From The Los Gatos High Class Of 2018 English Students: 'A Cup Of Poetea'

News from Los Gatos High School:

Six classes of Los Gatos High School freshmen honors English students have written, designed, and published an ebook of original poetry, giving readers a view into the minds of high school students today. Set for release on May 12, A Cup of Poetea– a fundraiser for the LGHS Class of 2018 - is currently available for pre-order through Apple iBooks and Barnes & Noble.

The book came about as a collaboration between LGHS English teachers Tonya McQuade and Kathleen Wehr, the Los Gatos Library, and Smashwords, an indie ebook publisher that helps connect authors with publishers. Mark Coker, founder and CEO of Smashwords, is also an LGHS graduate.

Proceeds from sales of the ebook will help to finance expenses for the Class of 2018, such as junior and senior prom and future class reunions.

Last year’s freshman English honors students undertook a similar project, with their ebook, Windows to the Teenage Soul, reaching #1 on the Apple iBook Chart on the day of its release. This year ‘s freshmen are seeking to build on that success and improve on the standards set by last year’s class.

Each English 9 Honors student in Mrs. McQuade’s and Mrs. Wehr’s classes submitted his or her best poem to the ebook, addressing issues such as war, the environment, love, identity, family, and more. Through this project, students are able to experience sharing their work with a worldwide audience for the first time.

In organizing the ebook, the students created different teams to accomplish specific tasks. The five different groups - Editing, Layout and Design, Marketing and Publicity, Art and Photography, and Event Planning - helped the class work more efficiently and plan this massive undertaking. Additionally, the teams introduced students to career fields and real world applications.

“I would love to be a professional artist, and the ebook is helping me realize how artists are hired and given ideas to draw,” said Amaya Troy, a member of the Art and Photography team.

“It was really great meeting with Jim (Azevedo, Smashwords Marketing Manager) because it was interesting to see the insights of someone who actually does marketing,” said freshman Isabel Haukness. “It inspired me to think about actually pursuing marketing.”

According to English teacher and project coordinator Tonya McQuade, “The teams let students follow their interests and passions in a career-related way, an opportunity that is not very common in high schools.”

According to Coker, these students are serving as role models for other schools wishing to self-publish. After the publication of last year’s ebook, McQuade received calls from several schools around the United States, and even Canada, interested in doing a similar project.

On May 12, the students will be hosting a party from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Los Gatos Public Library celebrating the book launch.

The Event Planning Team is currently planning this program, which will showcase student poetry readings, team presentations, and awards for student and teacher “best poem” choices. Community members are welcome to attend.

Ebooks are becoming extremely popular. Smashwords itself now offers 353,278 ebooks through its site. This new process is revolutionizing the accessibility that authors have to publishing their own book, and Los Gatos High School will not be left behind. Their anthology will simply add to a growing market.Once published, the anthologywill be available through various sites, including Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO, and Apple’s iBook store.

The book is available now for preorder at Apple iBooks and Barnes & Noble at the following links:

iBooks:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-cup-of-poetea/id989851447?mt=11

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-cup-of-poetea-lghs-english-9h-class-of-2018/1121820646.

The ebook is also currently listed athttp://www.smashwords.com/books/view/538145, where it will be available for purchase starting May 12. Priced at $2.99, the ebook will allow the reader to experience the life of a teenager. More information can be found on our Facebook page, A Cup of Poetea.