By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

“Maybe that’s rain,” I said, looking at the marks on the photo that the students were examining. “Or maybe it’s sweat. Maybe it was a hot day.”

“I took this picture. No rain, no sweat,” Rachel Scott said. “That’s an ink run.”

This 2011 Literary Magazine photography editor, Rachel Scott, knows her photos. As we examined the Pelham High School final Literary Magazine proof for 2011, the editors were clinging to the fantasy that we’d call the printer, report perfection and receive the final copies in minutes.

Any major problem would delay delivery until after graduation, and not having your publication before the end of the year is incredibly disappointing.

Finding more suspicious ink marks and a few other changes to be made, we returned the proof to the printer. First reports were excellent. Judy Clark, Pelham resident and our Ebsco rep, left messages around 8 and 9 a.m. and again at noon indicating that the magazine looked great.

Afternoon brought a long, scary silence. Optimistically, I hoped that Clark would show up with the completed copies of the magazine on her way home. When Clark contacted me late in the afternoon, she did not have magazines; she had bad news.

Our Ebsco printing team had been keeping an eye on problems marked in our proof. Ultimately, Scott and her fellow editors were right. There was an ink run problem, which became more noticeable as the magazine printing continued. Clark relayed the news to me that, despite the devoted efforts of our team, the printing job had to be stopped, the expensive machine dismantled and repairs scheduled. We wouldn’t have our magazine for graduation.

Clark said, “This is the most beautiful magazine your staff has done. The artwork is amazing. The design is pristine. It’s more important to have this publication printed beautifully than immediately.”

Clark is right.

So, the beautifully printed 2011 Pelham High School Literary Magazine will be unveiled at a Lit Mag Press Party on June 14th in the PHS auditorium from 7-9 p.m. Students may pick up pre-ordered magazines, purchase a magazine and read their published work from the magazine if they choose. Everyone is invited to celebrate the creativity of Pelham High School in print. Class of 2011 editors-in-chief Anna Smith and Sam Ellis issue this invitation: “Be there on June 14th to see Pelham High School’s most amazing literary magazine yet.”

Connie Nolen can be reached by email at CNolen@Shelbyed.k12.al.us.