Desks scooted into a circle, the day’s mental debris dumped into five quiet minutes of no-rules writing, and the high-schoolers were primed to tackle poetry.
It was midweek, after school at Murrah High, with students gathering in yet one more classroom for yet more word work, this time their efforts aimed at the school’s award-winning literary/arts magazine, Pleiades. Adviser Sarah Ballard’s classroom provided a supportive spot to share, workshop and perfect pieces that may be bound for Scholastic Writing & Arts Awards submission as well as for the 2024-25 Pleiades.
As each soft voice finished a final line, finger snaps, praise and feedback followed in friendly exchanges that were all about encouragement. Hesitant voices grew stronger as they weighed in, and suggestions bounced around on recitation tips, avenues to explore and personal details to flesh out.
“It’s given me a safe space … I think it was the very first safe space for my writing,” said Murrah senior Nadia Wright, Pleiades editor for the 2024-25 issue. “It’s my first sense of belonging in the writing community, and from then on, I’ve just been placed in these opportunities I never thought I would have,” including awards, scholarships and her selection as one of five National Student Poets of 2024 (the program’s first from Mississippi).
Founded in 1954, Pleiades had been an annual Murrah High project, but production sputtered in the 1990s. By the late 1990s into early 2000s, it was no longer published and had been nearly forgotten. The magazine was resurrected in 2012, when student interest fueled its return. Sarah Ballard, an English teacher at Murrah since 2005, had been advising the school’s Poetry Club for a few years when a transfer student asked, why didn’t Murrah have a literary magazine?
Ballard recalled a colleague’s mention of one in the past, called Pleiades. “That night, I went home and I googled Pleiades Murrah literary magazine,” Ballard said, “and I was blown away to find out that this was something that had been in existence for a very long time. It has won awards. It had award-winning writers associated with it, including Eudora Welty and Richard Ford and many others.”
Ballard shared that history with her students, and they revived a legacy. Their discovery of old issues of Pleiades, stashed in a school library drawer, further fed their mission. A letter shared with contacts and alumni raised donations that funded the publication for 2012, and a bit beyond.
“That was the beginning. … And, every year it has just gotten better and better,” Ballard said, with writing by Murrah students and “amazing” artwork through partnering with Wells APAC art program. She noted its best literary magazine honors from the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association for three years, a superior rating last year and “more awards than I can name” for short stories, poetry and design.
But, fundraising became an annual stress point. “The school had no money to give us,” Ballard said. “We were completely funded, for years, through our own fundraising.” That took the form of Poetry Night events, GoFundMe efforts, even selling the magazine (albeit at a low price) to try and recoup some expenses.
Then, another group of alumni picked up the baton. When Murrah’s Class of 1970 had their 50th reunion in 2020, a small group felt strongly about commemorating their dramatic senior year, when integration brought so many changes to the public school.
“We wanted to do something for Murrah,” Susan Shands Jones said of the group that included Karen Ezelle Redhead (also of Jackson, Mississippi), Georgia Wier (now of Portland, Oregon) and the late Sarah Reid Winbigler DeYoung (of Maryville, Tennessee). Redhead, a retired teacher, knew of Ballard’s efforts to fund Pleiades production.
“This was a project ready and waiting for us,” Wier said. “It was particularly appropriate for us, too. … I had been editor of The Pleiades, and all of us had worked on it, so we grabbed onto that idea.” All brought plenty to the table, she said: lawyer Jones’ legal know-how and, with Redhead, connections to Murrah alums; Redhead’s school contacts; DeYoung’s student counseling at the University of Tennessee; and folklorist Wier’s own experience in the arts realm.
After an initial push within their own class raised funds, they aimed for longer-term support and started the Murrah Pleiades Literary and Visual Arts Fund at the Community Foundation for Mississippi in 2020, to create a steady income for its production and free up the magazine’s adviser to focus on fostering students’ creativity, rather than on fundraising.
With targeted outreach to additional classes and past Pleiades staffers, plus word of mouth, donations of all different amounts came in from throughout the country and across the state. Recurring contributions keep money coming in. “One doctor sent us $1,000 from Washington. It really hit some people — we were lucky,” Jones said.
“For my end, that has been a game changer,” Ballard said.
The group’s engagement extended even beyond the fund. “It makes you think, what can we do for these kids?” Jones said. When Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and fellow 1970 Murrah grad Beth Henley was a panelist at the Mississippi Book Festival this past September, Jones emailed her in advance, asking if she could visit the school, too. Henley agreed, Jones said, and her hour-long visit the following week “was magical.”
“It was amazing!” Murrah senior Ashley Carter agreed.
“We would love to keep doing supportive activities,” Jones said. Noting the awards, opportunities and scholarships that have opened up for students involved with Pleiades since its revival, Redhead added, “It really is a vehicle for these college-bound kids.”
Former Pleiades editor, Murrah and Yale graduate Jeffrey Caliedo, now an English teacher back at Murrah, said love for poetry and art drew him to the magazine, and its rewards lasted beyond his high school years. “Being able to create art, win awards and get recognition for it — that was a big thing for me,” he said. “I do think it offers a lot. It really builds your writing, and not just creative writing,” but also editing, feedback, attention to detail and a creative outlet for expression. “These students have a lot to say, and sometimes they really need a platform.”
Back in the classroom, young Pleiades writers keyed into qualities that keep them coming back after school, week after week. “For me, It’s really just about being a part of a community of writers,” said Murrah senior Sabréa Jordan, who values constructive conversations with fellow fans of reading and writing. “It has done a lot for me in my years as a student.”
“It teaches us a lot about being ourselves,” Murrah senior Hannah King said, “about being authentically and unapologetically who we are, and expressing ourselves in however we see fit. It’s just such a free space. It’s a very welcoming space, and I feel like it could probably inspire someone to go out and make sure there are spaces like that everywhere.”
The Pleiades experience, plus exposure to writing camps, programs and workshops also shows them an attainable career path. “You realize writing isn’t just being a best-selling author,” senior Alexia Anthony said. “There’s a lot of different ways to succeed in that field, and if that’s what you love to do, then you should pursue it.”
As the young writers find their way forward, the support from generations that came before brings both endorsement and encouragement.
“It’s a group of people who really see value in Murrah’s students’ voices today,” Ballard said. “Murrah looks very different now than it did when they were in school here. And, the population is different. But, it’s still a group of Jackson kids who are creative and smart, and have stories to tell, and have things to say.”
To support Murrah High’s Pleiades literary/arts magazine, visit the Community Foundation for Mississippi homepage formississippi.org, click Donate and select Murrah Pleiades, or simply click here.
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