Lucy Paine, Managing Editor
All photos contributed by Sofia Giammarco
While most sophomores are focused on balancing homework, sports and social lives, sophomore Sofia Giammarco has added another accomplishment to her resume: becoming a published author.
Sofia recently published her poetry collection, The Colors of Shadow and Rain, which is now available on Amazon. The book explores themes of emotion, identity and the pressure many teenagers feel to hide their struggles behind carefully curated versions of themselves online.
“I was first inspired to write The Colors of Shadow and Rain by taking into account how social media affects teens in the current age,” Sofia said. “I feel as though it is a place that involves a lot of hiding what is really going on in people’s lives.”
According to Sofia, writing has been a major part of her life since childhood. She explained that publishing a book had always been a personal goal, especially because of her love for reading and storytelling. “I’ve been sharing stories with friends, family and even teachers as early as sixth grade, and publishing a book has always been a dream of mine,” she said.
Sofia’s mother, Ms. Giammarco, said Sofia’s love for writing began at an early age. “I have notes and poems dated back to 2016 — when she was 6 years old,” she said. “Her favorite gifts were always books or notebooks.”
Although Sofia originally planned to publish a novel, she decided poetry would allow her to complete the project more easily before the demands of junior year and the college process began. “While I believe poetry is more complex and carries more layers, it is fundamentally shorter and expedites the process,” she said.
Balancing the responsibilities of high school with writing a book was not always easy, but Sofia made time for both. “Almost all of my writing was done at home, and I wrote a lot on weekends when my homework was already completed,” she said. “I made a point to carve time out of my day designated to writing.”
The collection centers around the idea that emotions should not be hidden or viewed as weaknesses. “If there was an overall theme, I would want people to take away the idea that all feelings are acceptable and healthy, not just the ‘positive’ ones,” Sofia said.
While writing the poetry itself came naturally to her, Sofia said the publishing process introduced unexpected challenges. “The hardest part of the process for me was probably the formatting,” she said. “I spent multiple hours just trying to get the words to align in the same place on a page.”
She also explained that marketing the book has been one of the most surprisingly challenging aspects of becoming a published author. “I know my book is out in the world, but if I actually want people to read it, I have to get it out there and talked about,” she said.
According to Ms. Giammarco, watching Sofia complete the publishing process was inspiring. “Nothing makes her happier than writing or reading,” she said. “I completely understood why she wanted to move from a reader to a writer.”
Ms. Giammarco explained that Sofia independently handled much of the process herself, including designing the cover, researching Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and learning about royalties and printing. “She personally drove the entire process and timeline,” she said. “I could not believe the passion, commitment and enjoyment she displayed throughout the journey to her published book.”
Receiving the first printed copy of the book was an emotional moment for their family. “The night we got the first copy mailed to our home, Sofia read the poems to me out loud,” Ms. Giammarco said. “I will remember that night for the rest of my life.”
Despite already becoming a published author, Sofia said she is far from finished writing. She is currently working on another poetry collection as well as a novel inspired by the same characters and themes introduced in The Colors of Shadow and Rain.
For students interested in pursuing creative projects of their own, Sofia encourages them to simply begin. “Just start,” she said. “Once you have something, keep building and building until it becomes a part of you.”
