Letters From The Editors

“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind”

- Ayn Rand

From a young age, I’ve always had a passion for writing. I would jot down my day in a journal, make up songs in my head and belt them out as I failed to accompany it with guitar, I would even try and construct poems and fictional stories that I thought one day might be published and deem me famous and respected as an author. To me, writing is the greatest form of self-expression and allows me to vent out emotions I would otherwise bottle up to myself. My writing is a window into my soul, highlighting the highs and lows I experience throughout life. While I still strive to reach those starry-eyed goals from long ago, for now I put my talents to use as a writer, but also as an editor.

Through writing comes knowledge of grammar, diction, and certain stylistic choices that can elevate the maturity and creativity of a work of writing. Not only do I thoroughly enjoy writing works of my own, but I also love to read the work of others and consider myself an avid reader. So, why not make a hobby out of it? Now I get to read and review the work of many talented writers here at DHS and showcase their talent in each monthly issue of The Spectrum.

Each year at Dunellen High School, the students enrolled in the elective Creative Writing classes often submit their best work, which is displayed on our Spectrum Literary Magazine. Though The Spectrum once started out as a physical magazine offered in the high school’s library, the magazine has recently switched over to a digital website to keep up with our world of ever-changing technology. This year, my goal for The Spectrum is to offer a collection of your peers’ talented literary works culminated in a space where they are available to you--the students. Hopefully, you can read what they have to offer and see through the lens that shines light onto their daily lives to develop a sense of respect and better understanding of those around you.

Kristina Moncelsi

Editor-in-Chief

Writing- a place where one can relieve feelings and channel their darkest and deepest thoughts through simple yet complex words and sentences. Writing is a place where everything makes so much sense, yet it doesn’t- personal to each individual, personal to each person writing with a message only they will truly know and completely understand. Writing is a thing, a passion of many, that helps relieve pain, helps relieve the mental strain of living with thoughts that others may never understand. Writing is a superpower given to many, their capes flying high as they deliver a message, intentionally or unintentionally, while portraying and creating a mystically beautiful and creative story.

I’ve always loved reading, I’ve always loved how stories worked and how many meanings can be derived from a jumble of words put together- I found it truly and genuinely fascinating. I never thought of myself to be a decent writer in any sense and I never thought that something such as writing would ever interest me, but after being in a dark place without anyone to talk to, I found an outlet through writing- deep, meaningful pieces with such a blunt, blatant message hiding the deeper, more difficult to read ones. Writing is genuine magic- it’s something that’s so small but it can help so many- it helps people feel like they have someone else to relate to, it allows people to feel not alone, it allows people to feel okay; writing is one of the best superpowers that one can have.

The Dunellen Spectrum is a literary magazine based on the true, raw, and genuine writing of students here at Dunellen High School. It features an array of students that portray their talent through their pieces whether it be poetry, short stories, and just any original piece that tells a story unlike any other. The Dunellen Spectrum features an array of categories and types of pieces, ultimately combining a workload of talent, portrayed by Dunellen students, that can give readers a new perspective of the world or merely just set them down a path of thought they never thought they’d embark upon. This new website will help portray writing about how it is- a device that helps people feel not alone, a device that gives others the capability to relate and learn new things and enter a brand new realm of thought and inspiration. The Dunellen Spectrum will thrive off of writers from all grades, focusing on stories unlike any other, and introducing readers to writing unlike anything they've ever seen.

Carli Ruiz

Editor-In-Chief