finding one's voice
— A refugee girl from Tanzania navigates teasing about her weekly hairstyle at her Chicago school, finding resilience through friends' support and creative problem-solving.
— In future Orlando sewers, sentient creatures made from garbage attempt to form a government, leading to chaos, tyranny, and one night of freedom above ground.
— A writer with writer's block finds inspiration when their cat Rumi jumps on the table, transforming frustration into affectionate verse about the purring 'king of gold.'
— Swifty navigates hip-hop classes, failed auditions, a new baby brother, and friendship drama while discovering drums and cutting her hair for charity.
— A girl questions the restrictions placed on her body and freedom—bound feet, hidden face, denied education—ultimately rejecting beauty that consumes a life.
— A leaf contemplates the community rule that all leaves must eventually fall, resisting until witnessing a tree being cut down transforms fear into understanding.
— A girl's obsessive attachment to a blue cookie jar leads to its loss at the beach during quarantine, forcing her to confront her dependence on the object.
— Swifty Appledoe, jealous of perfect classmate Stella, decides to become just like her by taking violin and ballet lessons, with disastrous but ultimately triumphant results.
— A guarded girl in group therapy reluctantly befriends Sam, who steals her journal but later reveals her own painful family story.
— A pantoum explores the isolation of depression when others dismiss your pain, repeating lines that circle like the thoughts they describe.