the tenacity to put their words on paper and I am so proud of them for it,” Schroeder said.
Some of the students then took turns reading poems or excerpts from stories, such as Stephanie Port, a senior, who read from her short story “When Fate Came Knocking,” describing a sense of growing dread at the sound of a knock on a door.
“It was inspired by a piece of classical music I was listening to. The melody of the song evoked feelings of emptiness and despair, but it was beautiful at the same time, so I decided to turn that feeling into something that I could write,” Port said.
Junior Lauryn Gibson read her poem “Eulogy,” a tonguein-cheek piece apparently dedicated to a tiny pebble being eroded by a stream.
“I was imagining satire of someone who maybe takes things a little too seriously, but it did get kind of thoughtful at times. Especially the parts about water, I think water is interesting,” Gibson said.