Dear Reader,
Welcome to the 2021 issue of Exit 33. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. We are more than a year into this pandemic. We have felt grief, loneliness, and fear, and many of us are exhausted. However, despite everything, we have also experienced joy and hope—small moments in our life that make us grateful and urge us to keep living. It reminds me of a poem by Ellen Bass, where she describes life as “a plain face, / no charming smile, no violet eyes. . . .” This is the face she tells us to love, to love it through grief, through loss, to tell life itself, “yes, I will take you / I will love you, again.” In the 2021 edition, teenagers share their struggles and triumphs during this tumultuous year. Elena Zhang reflects on her quarantine experience, Lea Glueck grapples with the uncertainties of tomorrow, Justin Semmel honors Kobe Bryant’s legacy, and Jack Lenga boldly declares his Jewish identity. Our writers dive into love, uncover their wounds, yearn for home, rebel against rules and expectations, and run towards freedom. These pieces are brave, funny, and unapologetic; they reveal the strength and resilience of the students at South High. Many thanks to the entire Exit 33 team for all their hard work that went into producing this amazing issue. Special thanks are given to Mr. Moran for his dedication and support as Faculty Advisor, Mr. Weinstein for encouraging his creative writing students to submit their work, and Ms. Stancati for this wonderful website. Thank you to everyone who entrusted us with their work, and especially those who submitted but who we unfortunately could not include. We admire your efforts and encourage you to keep writing. Finally, the editorial staff thanks the student body and faculty for their continued support of our magazine. Enjoy! Your Editor-in-Chief, Grace Q. Song |