Sorrow, healing and hope: The authors of “Parkland Speaks” share their voices and art

BY ISABELLA MARCON

“Parkland Speaks” is a book that not only gives a raw look at the events of February 14, 2018 through the eyes of students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but represents self-expression, grief, healing and hope through a series of intimate creative works.

On Wednesday, January 24, Barnes and Noble gave supporters and readers of the book the opportunity to meet and learn more about the contributors and their journeys in publishing their story.

“Writing about what happened was extremely therapeutic for me,” Schneid said. “I think that it’s not for everyone, some people want to bottle it up and that’s them … but writing is really the way that I can process what I’m feeling and how to deal with it, and that’s why I try to do it.”

“I was in a pretty emotional place when I was writing my piece for the book and it was a releasing experience for me to be able to put my emotions down. But I think that, in the long run, my goal is to promote self-expression for teens, no matter what community they come from,” writer Rebecca Schneid said. “Whether it be a school shooting or a shooting in the streets, gang violence or whatever that they happen to be dealing with at the time, they should have the ability to express themselves to help them heal from whatever trauma they are dealing with.”

Behind the scenes, the making of the book was more than just sharing journeys through art, photography and writing. For some, being a part of the book was considered a gateway to express their inner feelings and emotions.

“Writing about what happened was extremely therapeutic for me,” Schneid said. “I think that it’s not for everyone, some people want to bottle it up and that’s them … but writing is really the way that I can process what I’m feeling and how to deal with it, and that’s why I try to do it.”

Each person expressed themselves in different ways. In “Parkland Speaks,” the photographers presented their poignant imagery. Poets recited their memories in verse.

While giving contributors the opportunity to express their feelings and emotions about the tragedy, the book also allowed some to process the pain of the events that took place.

“I started to write my experience, and it was really cathartic to me because it was the first time that I actually wrote word-for-word everything that had happened to me and it was really painful,” editor and writer Sarah Lerner said.

The event was a shared experience with the audience and the artistic contributors. Each person expressed themselves in different ways. In “Parkland Speaks,” the photographers presented their poignant imagery. Poets recited their memories in verse. Survivors shared their tragedies, some for the first time. All of these voices were presented in brave, unflinching terms of sorrow, healing and hope.

“This has been every whirlwind set in motion / My neurons have gone through a blender / And I am here, so far away from any logical explanation / But I am here, alive,” Samantha Bonnin wrote in “Attempts at Acceptance,” printed in “Parkland Speaks.”

Photo by Kayla Florenco