A magical trip to Yellowstone, perfectly preserved in the writer’s memory Sunlight pierced the split in the canvas tent, awakening the rustic room. The pellet stove glowed lightly and sounded like afternoon rain on a tin roof. Warmth filled the room. I rolled over lazily and looked at the crowded tent. My brother and I […]
Personal Narratives
Story
Asher writes about his difficulty finding a supportive, safe school environment Second grade did not go well, but my story begins in first grade. In first grade, my teacher was strict and made me think I could not read. I did not like reading to myself. I still don’t like reading out loud. My friends […]
The Pages I Feared
After moving back to New York from Chile, where she spoke Spanish in school, the narrator struggles to adjust I started to pant as if I had run a mile, but I had only walked into a classroom. My breath came in quick, short gasps, and my mind was in a panicked rage, trying to […]
The Miscarriage
The cold breeze hit my face when I walked through the school gates. My hair was flying in the air. The tips of my fingers were becoming numb from the cold. Red, orange, and yellow leaves falling everywhere. I could hear people talking and kids laughing. When I turned around, I saw my mom in […]
Actual Dads
“Which one’s your actual dad?” I get asked that a lot. They are both my actual dads. They both raise me and love me. They both always care for me, are always there for me, and always push me to be the best person I can be. They have both been my actual dads ever […]
Legacy
Let me tell you a story about my family. * * * My great-grandfather was a great business man. My great-grandmother was a great person. He was short. As short as Napoleon, my mom says, even though she never knew him. * * […]
The House with The Ugly Fence
My house is wonderful. In its own way. When we moved in five years ago, it was pretty broken down. * * * I’m 12 now, so we moved in when I was seven. During that time, I was so angry. Why did we have to move? […]
Just Claire
My name is from the Latin and French languages. In French, it means “clear” in its feminine form. There are many versions of the name Claire. Clarissa. Clare without the i, Clara, Clair without the e. Even Clarence. They all sound the same. Someone could say “Clara!” and I would immediately respond, thinking that they […]
Art, Music, and My Piano
My life would not be the same without music. Without art. * * * Art is a place just for me. Just me. I could draw anything, and it would be beautiful. No one cares if I mess up or not, or if I did this wrong, […]
Flowering Sedges
There are plants all around my house. At the front door, behind the fence in the backyard, in front of the fence. I don’t know any of the names. I’ve always wanted to be that type of person who can distinguish between which plant is poisonous, which plant is useful and edible, which plant attracts […]
