The Peal Celebrates its Relaunch with Library Reading
Jaylei Davis | Oct. 20, 2026
Student reads an excerpt from a past edition of The Peal. (Echo/Sophia Strominger)
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, The Peal, a publication that features creative writing by anyone on the Warren Wilson College (WWC) campus, held its revival reading in the Ellis Library Loft. Eloise Hill, a freshman at WWC and an editor for The Peal, hosted the event, where she and other editors of The Peal read from a selection of works from previous editions of the publication.
The Peal consists of submissions in creative writing categories that are then edited and bound together in a print version for the year. The book will be released during the spring semester of the academic year. The Peal’s theme and prompt for 2026 is “Lost and Found”.
The revival event was a chance for students and staff to learn about The Peal and how they can submit their own work to be published in this year's edition. Everyone has a chance to turn in submissions in whichever category of their choosing by this year’s deadline of Oct. 22nd at 11:59 p.m.
The Peal, which is returning after a two-year sabbatical, is being offered this semester as a class at WWC where students become editors for the publication.
Bailey Pittenger, the professor teaching The Peal writing class, explained why The Peal took a break.
“The class didn’t have enough students last fall to run as a class, but this year we have 10, so The Peal is revived,” Pittenger said. “The last edition was released during Helene, so there’s a big healing process, especially with our theme [this year] of lost and found.”
The Peal was around for 18 years before it went into sabbatical in 2024. For the revival reading, Khalil Neogy, a junior at WWC, read from the very first edition of The Peal in 2005. Neogy read “Lightkeeper,” a piece by Sebastian Matthews, a former teacher of WWC.
The Peal’s editors are all hoping its revival will help connect the campus community and provide something that has been missing.
Etta Meade Jernigan, a sophomore at WWC and an editor of The Peal, explained why she was excited for the return of The Peal.
“I want [The Peal] to be an uplifting, engaging space for people on campus even if it's just you pick (it) up and read,” Jernigan said. “I hope it brings back something that the community was missing before, especially since it's been gone.”
Each editor is learning something from being on The Peal that they hope to carry with them in life, and they are hoping to leave behind their own special touch to this year's edition of The Peal.