The Blue Review, also called the HHS LitMag (short for Literary Magazine), is a club run by Mrs. Griess that organizes and produces a literary magazine for the school. Students submit pieces to be published in the magazine based on the theme selected by club members.

The LitMag is a great way for students to express themselves through photography, poetry, short stories, and more. You do not need to be in the club to submit to the magazine, and you do not need to submit a piece to be in the club.

What would you say the purpose of the club is?
Mrs. Griess- The point of the club is to create 2 publications that showcase student creativity and personal expression in various forms including poetry short stories narratives, art, and photography, it also gives students an opportunity who want to join the club to explore layouts such as font, color, and other design elements

How do students submit to the magazine?
Mrs. Griess- for future additions, the best way to submit is to send them to my email, [email protected], and students are always welcome to come talk to me about ideas and submissions

How did the club start, and how long has it been at HHS?
Mrs. Griess- When I was in high school, I was an editor for the school literary magazine, back then it was a photocopied magazine stapled together in all its 1990s glory. When I started in Hammonton, I realized there were no publications with the intent of celebrating student creativity and got to work. The club has been running for about 10 years.

The club is a great way for students to get more involved in the HHS community.
Ryleigh Kane and Mia Donio are two junior club members

What do you like about the HHS Litmag?
Mia- The magazine is really just a nice way to get your poetry and art out into a fun little creative project. And it’s just a fun thing to do after school
Ryleigh- I like being able to work with my peers and friends, and I like getting to read all the different submissions sent in.

Can you describe the process the club uses to create the magazine?
Mia- So we start with coming up with a general theme for the magazine. Then Mrs. Griess gets submissions from the students, and we help her format the poems, short stories, and photos together in canva. We also help with editing submissions for grammar. Most of the members submit their own work as well.
Ryleigh- Usually the pieces are sent through to Mrs. Griess, and everybody who works with the magazine helps to look through them and try to look for any errors to be fixed before they are submitted. From there we find a way to organize them and make it look pretty

The first magazine for this school year was already submitted with the theme of “literary legacy.” The second magazine for the school year is in the process of being produced. The theme for this spring’s addition is “juxtaposition.”