The new volume of The Tartan literary magazine, if you’ve received one last week, has squiggly letters in non-capital letters “tartan” with a photograph in the background of a pair of white Converse sneakers that seems to have been through many forest adventures with the stain of green and brown on its toe bumpers.

On Friday, May 24, the 63rd volume of this beautiful literary magazine was published and distributed in McLean (If you haven’t gotten one, pick it up by room R133).

The Tartan staff has prepared for this volume of the magazine for a longer period of time than they did last year, which they believe helped them create a final product of better quality.

“I think this this year’s volume of the magazine really captured the different members’ personal styles…This year we planned things a little better and were able to have more time to brainstorm and incorporate more ideas,” said junior Emily Chopra, the editor-in-chief of The Tartan magazine. “The extra time we were able to put different ideas together to make the magazine follow a specific theme, and we were able to articulate that. I think that is what made this magazine really different from previous ones. While we do try to go a different path for each one, we really were able to clearly define that path this time.”

While all works included in this year’s literary magazine are all unique and special in their own ways, how it encapsulates the diverse student population of McLean especially made this volume more captivating.

“It is impossible to pick a favorite work in the magazine because every piece we selected is so unique and beautifully crafted,” Chopra said. “One thing that I do especially love about this edition, however, is that we included a few pieces in different languages with English translations. We have one piece in Hebrew – The Little Light – and one in Arabic – My Land. Since McLean is such an [diverse] school, I love how we were able to capture that diversity in our magazine.”

The Tartan literary magazine is one of the many important aspects of student life in McLean: for those who work behind the scenes of producing the literary magazine, the staff, as well as those who submit their literary work, the writers and artists of McLean.

“I definitely think the magazine is important to McLean students,” Chopra said. “It is a venue for our classmates to express themselves and demonstrate their skills. Being able to see their work in print, I feel, is such an amazing experience for those who submit and I think that opportunity is so important.”

Click here to read the Tartan magazine online