Naperville Central Literary Mag Earns National Award

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville Central's literary magazine, The Icarian, was recently honored with the REALM award from the National Council of Teachers of English. The REALM (Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines) award is given to select student- and teacher-produced literary magazines.

John Hayward, faculty advisor of The Icarian, shared with Patch that the literary magazine's staff is made up of student volunteers who edit, write, proofread and promote the magazine. The students meet after school on every other Monday during the fall, per Hayward. When spring comes, the meetings are held very Monday.

The Icarian invites students and faculty members to submit literature and art throughout the year, with publication and...Squishmallows...serving as prizes.

Hayward shared in a statement that he "absolutely love[s] observing how students create each edition from nothing: submissions come in, we evaluate anonymously, arrange the accepted submissions into some kind of organic, thematic order, pair writing with art as fitting, design pages and then publish. It’s always a rewarding process and largely student-led."

Click the link to learn more about the NCTE REALM award.