US Common Core ELA

Personal Narrative·Norah Lu — A student transforms an accidental crayon mark on her butterfly drawing into a flower, turning a mistake into creative opportunity.

Poetry·Julia Xu — A poem observing wildfire from a distance, exploring the paralysis of witnessing destruction while remaining safe on a green mountain.

Story·Lina Yoon — A girl ventures into a frozen forest, falls through river ice where her brother died, and barely survives the journey home through determination and remembered warnings.

Poetry·Oliver Halkett — A teen traces identity through three places — Ireland's moody skies and rocky beaches, England's hard books and rock music, and California's eternal summer — finding home in the scattered...

Personal Narrative·Evan Seungho Jee — A Korean student escapes winter's cold and the dread of cram school with a steaming cup of ramyun from a convenience store, finding momentary warmth and comfort.

Story·Mia Atkinson — A widow, paralyzed by grief for ten years, finds her unfinished embroidery of the night sky and completes it, stitching herself back to wholeness.

Personal Narrative·Carys Kim — A girl overcomes her fear to shave her head in solidarity with her grandmother who has cancer, discovering unexpected strength in the act.

Poetry·Emma Catherine Hoff — A woman sits alone in an automat, invisible to others, as her hair whispers conflicting advice and laughing people demand she smile.

Poetry·Emma Catherine Hoff — A woman falls through collapsing stairs, her body fragmenting into surreal objects—banjo, Picasso painting, brooms—while she prays not to be seen or painted.

Poetry·Ian Maduff — A car journey through an Indiana wind farm becomes a meditation on movement, shadows, and the hypnotic rhythm of spinning turbines.