About

Parallax Literary Magazine has been published by the Creative Writing department of Idyllwild Arts Academy since 1997. Idyllwild Arts Academy is a college preparatory boarding high school dedicated to the passion of young artists. Created, designed, and run by students, Parallax has always championed the high school writer by publishing the best of Idyllwild students’ creative writing and visual art. In 2011 Parallax expanded by adding an online component, which accepts submissions from high school students worldwide. The website also showcases student book reviews and writer interviews for the first time.

Visual Art

The visual art on display on Parallax Online is generously provided by the Visual Arts department at Idyllwild Arts Academy.

Unfortunately, due to the website restrictions, the images that we use on the website are cropped – to view the art in its full, un-altered (and beautiful!) original form, go to:

http://parallax-online.tumblr.com/

History

Parallax began at Idyllwild Arts Academy in the early ’90s as a small chapbook called Writer’s Block. The administration was looking for ways to expand the school, and student interest in creative writing was growing. The Dean of Academics at the time decided that the school needed a Creative Writing Department. In 1995, the Creative Writing Department opened it’s doors to students from all around the world with Don Put as the first department chair. That year, Put started with eighteen students, who helped expand Writer’s Block from a small chapbook into the school’s new official literary publication, Parallax. The first issue was published in 1997. After publishing Parallax annually for several years, faculty and students were interested in increasing their involvement in the larger literary community by working with young writers outside of Idyllwild Arts. In 2011, with the help of Idyllwild Arts alumni David Shook and his colleague Brian Hewes, Creative Writing Chair Kim Henderson and the Parallax editorial team launched Parallax Online. 

History compiled by Becky Hirsch