Permission to Shine: A Revival of Inscape

Every story begins with someone willing to share it. After a long-awaited return, Inscape is once again giving BCS students a place to express themselves through writing and visual art. 

Centered around this year's theme, Permission to Shine, Volume 41 marks the beginning of a new chapter for a publication with a rich history at BCS. Faculty advisor Scott Kelso shares what went into reviving the publication and why student voices remain at its heart.

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Q: How would you describe Inscape in your own words? What is it all about?

Inscape is a student literary arts magazine that captures the inner worlds of students—their thoughts, perspectives, and creative voices.

“Permission to Shine,” this year’s Inscape theme, encourages students to take creative risks by sharing work that is honest and uniquely theirs.

Q: If you had to describe this year’s edition in three words, what would they be?

Based on the theme “Permission to Shine,” three strong descriptors would be:

• Authentic

• Courageous

• Expressive

Q: Approximately how many students submitted work for this year’s edition?

18 students had writing and 18 students had art selected for publication. These are relatively small numbers but represent a good start. Past issues had many more contributors, but we are essentially rebuilding the magazine, and many students were not quite ready to take this creative risk yet.

Q: What types of pieces are featured in this year’s publication?

Volume 41 of Inscape includes:

• poems, short stories, speeches, flash fiction

• drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, and more

Q: Could you walk me through the process behind creating Inscape?

1 - Submissions

• Students are invited to submit original creative work (writing or art).

• Teachers are asked to encourage students to submit work produced in their classes.

2 - Selection

• Committee members, with help from the faculty advisor, read and discuss submissions. We emphasize originality, individuality, and authenticity rather than perfection.

• Work is chosen for publication based on overall quality and fit*.

• Some work is chosen “as is” while many pieces are accepted on the condition that the students work with the faculty advisor to correct or revise as needed.

• Minor editing may be done by the committee and/or the faculty advisor. Edited texts will be sent back to the student author for approval.

• The student committee works on pairing literary texts with student art, and then works with the faculty advisor to learn about creative design and layout.

*Each edition is built around a central theme (e.g., Our Gardens Within, Mixtapes, Permission to Shine). The theme is chosen by the student committee and helps shape the tone and cohesion of the selected pieces.

3 - Purpose and Impact

• The goal is to create a publication that showcases student voices and creativity.

• Inscape is positioned as a platform with real reach and influence—impacting readers within, and beyond, the immediate school community.

• For many years, Inscape has been ranked one of the best student literary magazines in Canada, in North America, and beyond. It has received the “Highest Award” from the National Council of Teachers of English and its REALM (Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines) program.

4 - Production Timeline / Structure

• Production runs roughly September through April. May and June are dedicated to final proofreading, editing, revision, printing, and distribution.

• Submissions received too late for one year’s edition (or high-quality works not considered a fit for a particular volume) are considered for the following year, as long as the student is returning.

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Ready to discover the voices behind Permission to Shine? Explore the digital edition of Inscape Volume 41 and experience the creativity of our student artists and writers.

Read Inscape here