September 2019

Artwork·Leo Hiranandani

Poetry·Genesis Lee, age 12 — A young person processes grief after a funeral, watching her sister's breakdown, feeling her heart chip away, and struggling to reconnect with life afterward.

Story·Salena Tang, age 13 — A girl with synesthesia who tastes words and memorizes dictionaries finds connection through a spelling bee competition, transforming from isolated to confident.

Artwork·Evelyn Yao

Story·Ava Bush, age 13 — A lonely woolly mammoth at a rigid academic school befriends a creative girl who teaches him about color-emotions, leading to their escape to a colorful utopia.

Artwork·Sage Millen

Poetry·Layla Linnard — She ran away On a walk I want her to come back Why did she leave Dog Lost Lost Dog Why did she leave I want her to come back...

Poetry·Layla Linnard, age 11 — A child reflects on life before a new baby arrived, using a mirror structure to express the loss of sleep, space, and being a family of three.

Story·Alina Samarasan, age 12 — During morning hair-braiding, Carlita reflects on her Cuban heritage, school discrimination, and her absent brother who's been arrested.

Artwork·Sage Millen