On May 16^th, the 22^ndvolume of Inkblots, Cooper’s literary arts magazine, was distributed to students and faculty. The publication is a mix of art and writing submitted by students and crafted together by the Inkblots staff. This year’s book was the largest yet at 166 pages, created by 19 staff members led by Editor-in-Chief Nissy Davis. The theme was decided upon in the fall when new staff member Aleena Fayaz suggested “Altered Landscapes” and the idea stuck. Student submissions rolled in throughout January- ultimately, there were 180 written and 299 art submissions. Then it was up to the staff to comb through the submissions, choose and edit those that would end up in the book, and create the spreads that make up the publication. Altered Landscapesincludes 51 written pieces, ranging from prose to scripts, and 64 art pieces, including photographs and sculptures.

Inkblots is a second semester course, but members often feel that it is more than just a class. New student Antonio Evans loved working with everyone to create the book. To him, Inkblots was special because “our entire staff was like one big family”.To Jessica Young, a senior this past year, Inkblots was a time to be creative, a time to showcase others’ creativity, and a time to laugh and have fun with the rest of the staff”.

For the past 15 years, Inkblots has grown from a small production to the class it is now, a staple of the Cooper community, under the guidance of Mr. Elliott. Nissy Davis, Editor-in-Chief of this year’s publication, recognizes Mr. Elliott as an advisor who “inspires creativity in the entire staff, in and out of Inkblots”. Next year, Inkblots will be led by Mr. Garland with Sarah Tindell as Editor-in-Chief.

You can pick up your copy of Altered Landscapes in any English room.

Photo by Deb Spiess