Letters not Sent

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men and women to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” shared the renowned writer Zdravka Evtimova, quoting Antoine de Saint-Exupery. At a literary event dedicated to the new winter issue of The Fountain Literary Journal, she applauded ACS for being the kind of place where students are not merely disciplined to work but encouraged to connect with their passions and find the inspiration to do the hard work in their love of art.

To celebrate the power of culture, The Fountain Literary Journal club held an awards ceremony December 16 at the Concert Hall. Short literary readings by awarded students alternated with several musical performances on the piano, violin, and classical guitar, with a backdrop of student artwork featured in the new edition, titled “Letters not Sent.”

As has become a tradition, the issue includes interviews with inspiring human beings. This time around, they were renowned writer Zdravka Evtimova and versatile actress Albena Stavreva. We were honored that they joined us for the event and shared their creativity and insight. Zdravka Evtimova shared that she gladly accepted the invitation to be interviewed and come to the American College because of an ACS alumna she worked with, Nadezhda Stefanova - diligent, detail-oriented, and hard-working. Zdravka Evtimova shared “I knew I wanted to visit the school that supported her to become so.” Albena Stavreva engaged in a short interview at the event in which she reminded everyone of the power of trust, in oneself and others, and the kind of trust that connects people in creating and appreciating art. 

The event was an exceptional celebration of the hard work of the dedicated team behind The Fountain Literary Journal - the compilers and mentors of the whole process, Bulgarian language and literature teachers Teodora Todorova, Malina Tonova, Nikolay Tasev, and Tatyana Stoyanova, as well as the student club presidents - Victoria Karaivanova and Stefania Filipova; the creative and tireless student team of the journal - Yana Dimitrova, Andrea Delibeeva, Vasil Velikov, Greta Hristova, Anastasia Boyanova, Sianna Stoyanova, Ilia Iliev, Andrea, Vera Velkova, Elena Kirova; the musical performances by Anna Osichenko, Boyan Andonov, Tian Yuan, and Yasen Potskov with the support of Music teachers Milena Tsolova and Stiliana Vodenicharova.

The Fountain Literary Journal also thanked the editors of the English texts, Jan Zagaja, Jessica Coates, Timothy Ward, Amber Hood, Velislava Tsvetkova, Graeme Pattison; the entire Department of Bulgarian Language and Literature; and all talented artists and authors whose work made this issue possible.

We are grateful for sharing an afternoon filled with inspiration, eloquence, and sincere artistic expression. Letters not sent… but received.