Emerging Voices

Our goal is to provide all adolescents who want to craft prose and/or draw/photograph images to have an opportunity to express themselves. 

We are eternally grateful to each one of our artists, as they truly are emerging voices!

Below find a list of the contributors to Adolescent Voices, and biographical information about our writers of all backgrounds and experience: 

Vanessa Y. Niu

 is a first generation Chinese-American spoken-word and page poet who lives in New York City. She has been published in places such as Ink Sweat & Tears, the Amsterdam Review, and Paper Lanterns, and recently received the Interlochen Maddy Summer Artist Award and an honorable mention at the CCNY 51st Poetry Festival. She has also written text for the modern composition scene at music institutions such as Juilliard and Interlochen.

Christina Wang

Bursting with outlandish ideas, Christina is a creative at heart. She enjoys writing with a humorous voice, performing music with flair, and gaining skills with curiosity. She is a classical pianist with a passion for food and a craving to learn.

Avem Polon

Avem Polon is a sixteen year old from the coast of South Carolina. They're currently a junior at the Charleston School of the Arts, where they have been enrolled in the creative writing department for three years. She derives great passion from writing, and plans on making it an important part of the rest of her life.

Matthew Thompsen

Matthew recently graduated from the Mayo High School for Math, Science, and Technology in Mayo, SC. He began writing fiction three years ago and his main interest in writing is Science Fiction. He has been accepted by the Savannah School of Art and Design for their creative writing program and hopes to pursue a career as a writer. 

Dylan Fei 

Dylan is currently a senior in high school. He finds poetry to be particularly enjoyable in the comfort of his dining room. His poems have been recognized by Scholastic, Teen Ink, and Canon.

Claudia Wysocky

Claudia Wysocky, a Polish poet based in New York, is known for her ability to capture the beauty of life through rich descriptions in her writing. She firmly believes that art has the potential to inspire positive change. With over five years of experience in fiction writing, Claudia has had her poems published in local newspapers and magazines. For her, writing is an endless journey and a powerful source of motivation.

Ren Tang

Ren (they/them) is an emerging poet and wordsmith from Long Island, New York. In addition to writing, they enjoy reading, playing violin, listening to music, and playing badminton (lack of skill notwithstanding). They are, above all, a lover of beauty in all its forms.

Kelly Zhang 

Kelly is currently a senior in High School on Long Island. She is a photographer specializing in macro, abstract, science, and fine art photography. Kelly's creative endeavors have earned her recognition in the field of photography, and she was awarded the title of '2023 Young Women Science Photographer of the Year' by the Royal Photographic Society.

Jasmine-Sixian Li 

Jasmine-Sixian is currently an 11th grader from Long Island. She has been interested in literature since she was young. She is a Scholastic Gold Key and Silver Key winner. When she grows up, she has the dream of being a writer. 

Roman Caulk

Roman is a male poet who was born in Kazakhstan and now lives in Michigan. Throughout his adolescent life, he creates work through his short, but important experiences. He tries to create relatable work through various literary styles and techniques. 

Lan (Nancy) Xuan Qi

Nancy is an aspiring writer from Long Island who enjoys crafting poetry and prose. While she is Chinese by heritage, she hopes

one day to live in Japan to explore the country’s unique culture.  

Evan Hamaoka 

Evan is a senior in high school in Texas. His stories can get quite intense and dark, but he is an idealist and dog-lover at heart. He hopes you find something meaningful here.

Makayla Bigot 

Makayla was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She is now a hardworking and dedicated high school student on Long Island. She adores writing, especially poems, because it allows her to express her emotions and thoughts on another personal level. Makayla continues to learn the different aspects of writing so she can improve. She is constantly striving to be the best that she can and reach her full potential.

Hanna Chen

Hannah is a 17 year old girl who loves fruit bowls and hates the deep ocean. One of Hannah’s favorite way to spend time is to listen to music, diving into endless songs, artists, and genres, picking her new favorite. She has always been captivated by the idea of all art, finding it incredible how basically anything can become something. 

Liberty Reeves 

Liberty is a bisexual nineteen year old Communications student from Bournemouth University. When not voraciously reading at 3am, she is compulsively taking pictures of the moon. Liberty credits her love of poetry to Pablo Neruda, and obsessive tendencies to Donna Tartt.

Erika Fuse Lunenfeld 

Erika is a 15 year old poet who enjoys reading, bookstore hopping, and listening to music in her free time.

Eric Zhang 

Eric is a 16-year-old student in High School who is passionate about arts and sciences. From a young age, he has dabbled in poetry and creative writing as a way to express his thoughts and beliefs. While in high school, he wrote all kinds of works from poems to research papers. Eric's passion for writing and research has helped him create all kinds of pieces, from advocacy poems to critical essays and literature reviews.

Joy Yin

Born in Wuhan, China, Joy has lived in California for 5 years. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English but also (trying her best to) learn Mexican Spanish. Joy has never been a sports person. Instead, she's always loved reading and writing. As of now, she has works forthcoming in Skipping Stones Magazine, Scfaikuest, the new Drabbun Anthology by Hiraeth Books, and Cold Moon Journal. She's currently 13 years old and attending an international school in Mexico City. 

Gianna Goodman-Bhyat

Gianna Goodman-Bhyat is a sixteen-year-old high school student living in Los Angeles. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa, to an Indian and Jewish family, and immigrated to the United States at eleven years old. Her passion for reading and writing has been evident from a young age, and she now devotes much of her time to student activist efforts that aim to protect the freedom to read and combat book bans.

Luis Vega

Luis Vega was a very insecure kid growing up due to hes mixed words. He was bilingual, His mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico so her English wasn't the best. At school it was hard for him to communicate with people without mixing a little Spanish in without realizing. As he grew up he started to embrace his culture and language. He will never be ashamed again 

Dylan Fei

Dylan Fei is a senior at a Long Island High School. He is most excited about chemistry and poetry writing, equally adoring both interests. He also loves playing soccer, which he has for around nine years.

Lena Killalea

Lena Killalea is a young writer from Sydney, Australia, and is currently in high school. Previously, she has been published in the literary magazine Words Come Isi, and has been a part of the W.J Kite Writing Competition anthologies for 2021 and 2022. Short stories are some of her favourite things to write, and if she isn’t doing that, you can likely find her practising ballet or scrolling through Pinterest with her cat. 

Ruby Seidner

Ruby Seidner is a high-school student who has been writing since she was a little girl. She has been published in The Global Youth Review, The Coterie Youth Mental Magazine, and AllTeenpolitics with forthcoming publications from Polyphony Lit's blog, and Chewing Dirt Magazine. She lives in California with her parents and two dogs. 

Tarik Souabny

I am a sophomore at Boston Latin School with a love for storytelling that builds on my Middle Eastern roots and low-income upbringing. Growing up amidst the vibrant tapestry of Boston, I discovered the power of words as a means of self-expression. Fueled by a multicultural background, I produce fiction about the lives of struggling, working-class Americans from different backgrounds. I focus on how the lives of even uneducated people are rich with emotion and thought, and that every life is sparkling and unique. I have dreams of becoming a storyteller and published author who bridges gaps and breaks stereotypes, and hope to cement my ideas into the rest of American literature. 

Grace Li

Grace is a 14-year-old high school student. She has been drawing and making art from a young age. In addition to art, she also enjoys playing violin and dancing.

Raquel Silberman

Raquel is a Junior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts who finds comfort in exploring and writing fiction of all kinds. Raquel was born and raised in San Francisco. Along with her cat, her home city is one of her favorite things to write about.

Selina Chen

Selina Chen is a senior at a Long Island High School who aspires to be a writer in the future. Selina is an NCTE Promising Young Writers Award winner for an original poem and a personal narrative and is now Editor-in-Chief and contributor of her school literary arts magazine.  She likes to write poetry and prose, evolving from other styles of writing in her past. In her free time, she enjoys taking naps, watching her favorite shows, listening to music across a thousand genres, and being with the people she loves most. Selina hopes to use writing as a way to find her purpose in a world filled with possibilities.

Daniel Letz

 currently attends Radford University, with a major in Secondary Education, and a concentration in English. He was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Valley. He spends most of his time reading, writing, and taking long walks on campus.

Eliongema Udofia

Eliongema Udofia is an undergrad student of the University of Uyo. He has works published in Blue Marble Review, Brittle Paper, African Writer Magazine, Eboquills, Last Stanza Poetry Journal and elsewhere.

Pruthviraj Chavda

Pruthviraj Chavda is a soon-to-be graduating senior from high school. He lives in Dallas, Texas, and enjoys various hobbies, including basketball, reading, music, and of course, writing! Writing for him is a way to envision and experience a world so different from the status quo, and he expresses his love of reading, as well as the lessons he has learned through his podcast, Readerzz. He is also an avid enjoyer of quotes and mottoes, his daily mantra is "do something today that your future self will appreciate.

Sai Sidharth

Sai Sidharth Kanyaboena is a 10th grade 15 year old student from The Humanist Academy in Coppell, Texas. He is an aspiring writer who is captivated by the experience of transforming inner emotions into an engaging writing piece. He enjoys making his writing come alive by using creative words, showing instead of telling, and connecting with the reader/listener. He wants to continue to evolve his writing skills and techniques and provide entertaining and appealing pieces of writing.

Bethany Violet Lines

Bethany lines is a fifteen-year-old writer from Australia; she has only had one of her poems published in the literary journal “nowhere girl collective”, but has been making art all her life. She writes about girls mostly, in hopes that they one day will find and resonate with her words and remember that they too are allowed their own.

Maeva Kuehl

Maeva Kuehl just graduated high school and is looking forward to college. She hopes you enjoy her story. 

Michael Kfoury

Michael Kfoury studied Political Science and Creative Writing at Suffolk University. An emerging writer, he has been previously published in the Venture Literary Arts Magazine and Stripes Literary Magazine. An old soul, Michael is a devout fan of classic rock, classic literature, and classic films.

Kayla Barjon

Kayla Barjon is a senior at Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, CT. She enjoys listening to podcasts and taking road trips. She has begun research on issues of racism and Black mental health and desires to carry that academic pursuit into her college career.

Ananya Prasad

Ananya Prasad is a high school student from India who adores media that pulls on her heartstrings. She has lived in multiple cities, and thus experienced different cultures and met many people. These experiences, and the wonderful world of Taylor Swift's lyrics and Studio Ghibli movies (and many other) form the core principle of her works- looking at life from every perspective.

Sarah Alfraji

Sarah is a 16-year-old Iraqi/Palestinian aspiring writer from the Netherlands. She indulges herself in the wonders and horrors of life, girlhood, and the idea of simply being. If only for an audience of one, she hopes for her words to leave a mark, a sign of existence that goes further than just her bedroom walls.

Alexandra Yarosh

Alexandra Yarosh is a seventeen-year-old high school student from New York, who writes poetry for fun. Her biggest inspirations are Charles Bukowski and Sylvia Plath. Her grandfather is her biggest fan!

Sara Kaufman

Sara Kaufman grew up surrounded by creativity. As a young kid living in Argentina, she loved crafts and music. As she grew and discovered her passion for science, that creativity remained a cornerstone of her identity, which she now expresses through poetry. Sara is currently an engineering student at Johns Hopkins University, where she explores the intersections of science and art.

Daisy Kim

Daisy Kim is a young writer living in Dublin, Ohio. She finds passion in conveying bitter criticism in modern society through transgressive works, and enjoys writing memoirs. Previous work has been published/will be published soon in Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and Close to the Bone. 

Addison Barney

Addison Barney is a seventeen year old writer from South Carolina. She loves traveling and experiencing new things. She hopes to continue writing through college and keep pursuing and improving her works.

Juno Masoud

Juno Masoudi is a junior in high school. For as long as she can remember, she has loved writing, especially poetry. She has casually picked up and put down writing but recently has become more serious about her poetry. 

Annie Qiu

Annie Qiu is a junior in high school who is interested in creative ways to share health education with her community through technology (app development) and literature. She also does research into this topic and in her free time, she can be playing badminton and volunteering.

Ivy Mariscal

Ivy is a seventeen year old from Iowa.  This poem is about letting go of things that were once bad. Growing up with strict parents, I never had personal space; I wasn't allowed to keep any secrets or be a teenager going out, having boyfriends, and having experiences. Listening to your parents and carrying out responsibilities is what I did.Worrying about what happens if I come one minute late, Worrying about what'll happen if I break a rule.  The end of the poem resembles my little sister. Life will bloom." But can also be portrayed for new events in life, new opportunities. 

J. Pencharov

J. Pencharov is usually dead. When she springs back to life, she’s a 17-year-old high schooler haunting the East Bay and mumbling incoherently. California dreads her presence.

Hindoli Roy

Hindoli Roy is a student of of QMS Salt lake. She is passionate about human rights and world peace. She aims to bring about a positive change in the world through her writings. 

Helena Zhang

Helena Zhang is a junior from Long Island, New York with a passion for the visual arts. Over the past three years, she has submitted artwork to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and earned the gold key twice for her self-portrait paintings. In her free time, Helena enjoys playing golf and immersing herself in a good book.

Chloe Min

Chloe Min is a sophomore at the Oak Hill School in Gainesville, FL. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing chess. 

T.M. Kaplan

Growing up in a world filled with hatred and absurdity is mentally draining and exhausting. Kaplan, from the perspective of a 17-year-old high school student, reflects both the societal mentality of their surroundings and neglectful lack of societal change throughout the decades through a fictional piece of prose writing. Hopefully, through the persistence of imagination, Kaplan will be able to offer the world some much needed helpful advice. 

Jacqueline Mastro

Jacqueline in a sophomore in high school with a taste for that arts in all its form. While not writing, she enjoys singing and dance. Using inspiration of historical events, people, and situations she speaks on the human condition. 

Yasmene El Yaagoubi 

Yasmene El Yaagoubi is a young author that thrives off of her writing. She loves the magic that words bring and the way words can be used. She loves her family, her friends and all the people in her life.

Toluwaleyi Meadows

 Toluwaleyi Meadows was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to America when he was young. He uses mediums like art and writing as ways to express himself, and where he comes from. In his work, themes of identity, self-expression and individuality are explored.

Nina Swinkels

Nina Swinkels is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in the Netherlands. She has been writing most of her life and recently, she has been focusing on writing poetry and short stories.

Stephanie Burke 

Stephanie Burke is 16 and currently in high school. She is from Canada and lives in Ontario, Canada. She often writes short stories and poetry in her free time, and enjoys learning about literature. She strives to live her life through poetry and to contribute to enhancing the world of writing, as it is one of her greatest passions.

Grace Sweeney

Grace Sweeney is a teen who writes stories that touch the heart and bless the soul. She has been writing for almost a decade and holds a fierce passion for storytelling, which has only grown over the years. Being homeschooled has given her a chance to immerse herself in reading books and studying the writing craft, all while gathering inspiration from her family’s global travels. She currently lives in Europe with her parents, three younger siblings, and the cat, Dara.

Abigail Dolan

Abigail Dolan is a sophomore currently enrolled at Annville-Cleona High School in central Pennsylvania. She enjoys spending her days writing poetry, playing her trombone, and fantasizing about traveling the world. She began writing during the COVID-19 pandemic and has found poetry to be her favorite outlet that captures her most passionate thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Wren Spardello 

I'm a resident of many worlds and wish to share them with you. I will bring upon the stories of the beings that have lived with me my whole life. The machinations of my imagination will finally be allowed to fully manifest independent existences. I will also reveal some of my own when the time comes. I gladly welcome all those who will join me on this journey to draw their own conclusions and apply their own experiences to my work.

Maddie Propst

Maddie Propst is a senior at Lancaster Catholic High School. I am an avid reader and enjoy writing poetry and short stories. I am currently writing my first novel.

Camille Richardson

Camille is an eighteen-year-old high school senior. She grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and attends a small Catholic High School. She will be studying Biomedical Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Kyla Siford

I am a young, autistic teen who expresses herself through the arts. I enjoy playing instruments, writing, drawing, and singing. I specialize in writing books with unique senses of humor. 

Jiyoo Choi

Jiyoo Choi is a high school sophomore attending Korea International School in Pangyo, South Korea. As an aspiring writer and digital artist, she explores motifs of grief, heritage, and intersectionality in her pieces. In her free time, she reads Virginia Woolf and bakes red velvet cookies.

Aldous Heaf

An adventurer and nature-lover, I am endlessly curious about the world—from the intricacies of the human mind to the vast mysteries of the universe. A poet, writer, creator and proud geek.  I believe in the power of creativity to overcome barriers, to connect with heart and to drive change.  

Dawson Marsh

Dawson Marsh is a young lad from South Carolina who wishes to publish a piece of his work. His favorite genres are Fantasy, Sci Fi, and any stories that have unique characters. He is deeply happy that he has sent his work to Adolescent voices, he has confidence they will accept his work.

Ayesha Rizwan

Hello! I'm Ayesha and i love love to read kid stories even though i am an adult now and just graduated from a dental school.I love to write stories too which i have been doing since 4 grade but only as a utter joy and it interwines now with my love for listening to people, Roald Dahl and channels my being as medium for others. 

Ling Qizhao

People worry about their bodies, and the society takes away our choices to be proud of our bodies that we were born with. This is nonfiction, and this is me. You will see it, when you read this memoir. It's a brutal and realistic story not only about me.

Yasemin Ocak

Yasemin Ocak is a high school student from New Jersey and has interests in psychology and neuroscience.  

Samira Mohamed

Samira Mohamed is a 7th grader from Bloomington, Minnesota. She loves writing short stories and poems, and often spends her time reading books or drawing. When she isn't writing, Samira loves hanging out with her friends and family.

Mac Lee

Mac Lee is a student in Virginia. He knows C++ and is interested in science and technology. 

Veda Poling

Veda Poling is a 15-year-old writer from Pennsylvania. Poetry is her passion—it's how she expresses her thoughts and feelings, in hopes to connect with those around her. She takes inspiration from the ordinary moments and emotions shared by herself and others. She is thrilled to share her work and connect with those who love and appreciate language and storytelling. 

Soul Sanchini

Soul is a college student from California with a particular interest in how we define our reality. Among other things, this has led them to writing. They are a junior majoring in Linguistics and Translations. 

Vedant Wankhade

JK Rowling is a writer of Harry Potter.  She writes in a very mysterious way . Everyone likes to read her books . She is an idol for me . Her life was full of struggles but still she had achieved her goal. 

Karalyn Lee

Karalyn Lee was born and raised in New Jersey. Growing up, she loved all genres of reading; from the magical, fantasy-filled world of “The Land of Stories”, to Edgar Allen Poe’s most horrific heart-stirring tales. She currently attends a catholic private school and partakes in tennis, writing, drawing, and has all sorts of creative interests.

Alexandra Souto 

Alexandra Souto is a 17 year old girl who lives in Florida but is originally from New York. She loves everything New York including the Mets, the Rangers, and a good New York bagel. She has loved poetry since she was little kid when her mom used to read her Shel Silverstein. She loves to write poetry about her life and to process her emotions and hopes that the readers can relate. 

Aygozel Gandymova

Aygozel is an adolescent with a passion for poetry since a young age, and is always open to trying new things. She finds poetry as a form of therapy and loves sharing her work with the people around her. While writing this poem, she always thought back to the song "Love Wins All" by IU, to help feel the words, instead of merely writing them down, after all that isn't that what poetry is about? 

Alayna Sconiers

Alayna Sconiers is an aspiring poet and fiction novelist who is in her junior year of high school. She has competed in the schoolwide, regional, and state competition in Poetry Out Loud. In addition to that, her poem "No Control" was featured in her school's first published magazine in 2023. 

Delaney Osborne

Delaney Osborne is a 19-year-old student at Florida Gulf Coast University, majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. Passionate about the written word, Delaney is pursuing a career as a writer and editor, honing her craft through her academic studies and creative projects. Her love for all forms of artistic expression extends beyond writing with a deep appreciation for visual art, music, and other creative outlets. Known for her creativity and enthusiasm, Delaney thrives in environments that nurture imaginative exploration.

Jennifer Choi

Jennifer Choi is a passionate high school student whose love for poetry began at an early age. She finds inspiration in exploring themes of identity, love, and the complexities of the human experience through her writing.

Tori Peters

Tori lives in New Brunswick, Canada and writes to help herself understand her life. She enjoys writing short stories and poetry and is currently working on a novel. Her biggest inspiration is Alice Hoffman.

Amirah Al Wassif

 Amirah Al Wassif is an award-winning poet, writer, and translator from Egypt. Her work spans multiple genres, including poetry, children's literature, and essays. She is the author of several books, including For Those Who Don’t Know Chocolate (2019), The Cocoa Boy and Other Stories (2020), and How to Bury a Curious Girl (2022). Amirah's poems have appeared in numerous publications worldwide, and her upcoming book, The Rules of Blind Obedience, is set for release in December 2024. Her writing explores themes of culture, identity, and the human experience, resonating with readers across different languages and backgrounds.

Alyssa Huang

Alyssa Huang is a senior at Syosset High School and loves working in traditional and digital mediums. Her favorite medium is oil, however she also works in acrylic, watercolor and pencils. Her biggest sources of inspiration are baroque paintings and sculptures.

Arsema Feleke

I am born in London and my  parents are from East Africa. My favourite quote is "A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none." It reinforces the idea that we can trully pursue any career we want as long as we have the passion, determination and grit to do so. 

Maya Stewart

Maya Stewart  is a 17 year old who goes to a performing arts high school in Florida. She has been writing ever since she was five years old. She loves playing with her two dogs, Sky and Zoe!

Ariana Bonilla

Ariana Bonilla, a junior in the state of Florida enjoys writing about nature and the lessons to be learned within. She has a love for literature and the fine details within it. 

Chloe Min

Chloe Min is a sophomore in Gainesville, FL. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing chess. 

Faith Hubbard

Faith Hubbard is a graduating student, she has a deep passion for poetry and writing in general. Her favorite style of poetry is free style.  She has been passionately writing for most of her life.  She enjoys writing poems about her past and things she thinks could be relatable for other teenagers. 

Jana Eid

Jana Eid  is an upcoming freshman at Hendrix College, who has nurtured a passion for fictional and non-fictional writing. She recently completed her 114-page senior thesis titled "A People Without a Land: How Israeli Impunity Uproots Palestinians." Jana hopes to inspire others through her writing to share their thoughts with the world and embrace the great amusement of life.  

Kyle Merchant

Kyle is a graduating senior of the class of 2024 at Pembroke Pines Charter High School. He is a writer and artist whose works have been recognized a handful of times. He plans to study at the University of Central Florida, where he aspires to share his art and writing.

 Isabella Cely-Garcia

Hi there! My name is Isabella Cely-Garcia, but everyone calls me Izzy. I love to write and hope to be a journalist one day!

Angelika Campos

Angelika is a tenth grader who is taking her second year of creative writing. She has such a strong passion for writing as she is a writer even outside of school. Angelika has a unique way with words that is written purely from her heart and soul.

Claire Lin

Claire Lin is a high school sophomore living in Princeton, New Jersey. She is interested in exploring the reflective nature of the writing process and is curious about different interpretations of one piece of writing. In her free time, she enjoys taking sunset pictures, creating sculptures, and petting fluffy dogs. 

Alexis Wills

Alexis Wills is a passionate high school student in Missouri with a deep love for poetry, drawing inspiration from nature, art, and her family. Known for her creative flair, Alexis enjoys hobbies such as reading, juggling, biking, and crochet in her free time. She shows a unique perspective and dedication to self-expression through her poetry. When not writing or crafting verses, Alexis can be found exploring the outdoors or spending quality time with her loved ones.

Katie Bachman

Katie is a 16 year old who has been writing poetry for the past two years. She is involved in her church and tries to share the love of Jesus. She participates in stage crew for her school where she helps build sets as well as work backstage.

Avi Kaul

Avi Kaul is a 16 year old junior at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He feels very passionate about the issue of homelessness, a problem predominant in the city. He hopes to one day work to help others, whether it be through charities or in civil positions. 

Sophie Thompson 

Sophie Thompson is a 17-year old from North Carolina. She is a new writer who focuses on poetry. She is currently a senior in highschool with plans to attend Virginia Tech snd spends most of her time watching random video essays on YouTube.

Arianna Infante

Arianna Infante, is an animal science major at OSU.   She is a 19 years old with a passion for writing. She enjoys  reading romance stories and watching horror movies. She  loves walking by the sunny beaches of her home and going on night walks!  

Joseph Lim 

Joseph Lim is a fourteen year old high schooler  who enjoys reading and writing. He finds inspiration for his short stories from his real life experiences or “What if . . .” scenarios that he imagines throughout the day. When not writing, Joseph likes to play tennis, swim, and draw his favorite fictional characters like Spiderman.

Cassandra Plasse

 Cassandra Plasse is a young writer who is aiming to evoke raw emotion and bring awareness with her writing. She has hope that with each generation that passes, there will always be more young and passionate writers. Wishing to continue the cycle of moving through life with words, Cassandra finds peace in writing, and encourages all to do the same. 

Isabella Graef

Isabella is a sophomore at Virginia Tech and is often interested in works relating to how we look at the macabre and the feminine. Her favorite poem is "A Dream Within A Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe. She will often be found writing in the forest with her dog, though that is being tested with the virginia heat. 

Caroline Sorel

Caroline is a sophomore in high school with a passion for musical theater. She enjoys singing everyday and dreams for her voice to be heard. She started to love poetry to express her feelings and plans to continue to write creatively.

Jackson Porter

Jackson Porter is a student studying English, Spanish and Business at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He enjoys writing flash fiction pieces and in his free time you can find him runnings, watching the Kansas City Royals or egging on his younger brother. 

Kavi Kaller

My name is Kavi Kaller, and I am an incoming senior in high school. I am very passionate about mental health, and I have realized that there is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. I aim to raise awareness about this epidemic and put a stop to the stigma surrounding mental health through my article.

Lubna Sabbagh

Lubna Sabbagh is a sophemore at King’s Academy, at Amman Jordan. She is 15 years old, and is a native Arabic speaker; having English as a second language, German as a third, and French as a fourth. She loves creative writing, and dreams to study in that field. She would love to publish some work in the future, whether novels, poetry, short stories, etc. She is currently working on her writers portfolio, getting some work out into the world, and gaining experience. This is her first competition she will be submitting to.  

Matylda M. Biskupska

You can often find Matylda M. Biskupska, a philosophy major based in Connecticut, awake in the wee hours nursing an existential crisis and consuming far too much stand-up comedy. She works doing free-lance music (particularly of the choral variety,) and enjoys cat cuddles, naps, pensive drives, obscure _Saturday Night Live_ references, and advancing a radical feminist agenda. No ex-boyfriends were harmed in the writing of this poem. At the time of this publication, more of her work can be found by wishing upon a shooting star and aiming a bat signal into the sky. She solemnly requests that her readers not take her literal metaphors seriously and that they seek unambiguous Truth through the skewed lens of irony and wit.

Meheru Milind Alaspure

Meheru is a sophomore studying at Ryan International, Pune. She loves tangerine sunsets, turkish lattes, blair waldorf, organic chemistry and sylvia plath. Poetry is her surrealistic escape. Also she is a big adrenaline junkie, so if you have free sky-diving passes she'll come running. Her work has been published in Alcott youth magazine, Studio Moone and elsewhere.

Cindion Huang

 Cindion Huang is a young writer from Shanghai, China currently a Senior at Westminster School in Connecticut, United States. Growing up in Shanghai, Cindion’s love for poetry was kindled by her study of Ancient Chinese poems and later fueled by her love for English literature. She has been the Creative Writing Editor of her school’s newspaper The Westminster News since Sophomore Year and Co-Head of her high school’s Creative Writing club “Anonymous Voices”. Her poetry has earned numerous recognitions including the Gold and Silver Keys of the prestigious Scholastic Writing Competition, Finalist at the Hillstead Museum Fresh Voices Poetry Competition, and the Brian Ford Writing Prize for excellence in Creative Writing. Her work has been published by the online journal of the Mark Twain House Museum, Journal 75, as well as publications from her highschool, The Westminster News and The Artlet, among others. Cindion’s poetry is full of vivid descriptions and imagery of nature that explore her cultural heritage and experience studying as a young international student in the US. 

Tina Maniee

Tina Maniee is a senior student at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California and a certified lifeguard and swim instructor for the American Red Cross. Tina immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 11. She is interested in pursuing her education in the medical field and is currently a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and the winner of Las Lomas Undergraduate Awards in 2024. Tina also plays competitive tennis and in her free time, she paints, makes pottery, reads, and works out. 

Sadee Marvin

The biological child of an adopted parent, Sadee Marvin describes the generational transfer of her mother’s baggage of their unknown ethnicity and connection to Native American culture. When asked to define her ethnicity on college applications, her best answer is consistently, "I'm not sure". She connects these feelings to those of her mother, and analyzes how her mother attempts to find solace with the very same question. 

Cora Wieneke 

Cora Wieneke is  a current sophomore at Middleton High School, Wisconsin, and enjoys all things creative, but especially writing. As a member of her community she loves playing flute, participating in theater productions, working to support sustainability through Green Team and sharing the stories she writes with the world. Cora is inspired by her friends, family, and the plethora of talented writers and artists who gave her the passion to work towards creating. She hopes that her pieces can resonate with readers of all types and convey meaning and emotion through literature.

Camille Chen

Camille Chen, 15, is a passionate artist motivated by vibrant colors and creative expression. Born and raised in New York City, she developed a love for art and began pursuing it seriously in 2024 while living in Syosset. Camille continues to explore new techniques and compositions in her work, drawing from her dynamic surroundings and imagination.

Diego Calle

Diego Calle is a Toronto-based poet and an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto majoring in English and cinema studies. He currently works as librarian assistant and spends most of his time reading or writing. He likes his poetry to be light and eclectic. 

Joey Przedwojewski 

Joey Przedwojewski is a new writer who carries the torch of those who have come before him. Inspired by the classics of every culture, he blends literature and life with a refreshing naivety and strength to promote the wonder of the world and the resilience to forge the future. He believes there is no room for negativity when looking forward, only consideration, action, and harmony. 

Brynn Mattsen

Brynn is a young writer and reader originally from upstate New York. They recently graduated from Goucher College with a B.A. in Professional and Creative Writing. They were first published in the 7th Grade Poetry Foundation's 2014 collection Poetry on Our Terms, and they have been riding that high ever since.

Amelia Jones

As an author who began her writing journey between the hills of Pennsylvania, Amelia Jones has channeled her voice as a Chinese-American and Dominican-American woman to tell the stories of her people. She crafts works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction to share her perspective on various topics and grant visibility to underrepresented populations. She has earned distinction in the writing realm with awards such as two Gold Keys in Scholastic’s Art and Writing Competition.

Jacob Cole

Jacob is a new writer who has yet to publish a piece of work. He has won awards for Scholastic and his school. He plays soccer and hopes to become a writer one day!

Praneshwar Eswaran 

Praneshwar Eswaran is an emerging poet and a Medicine freshman at the University of Manchester. His publication history consists of 'The Tomorrow Man' published in Teen Ink and a few other self-published articles. He uses poetry as a tool to provide the world with nuggets to understand his beliefs and himself.

Rachel Cannon

Rachel Cannon is a recent graduate from Longwood University, where she majored in both English and Modern Languages with a concentration in Spanish. She first began writing short stories in Spanish for a independent research project, and has since translated them to English for publishing purposes. The professor who guided her research and writing process gave her no rules in what she could write about, so long as it came from deep inside her. Rachel hopes to continue in her creative writing and language learning journeys, planning to take every opportunity to merge the two.

Laya Krishnan

Laya Krisnan  is a junior at Evergreen Valley High School in California. Largely due to her undiagnosed phone addiction, she's incredibly passionate about issues relating to AI-centric education and AI ethics in our society. Laya has experience writing academic papers for research labs and college writing courses, and looks forward to the day her voice will be used to spread awareness about the issues of the future. 

Isabella Lagarto

Isabella Lagarto is an 18-year-old emerging young poet who enjoys translating real-life experiences into her writing. Influenced by her Cuban-Honduran background, Isabella applies her complex views and emotions stemming from her childhood and relationships into many of her pieces. Besides writing and reading, Isabella spends her time in the gym, seeking new experiences, around the ocean, or with her loved ones. 

Lili Lang

Lili Lang is 16 years old and lives in California.  She is an avid reader, life long performer, and sugar addict. More often than not you’ll find her scribbling away or rehearsing for the next audition. Lili is a Writegirl mentee and has been published in several of their journals such as “Reflections” and “Kaleidoscope”. To read more of Lili Lang’s work check out her blog “The Purple Paragraph” at purpleparagraph.com 

Shivaun Galvin

Shivaun is a 10th-grader from Massachusetts. She loves to write in her free time. She enjoys traveling and shopping. 

Jackson Hinton

Jackson Hinton  ls a senior at Cedar High School. He enjoys Theater, Debate and Choir.  An introvert at heart, he can be found enjoying his many varied hobbies as well as writing about the impact of simple moments.

Ali ElAzzazi

Ali ElAzzazi, an emerging literary author born in Cairo, Egypt, in 2007, is a writer of short stories and novellas currently under review for publication. A student at El-Alsson International School, Azzazi’s work is deeply inspired by literary giants such as Sophocles, Pushkin, Victor Hugo, Robert Graves, Ihsan Quddous, and most notably, J.R.R. Tolkien. His writing reflects a profound admiration for Tolkien’s literary philosophies, which often inform the thematic undertones of his work. With narratives that descend into the complexities of power, the inevitability of death, and the possibility of human redemption, Azzazi’s stories delve into timeless moral questions, allowing readers to explore the depths of the human condition.

Daniela Cisco

Daniela is a passionate reader that likes to share her opinions, but she is often worried about judgment and criticism. Daniela likes to read a lot, specially engaging stories that makes her feel trapped within the pages. As well, she likes painting nature as a form to express her ideals to the world

Zaniah Pigott

Zaniah Pigott, originally born in Antigua, currently lives in Brighton, England. She enjoys painting and writing. Her works mostly come from lived experiences.

Purvika Chiimagalur Raghavendra

Purvika is a passionate poetry writer with a strong background in creative writing and literature. Known for her unique style of writing, She has written poems to newsletters in her school and has participated in many international poetry competitions . Beyond her professional pursuits, she is deeply interested in piano, reading books and solving puzzles  which inspires their creative and innovative approach to challenges. With a commitment to excellence, Purvika continues to make a meaningful impact in her field.

Alicia Nachtman

Alicia Nachtman  is an English/Creative Writing undergraduate at Loras College. She writes as an attempt to capture what it feels like to live (and often wonders if that is too lofty a goal for her to reach). She enjoys trees, cats, family (both blood and chosen), and getting lost in fictional worlds. 

Asia Inniss 

Asia Inniss is a current Barbadian student who favors writing for a hobby.

Shekina Oh

Shekina Oh  is a young writer who has loved writing for as long as she can remember. Currently, her works are featured in the New York Times, Write the World, Under the Madness Magazine, and others. When not writing, she likes to edit videos and text her friends. 

Madeline Savage

Madeline Savage  is a senior in high school who has recently found an outlet for her creativity through her writing. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family, two rapscallion cats, and one escape artist dog. She anticipates attending college in the fall of 2025.

Samara Little

Samara Little is a 15-year-old aspiring poet whose passion is writing about themes of guilt, identity, and social injustice through the eyes of a teen. Her work is inspired by the human nature and her own personal experiences, often trying to make sense of the world and voicing emotions left unspoken, especially those about misogyny. Her poetry aims to create a space for introspection, and perhaps most importantly, discomfort. This is her first piece submitted for publication.

Kofi Annan-Brown

As a person of color, I decided to explore race and express my findings in poetry. I attempt to write in the style of A. Van Jordan, a poet known for his use of unique forms of writing to blend past and present themes, racial issues, and ethnic history. Notably, this first piece compares poker and UNO and how they reflect the effects of long-term economic displacement or blessings in day-to-day life. In the second piece, I play with the style of writing a poem in a found form. The stylization of a definition entry can convey many different meanings relating to different time periods and emotions.

Sarah Martinez 

Sarah Martinez is finishing her junior year of high school. As a writer and artist, she enjoys creative expression and creating profound works that others can connect with. She hopes to find a career in the future where she can continue to pursue this goal.

Camille Chen

Camille Chen, 15, is a passionate artist motivated by vibrant colors and creative expression. Born and raised in New York City, she developed a love for art and began pursuing it seriously in 2024 while living in Syosset. Camille continues to explore new techniques and compositions in her work, drawing from her dynamic surroundings and imagination.

Rosily 

Rosily writes because she doesn't know what to do with all the thoughts that refuse to stay inside her little mind.

Denise Moemeke

Denise Moemeke is a Nigerian based teen writer and hopeful future bestselling author. Her work spans a variety of themes, often touching on African queer identity, generational trauma, and girlhood, but she rarely limits herself to just one topic. When she’s not writing, you can probably find her reading — which is her only other hobby, and she’s completely fine with that. Her work has appeared on Write the World, and she dreams of one day seeing her name on bookshelves.

Anya Wardhan

Anya is a young writer who originally found her passion for creative writing during COVID. Since then she has grown to write short stories and poems for her community including her school and others. Besides fiction, she also writes editorials and non-fiction articles as the Editor in Chief of her school newspaper and a Health Heralds Magazine Editor/ Writer officer. When she isn't writing, Anya is actively engaging in her community or singing at home.

Sophia Baryalai

Sophia Baryalai is a 16-year-old Afghan American writer whose work explores grief, silence, and girlhood across generations. Her writing is forthcoming in Beyond Words and The Lemonwood Quarterly. She is passionate about using storytelling to uplift underrepresented voices and foster empathy. Outside of writing, she enjoys volunteering and serving her community through leadership and advocacy.

Achebe Chidinma Jennifer

Achebe Chidinma Jennifer is an aspiring writer and future business owner and student that lives in Nigeria. she is known for her determination in achieving her goals.

Amna Shamshad

Amna Shamshad, a young writer from Pakistan, aiming to spread stories of resistance, hope and survival, of those individuals who seldom get an opportunity to be heard out loud. Hence, her short stories are powerful with a strong emotional and engaging tone to them, written carefully to not only educate, but also to enthrall the reader. Themes of loss, betrayal, courage and strength are evident in her writing, as she strongly believes that these are vital to understand the strange, difficult lives of unrepresented minorities.

Sylvia

This is a poem inspired by Sappho, written on a windy evening in April. Eliot said spring is the cruellest season, but it is also a time filled with hope. This poem tries to explain this struggle when everyone is embraced by warmer sunlight, where should we put some emotional weights in this season that seems too bright sometimes.

Isabella Marie Yarbrough

Isabella Marie Yarbrough is a young writer and lover of the classics. Her work has previously appeared in The De Sales Editorial. In her free time, when she’s not writing, she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and watching good film. She lives in the countryside of Manassas, Virginia with her family.

Reese Lesage

Reese Lesage is a 16 year old writer and poet from Dracut, Massachusetts. He has a previous publication from Inlandia which included two poems. He's had a love of writing for as long as he can remember, and this was only solidified in middle school. His English teacher took a short story he had written for a project and made other classes read it, praising it for it's creativity and unique narrative.