The Governor’s Academy released the 2010 edition of The Spire, the Academy’s student literary magazine, today and will celebrate the new publication tonight at a reception for students, faculty, staff and friends in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) lobby at 6:30 p.m. Eloise Willemsen ’11, from Newburyport, MA, served as the student editor this year.

The Spire includes original poems and short stories submitted by Governor’s students each spring. The student editor selects which stories will be published in the literary publication.

Winners of the Murphy/Mercer Short Story and Poetry Contests are also included in The Spire. This year’s winner of the Murphy Short Story contest is Lauren Bougioukas ’12 from North Andover, MA, for her story entitled, “An Afternoon at the Lake.” Rory Burke ’11 of Marblehead, MA was honored with a second place prize for “Gullible.”

Katherine Seibel ’10 of Damariscotta, Maine won the Mercer Poetry Contest for her poem, Thoughts Lost.” Katie McKay ’12 of South Hamilton, MA, was second prize for “The Talk of the Town.”

Winners of the Murphy/Mercer Short Story and Poetry Contest are selected by The Governor’s Academy English Department. Maud Hamovit and Anna Finch serve as advisors to The Spire. The contest is named in honor of A. MacDonald Murphy and Thomas McClary Mercer, two revered Academy English teachers whose combined service to the Academy totaled more than 65 years.

The Spire has been a traditional voice for student literary creativity since 1966.

To read The Spire, please download the publication here.