Dear Reader,

From cover to cover, Issue One of Veritas Journal is a testament to the power of self-expression and the truth(s) we can derive from it. As the inaugural issue of our school’s literary journal—a tradition I hope will be carried forward by future members of our club—we present a collection of creative and critical writing born from curiosity and courage.

Around this time last year, we first chose the word Veritas (Latin for “truth”) as our club’s motto. Now, looking back, I find myself reflecting more deeply on what this word really means. Personally, I understood the truth better when I entered the unfamiliar space of a writer’s workshop at Gambier, Ohio. Standing before my peers to read my work aloud and listening to their feedback, I was compelled to confront truths about myself and my writing. For me, poetry offers a space for such exploration: it portrays narrative even as it becomes narrative itself. In my own poems, I wrote about memory and inheritance, tracing how family histories echo in the present. In my own work, I’ve found both clarity and confusion and learned how to come to terms with them.

More broadly speaking, though, in a world so full of noise and nuance, how do we begin to be “true” in writing, in our communication with others? And where do we begin to seek our own truths? This issue takes up those questions. We include the winners and honorable mentions from our school’s first-ever writing competition, where Year One pupils explored the value of fiction and questioned what is real around them. They engaged with elders, drawing on intergenerational memory to uncover the truths embedded in family and community.

So here’s to beginnings—to the messy, magnificent process of seeking and sharing what matters. Thank you for holding this journal in your hands, for meeting these voices with your own curiosity. We can’t wait to hear what truths you uncover within these pages.

With gratitude,

Yan Zhang

Veritas Journal