In September, the Saratoga Library Teen Advisory Board (TAB) opened submissions for its new library-funded multimedia arts journal called The Butterfly Effect. It is designed for local teens searching for a creative outlet to showcase their artistic works.
The TAB’s creative arts team is composed of senior lead Manlin Zhang and juniors Navya Chawla, Aditi Kankanwadi and Florence Wei and meets in the library every month to collect and choose submissions for monthly online spotlights and a biannual print magazine.
There will be two editions of the print magazine every year, one issue in winter and one in spring. The physical magazines will be displayed in the Saratoga Library and sent to the students who have printed pieces.
“When we were thinking of names, we thought of the butterfly effect and how one expression of creativity, whether it be writing or visual, can inspire and lead to so many others, similar to how the flap of wings can generate a storm,” Zhang said.
The magazine’s goal is to provide a community outlet for local creativity that encompasses all the high schools in the area.
The journal showcases some of its monthly submissions on the Saratoga Library’s website and Instagram. Students are encouraged to submit anything from short stories to short films. The showcase comprises one piece from each category — writing, visual art, music and photography. The team has been promoting submissions on their Instagram and website.
“It’s easy to find magazines that take only writing and art, but we hope to include musicians in this community on the online features,” Zhang said.
The Butterfly Effect hopes to garner as many local submissions as possible to showcase. Leading up to the winter, the magazine team is accepting submissions for their print magazine. The submission deadline is Jan. 3, and the issue will be published on Jan. 31.
The creative arts team is working with Saratoga school clubs, such as the photography and writing clubs, to inform interested students about the opportunity to feature their work.
“We’re just getting started, so it’s hard to see where this will go,” Zhang said. “But there’s a lot of pride in the community at seeing works produced by local talents.”