West High hosts various artists within its buildings, authors, poets, artists, photographers and more. Many of these talented students turn to West’s literary magazine, Grapevine, to share their passion. 

What is the inspiration for this piece?

Naomi Lai: The piece is of my dog, Fancy, and I mainly wanted to memorialize her.

How long did you work on this piece?

Lai: The drawing took me about a few hours or so.

What do you want this piece to communicate?

Lai: I wanted something of her that would last forever, and even if she’s gone she’s not forgotten.

How would you define your art style?

Lai: I usually prefer pastels for my medium. 

How long have you been making art?

Lai: I’ve been making art forever, but my interest peaked around sixth grade when I started taking art classes. 

Do you want to continue making art in adulthood?

Lai: I hope to go to an art school and pursue art as a career. Whether that be as an illustrator or animator, I hope to do something with art. 

How has Grapevine helped you?

Lai: I think Grapevine is a good opportunity to get your art out there, and I’m glad I get to share my piece with others.

-Excerpt from “Rhubarb”

How long have you been writing?

Endrit Ramku: I have been writing for a long time. I got more involved in the writing world back in middle school when I was invited to the Junior High Writing Seminar, where I got to learn new writing methods and techniques; however, I have been writing stories since I was very young.

How long have you been submitting to Grapevine?

Ramku: I have been submitting to Grapevine since freshman year, so two years now. I didn’t get published last year, but fingers crossed for this year!

What writers inspire you?

Ramku: Some of my favorite writers include Amy Tan, A. R. Gurney, Latanya McQueen and Lore Segal. Tan is by far my favorite writer. I enjoy the way her story flows and how she illustrates conflicts between 1st generation children and immigrant parents.

How does writing/poetry help you?

Ramku: Writing helps me make my individual experiences solidified. It helps me express what I want to say in an eloquent and educated manner while also making an already existing idea something new. Writing helps me be me.

What do you like about this piece?

Ramku: What I like about the piece that I submitted is it helped me express some thoughts I was having at the time. I felt like there was a large portion of my life and childhood that I didn’t take advantage of, and now I am being thrust into the real world. 

How long did this take to write? 

Ramku: My writing in general varies a LOT on how long it takes, however, I believe Rhubarb took a week. That also includes the many peer reviews and revisions I made along the way.

Do you want to continue writing in adulthood?

Ramku: I definitely want to keep writing in adulthood. In terms of career, I want to be a physician, however, I think writing is such a large part of my life that helps me cope with the adversity that I face. Seeing my life expressed on the page makes my ideas real and will be an integral part of my daily life.

The Grapevine magazine of 2025 will come out following winter break, near the end of January.  In this edition, work will be featured from over 16 West students. In this article, glimpses of work by Naomi Lai ’27, Endrit Ramku ’27, Lydia Cruce ’27 and Sadie Frisvold ’25 are shared.