The Howell High School Literary Society,which could be categorized as a book club, is a different kind of club that really brings reading to life. This club allows people with similar interests to get together and share their likes and dislikes about a book and to really get to the deeper meaning of the story.

Four students decided to found the Literary Society at the end of the year during the 2013-2014 school year. Grace Henderson, Brandi Randall, Cynthia Brown, and Bailey Uhl all worked in founding this club with the help of English teacher, Mr. Deven Parrish. However, Mr. Eric Shaw has now taken the role of advisor for the club this year.

“I think this club teaches them to have an appreciation for literature and to experience and explore what their peers like,”  Shaw says.

The club steps away from the sometimes mundane reading that occurs during the school day and allows students to explore different and exciting literary types. The club has just finished reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and is looking to read either Gone Girl or The Shining next.  

“Anything that promotes literacy is worth being encouraged. Having a space to talk about literature that’s not directed in a classroom is very useful for kids,” Parrish says.

This club also creates an environment where students can feel comfortable and enjoy talking about something they have a passion for.

“We really just wanted to create something where you could just kind of go off about a book with people. Since you can’t always do that with your friends, we thought a book club would be a good idea” junior Grace Henderson says.

A typical meeting involves discussion, some questions regarding the book, and of course snacks. When this group of about 15 students get together they like to start out by discussing what they read and answering questions that one of the student advisors came up with. This club even has a mascot, Mahogany Moe. They like to pass around the little statue and whoever is holding him gets to take a turn to share their thoughts about the book.

“I’m looking to make the meetings a little more structured, since we do get off topic a lot, but that’s kind of what it’s for. It’s a book club mixed with a little socializing”  junior Brandi Randall says.

The Literary Society is looking to read four books this year, one per quarter. When a book is coming to an end the four student leaders gather suggestion sheets from the rest of the crew and pick from those.

Students can expect to have an easy going and friendly environment when they attend the Literary Society meetings. Just as all voices are heard when picking out the next book they are also heard when discussing.

“We’ve kind of created a little community, we are all pretty close and we can just share our feelings about the books with each other” Randall says.

Overall the Literary Society is a great addition to HHS and really lets students enjoy a multitude of different types of books as well as people. People who normally wouldn’t talk before now get to share a common interest and discuss wonderful books together.

“It would be interesting to see if this club could do something to get their other peers reading, because not enough kids read. I would hope to see them be able to inspire future authors,” Parrish says.

If you’re interested in joining the Literary Society, they meet every Thursday from 2:30-3:30 in room L-6 (Mr. Shaw’s room).