Creepfest connects students with literature and creative writing

When students face challenges with reading stamina and extended focus, short stories and illustrated fiction can serve as an effective bridge to longer works. With this fact in mind, Guam High School’s Information Center hosted “Literary Creepfest” on Oct. 30, 2025.

Twenty students entered Guam High School’s dark and creepy Information Center for “Literary Creepfest” in the library, an event that celebrated student authors and the short story horror genre. Winners of the library’s recent “Scary Short Story” contest received awards, and all of their scary stories are now available in the school’s MackinVIA catalog for anyone to check out and read. Students also enjoyed creating impromptu “Two-Sentence Horror Stories,” showcasing both spooky and humorous creativity.

Barbara Hertz, GHS Information Specialist, shared stories, books, and video clips on masters of horror such as Shirley Jackson, Emily Carroll, and Edgar Allan Poe.

“With Creepfest, my hope is to encourage hesitant readers to try shorter pieces of fiction that could entice them to move onto reading longer works,” Hertz said. “Moreover, the importance of authentic audiences in motivating young writers is very real. More students were interested in submitting stories once they learned their writing would be published in MackinVIA – that was a bigger motivator than the small prize I offered. This event highlighted the exceptional writing talent at Guam High School, and I hope it encouraged engagement with literature and the library’s collection. Plus, bottom line, we had a creepy good time.”