Hi, my name is Kai and I am a senior here at Hazelwood West. A few of my hobbies include choir activities, playing piano, and working as a part time dog trainer. I started writing when I was in middle school. I mostly work on short stories and little side projects such as songwriting. I have two pieces in this year’s Writer’s Week; “The Secrets of Dogs” and “See Me”. Seeing as the theme this year is vision, I believed these pieces to be my best works. I think they both shed light into things that make me who I am and what has shaped my personal outlook on life. My message that I want to get out there is that there is much more to different aspects of life than what meets the eye. I’m hoping that people will look a little deeper before basing an opinion of something or someone. My future goals are to go to college and get my masters in Sports Psychology and Sports Management. Thank you for supporting the literary arts!

Hi, I'm Makiah. I started writing last year in the first semester. I was a freshman with a lot of things to get off my chest and so writing was my best option. I love to write because it's so freeing and I just feel like weight has been lifted off of me. It sounds kind of funny I bet but that's how it is for me. As I said before writing is a huge part of me now and so is music. I love to sing almost every hour of the day. I would classify this poem as a slam poem. I had originally wrote this poem as a way for people to see the internal battle that us women would have or what we were seen as to men. This has changed a lot over the years. I had challenged my great friend Aleah Brown to see if she could come up with more details and make it her own and low and behold, she has done it well which has brought us to this point. I am so happy that we get the chance to share our creation with everyone. The overall message of this poem I would say is that women are not dogs. We aren't talking bad on men but just the struggle women have pushed through just to get to this point. We want people to understand that we as women have a lot of potential but it is not yet seen or heard by all. My future is mixed with many things. I would love to become a professional singer at some point of my life as it has always been my dream. I would also like to be a public speaker for equality. I want to go to a performing arts school and see how far it will take me in life. Everyone has potential to become whatever they want and no one should be judged on who or what they are. That is my code that I will always stand by.

General interests? I like drawing, writing, rock music, and marching band.

When did you start writing? I started writing in 8th grade.

What genre would you classify your piece as? Realistic fiction.

What message are you hoping to spread to the audience while performing your piece? If you wish for something to happen, then just do it.

Future plans/goals? I want to be an animator.

Meagan Murray is a 12th grade student fascinated with Cybersecurity, writing personal novels, and swimming. She began writing at the age of 9, and has been inspired to write stories ever since. Her current works revolve around a combination of comedy and introspection. When writing for a public showcase, she strives to create a connection between her work and people who are not typically the majority of the audience. Meagan is currently enlisted with the United States Navy.