Professor Brad Johnson congratulates high school students who published stories for The New Xanadu.
The 2025 edition of The New Xanadu was unveiled on Thursday, May 1, accompanied by a celebration in the East/West Dining Hall. Although the space was simply set up, it was transformed into a welcoming environment where people could share their works and thoughts among friends. Both faculty and students had the opportunity to submit their pieces to the literary magazine, with two writers being new to both Xanadu and Doane.
Aidan Elwood and Embrie Bednar are current seniors at Norris High School who are taking Doane English classes for college credit. Phil Weitl, a professor of English, guest lectured a creative writing class at Norris last fall. “Since they are Doane students as well, I invited them to submit,” Weitl said. “I’m so glad they did.”
This year’s edition of The New Xanadu is filled with submissions in writing, mixed media, art, and photography. Freshman Mia Eshleman’s piece titled “Motel, Medium: Acrylic” was selected for the cover of this edition. Senior editors Jess Himmelberg and Morgan Craig expressed their gratitude to all who submitted work in their letters from the editors. After sharing a few words, they opened the floor for others to read excerpts or discuss their creative processes.
Joshua Johnson, executive financial assistant, read parts of his five poems dedicated to his father, who recently passed away from cancer. Senior Rowan Jolkowski shared an unsubmitted piece that served as a eulogy for a friend who had also passed away. Many who spoke shared how The New Xanadu or the English department had become safe spaces for them to express their emotions and struggles through words. Freshman Thure Johnson, also known as T.J., spoke about his experience in Weitl’s creative writing class and how it provided him the opportunity to write about his mental health and emotions.
“There are various seniors in the room who are in different stages of existential crisis,” Weitl said after the sharing session. He then invited the seniors and other audience members to give advice to those still on their college journey. President Hughes, business professor Charlena Miller and several seniors contributed their thoughts.
The 2025 edition of The New Xanadu can be found at mytnx.com. Submissions for the next issue will open in Spring 2026.
