The Classic

The Starling Press’s Publishing History

The Starling Press Logo (Image courtesy of The Starling Press)

The Starling Press Launched in 2023

The Starling Press is now starting to publish children's books, but it hasn't always done that. In the spring semester of 2023, Townsend Harris launched The Starling Press with the goal of publishing student authors of various kinds. While a literary magazine like The Phoenix publishes annual collections of student art, photography, poetry and short fiction, the Starling Press is a publishing house that seeks to publish many different types of works by student authors.
The cover of the Flash Fiction collection that was the first book published by Starling. (Image courtesy of The Starling Press)

Flash Fiction Contest 2023

In spring 2023, founding advisors of The Starling Press, English teachers Katherine Lipinski and Sarah Levine, ran a flash fiction contest to encourage students to participate in The Starling Press's publishing options. This collection of flash fiction short stories is the first book published by the press. The press also launched an Amazon.com store so that student books could be purchased as Kindle ebooks or as printed copies.
The symposium-inspired anthology of anti-hero tales. (Image courtesy of The Starling Press)

Class Collections

Between 2023 and 2025, the Starling Press largely published collections based on the classes that Starling Advisor Sarah Levine taught. These were both sophomore selective classes and senior seminar classes with creative writing themes that offered students chances to develop their own voices as fiction writers. Featured here is a collection of stories inspired by the senior symposium theme of "anti-heroes" from the 2024 symposium.
Summer horror/mystery collection (Image courtesy of The Starling Press)

Summer Writers Academy Collections

In addition to class collections, Starling staff members have also run summer workshops for new members. During these summer sessions, students would also write creative fiction that would be collected into publications for the Starling Press's Amazon store. Here is summer collection based on the theme of horror and mystery.
Classic nonfiction text published by The Starling Press (Image courtesy of The Starling Press)

Nonfiction Publications

In addition to collecting student works of fiction, the Starling Press also offers chances for nonfiction writers, including teachers, to publish their work. The Classic worked with The Starling Press to publish a nonfiction guide to being a journalist at Townsend Harris High School.

Stories Using This Infobox

Starling Press publishes children’s book by THHS student authors