VOiCE XIX: Serendipity
Sha Tin College’s annual literary magazine, VOiCE, has been launched yet again this April revolving around the main theme ‘Serendipity’: an unplanned fortunate discovery.
VOiCE is Sha Tin College’s most long-standing and valued literary and art publication, releasing a new publication yearly since its founding in 2002. VOiCE is a completely student-led project, involving the commitment of students who are responsible for editing and publishing the magazine. VOiCE aims to promote literature and art amongst school community, providing an outlet for students to express themselves through writing and art. Students are encouraged to submit writing entries such as short stories and poems related to the theme, which are then meticulously selected by the VOiCE team.
The current COVID-19 pandemic presented many obstacles towards this year’s edition of VOiCE. Unfortunately, VOiCE’s usual face-to-face launch in the school library had to be cancelled due to the social-distancing measures in place, but enthusiasm was quickly restored after the event was replaced with a webinar carried out through Zoom. “We’ve always done a launch in the library and it has been a face-to-face launch, so this year [was] a bit different,” commented Ms. Tandy, the supervisor of the VOiCE team. “We had our very first, in fact, Sha Tin College’s very first webinar, which [I actually think] was really successful.” During the webinar, the authors of various written pieces featured in the VOiCE magazine were invited to share the process and inspiration behind it. Over 75 people attended the webinar, showing support for the creativity and talent of Sha Tin College students.
This year’s edition of VOiCE would not have been possible without the commitment and perseverance of this year’s VOiCE XIX team. Many changes had to be adopted to convert VOiCE’s standard paper-copy magazine into a digital version: “Although I believe a paper-copy version is preferable as there is no replacing the enchanting feeling of being able to flip through a tangible magazine, the online version was still impressive in different ways,” reflected Ryan Orr, 12G2, the Editor-in-Chief of the VOiCE team. “We were not only able to include writer [and] artist reflections within the magazine, but we also managed to attach audio recordings of the written pieces, helping to create a deeper, more immersive experience for our readers.”
Although this year’s edition of VOiCE had to undergo many changes due to the current pandemic, it remained a highly enjoyable and rewarding experience for its writers. “I personally really enjoy writing poems, and VOiCE‘s topics offer a challenging yet fun experience of crafting poems,” commented Lucy Lau, 10D2, the author of ‘A Second Time’: a poem reflecting on the theme of time and forgiveness. “Especially with the tumultuous year of 2020, poetry also became a device to convey my emotions and beliefs, allowing me to express myself. This year’s theme of ‘Serendipity’ was particularly inspiring, as it encourages optimism during such trying times.”
Overall, this year’s VOiCE XIX: Serendipity magazine was a great success among the Sha Tin College community as a result of the dedication of the VOiCE XIX team as well as the efforts of the writers and artists who submitted their work to VOiCE. To those of you who have serendipitously stumbled upon this article, why not go read this year’s VOiCE magazine, or enter a submission for next year’s VOiCE magazine yourself?
By Amelie Chin (10X2)
Copy edited by Jeffrey Chan (12G1)
