A New Chapter for The Lit Magazine
Credit to Aaron Burden
“In the earliest memories of the world—before history could tell its story, before man had a name, and when past and present were one—the earth trembled with uncertainty. There was no night and day; there were no clouds; there was only a blank canvas. Mountains were still choosing their size; rivers were still learning the dance of flow; and forests were still deciding where to begin their verdant immersion. It was as though the earth were dreaming, but not of a future, not of a past, not of a present: a momentless dream. As earth dreamt, it wavered between becoming and unbecoming. Hues of pink, red, grey, and blue bled throughout the sky; water froze and melted without warning; light began to percolate through the mystical sky. And yet, in the midst of this timeless dream, the earth formed its first determination: past, present, and future.”
- William R., “Clocks” - Fall 2025
If you’re ever in the library, to the right of the big printer and opposite the lounge area with its chairs and low shelves, you’ll see a tall, isolated bookshelf whose content is split between biographies and assorted books that recount our school heritage. That collection includes old editions of The Buzzer, yearbooks from bygone eras, copies of Browning’s centennial history, as well as a sizable series of paperbacks that have “THE LIT” inscribed on them, in bold typeface with season and year accompanying. Browning's past has been storied with various student-led initiatives, and “The Lit” was one of them: a club dedicated to the seasonal publication of short stories, poems, and assorted writings completely produced by the student body. These past publications are doubtlessly reflective of a strong literary tradition that has continued to this day at Browning.
But for some reason or another, the club ended its publications around the pandemic, and very few students even know it existed at one point. But one student is trying to revive the old club. We asked Senior Julian K. why he decided to start things up again; he said that he was inspired by both students’ past works and other literary magazines at schools, like the Harvard Lampoon. Realizing that such a club didn’t exist at Browning at the present time, he decided to get things started again.
“Because I thought there was no creative output, no art magazine, for Browning students. I thought, if we’re going to do something creative, why not make it literary? It’s hard for guys to express creative interest and so it’s an easy outlet for them.”
As part of the initiative, English teacher Mr. Farmer incorporated his plans into his senior elective curriculum. Students wrote short fiction pieces, with one student even coding the website that would display their works. The website itself takes great inspiration from the Harvard Lampoon —in the opening sequence, color scheme, and interface. But the pieces could not be more different. Instead of focusing on satire, the pieces are split into four thematic categories: “youth”, “becoming a man”, “apocalypse”, and “collapse”, although each writer has certainly taken the liberty of creating his own unique narrative, form, and style within his respective theme. Their profound prose and immersive storytelling give hope to the future of creativity at Browning.
In fact, the website is now available for viewing and reading at:
