They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what are words worth? With the introduction of a Creative Writing course in 2016, many students have seized the opportunity to try their hands at the art of writing. One junior—Billy Bonner—has since found a home in words. He crafts uniquely hilarious short stories, in addition to exercising his talents within a gamut of other genres.
Bonner is an active member of Howler Lit, Neshaminy’s literary magazine, where he expresses his passion for creative writing with others who share the same affinity for language.
Bonner describes his style as comedic and straightforward—which is visible in his short story, “Hillbilly Encounter,” which was set for publication in Howler Lit, but pulled from the magazine due to concerns from administration regarding the language in the piece. Bonner performed the piece at Late Nite with Howler in Oct. 2016, earning laughs and praise from the audience.
Being in his second year of Creative Writing, Bonner cites Mr. DiCicco as one of his greatest influences and inspirations. He credits DiCicco as having helped him mature as a writer over the past two years.
When asked when he first began writing creatively, Bonner replied, “I’ve always been fairly interested in writing since I was younger, but it never really took off until sophomore year. My piece was briefly published in Howler, and I had a realization that I do enjoy writing, and that writing is genuinely entertaining.”

While only in 11th grade, Bonner hopes to attend college to study Political Science and Creative Writing.