Mid Atlantic Archives | The Decameron Project

The
Decameron
Project

The
Decameron
Project

The
Decameron
Project

Region: Mid Atlantic

"I am missing parts of my body that I need, one leg keeps me going on the traveling..."

"Where does the road end, when does the road end - Knowledge what I desire that and only that - Why can't..."

Where Does The Road End

Hannah

Ahmad

Harrisonburg

Other Grade

"One day, Jim felt a sharp pain in his chest and was scared he was dying. He was too..."

"Jen and Jim are residents in small town Johnsville. They have known each other for as long as they can..."

Secret Admirers

Reid

Roach

Oxford

12th Grade

"The bittersweet melody of a lone violin, drifting through a cracked window..."

Goodnight

Juliet

Harris

New York City

Other Grade

"You can start by accepting yourself..."

Silence

Harini

Karthikeyan

Cranbury

Other Grade

"Train after train, window after grimy window, my eyes glaze over the sea of passengers"

Ba-bump, ba-bump. The train’s heartbeat thumps through the station, its arrival marking the noisy departure...

The Girl Inside the Window

Sophie

Cheng

Bronx

9th Grade

"That girl, sitting all alone, is me."

You see her over there, at the isolated table. Isolated because you’re in the middle of a pandemic, a deep...

The Girl Sitting Alone at the Table

Sarah

Silverman

New York

Other Grade

"Its tulle filtered the sunlight into a loud magenta ripple against the grey pathway"

She fancied herself a superhero: legs wide, elbows pointed, chin tucked as she admired her shadow. Today...

The Changing Courtyard

Elizabeth

Louie

Brooklyn, New York

11th Grade

"Binge, Purge, whatever it takes / Starve, work out until your figure shakes"

We are the pressure Pushing you down Into the water Hitting the ground Can I have a second to breathe? ...

Can I Have a Second to Breathe?

J

R

Nyack, New York

"Unavailing quarrels would commence between the people of my head"

Without my windows, I’d lack cognizance, Unaware of all external affairs. I’d hold abundant amounts of...

Without My Window

Maksim

Newton

Nyack, New York

I’ve always loved how alphonso mangoes turn golden with the suns rays, wrinkled and uneven

we’ve been playing this game for so long I don’t remember when it started. Khun-yahy’s brown eyes, the sam...

this little lifelong game

Kiran

Bhat

Winchester, Massachusetts

11th Grade

"Fresh off a war and ready to party. Ol’ Frankie."

Resigned to the saccharine recesses of my memory, I sigh. It has been 68 years, yet it all remains so tangible

Gazing Into Oblivion

Tyia

Boateng

Brooklyn, New York

11th Grade

"But it feels like her best years are behind her..."

Ready to Live

Layla

R

Nyack

Nyack Middle School

Other Grade

"The news is only a camera lens, zooming in on the negative in the world..."

Camera Lens

Jamilah

Araf

New York City

Other Grade

"It took a flash flood / Before I reached the drought..."

Tears from the Sky

Adrianne

Gonzales

Boston

Other Grade

"Some were in disbelief, some were angry at God..."

Ascendant

Kyle

Laydor

Brooklyn

New Visions Advanced Math and Science 3

11th Grade

"Let the lack of reality flow through your veins..."

Lack of Consciousness

Janna

M

Philadelphia

9th Grade

"I'm too White for the Blacks, too Black for the Whites..."

I’m Dominican But I’m Black

Odilenia

Reyes

Bronx

12th Grade

"millions of people are losing their jobs, families are at risk of falling into..."

Every morning I look out my tall, white, window. The window, surrounded by plants, is sometimes hard to see...

Outside My Window

Jeanette

Nawn

Upper Darby

Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School

9th Grade

"As I grab my cart, I look around, noticing all of the masked figures nervously walking th

"The door slides open and I walk inside. It’s been a while since I’ve been here..."

Speechless

Joseph

Mast

Carlisle

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"I scavenged her for nature and necessity. I began to see her in bonfires and rain and she

"I was wearing a hand painted jacket that day. The sleeve said “be a light” and little..."

She

Jenna

Flenner

Camp Hill

Cumberland Valley High School

12th Grade

"Thomasin Wilmot sat beside her window in Bernauer Manor, counting the rock-doves..."

"The foxglove pearl had already begun its work, leeching its poison into the wine..."

From the Ramblings of Thomasin Wilmot

Haley

Dittbrenner

Drexel Hill

Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School

12th Grade

"I suddenly heard a jerky grunt that made me trip backwards into the wall..."

"'You know what mom? This place doesn’t seem so bad.' Was the last thing I said to her before I looked..."

Bad Alleyways

Kefina

Wright

Folcroft

Bonner & Prendergast High School

10th Grade

"She clicks the light on and screams. A note reads 'BOO, did I scare you mommy?' Half..."

"'Jackson where are you?' Tori said as she wandered through the hallway. She opens the closet door and..."

Love and Family

Jorrin

E.

Upper Marlboro

11th Grade

The Thing in the Wall

If we whispered the name of a dead person, it winked like a friend. If we suppressed our fright and kept qu...

Horror Fiction: 2nd Place

Ife

Olatona

Washington D.C./ Olun, Nigeria

11th Grade

Clairvoyance

The ground is perpetually damp, the buildings creak, and the sun seems more like a hole forced into the sky...

Horror Fiction: 1st Place

Tanisha

Shende

Lodi

Bergen County Academies

11th Grade

"Teach us out of the quiet, & into the honey-life which knows how to heal out of dark."

The world goes red during lady business. I’ve stained my cloth with the dripping wine of overturned skin...

A Visit From Aunt Flo

Caitlin

Levy

New York

11th Grade

"I sat there, stunned, hoping, wishing, praying that this was just a dream."

Mature Content

A dark road. An empty street. A lone man. I could not ask for more perfect conditions...

The Empty Eyes

Robert

Wang

New York, New York

12th Grade

My whole life was a fight intended for an audience that would never understand it anyhow.

Believing in your own superiority does not legitimize it. And so, do yourself a favor and acknowledge your...

A Revolution of Two

Gabrielle

Galchen

New York, New York

11th Grade

"happiness could easily be like a soap, beautiful and cleansing, yet slipping away..."

Mature Content

It was in those days of such similarity that they could all be Mondays, or Wednesdays--or whatever pointless..

Within Limits

Gabrielle

Galchen

New York, New York

11th Grade

"But Themis, let the dawn show your silhouette as black."

Langston Hughes once said, That Justice is a blind goddess Is a thing to which we black are wise...

Impartial or Blind?

Rhea

Ahluwalia

New York City

11th Grade

“I am sick and tired of being sick tired”

I find myself unraveling the ugly truths about America quite often in my 17 years of life.

The Future That We’re Fighting For.

Zachary

Mattis

Bridgeport, Connecticut

12th Grade

"She was not a criminal, her body was criminalized."

Mature Content

Interviewer - “If anyone in the audience hadn’t heard it already, these were the exact words of Ms. Lynon:”

#JusticeIsNotServed

Jayola

Reid

Bronx, New York

11th Grade

"The officers look at each other, as if they are confirming what they're about to do."

Silence. Terrible, unceasing silence. That is what's left after watching George Floyd plead for his life...

To Dream of Justice

Leah

Stewart

Sufflok, Virginia

9th Grade

"I have come to the realization that no one is coming to rescue me."

Inhale. Exhale. Air swifts through my lungs while I place my head on the trunk of a tree...

Deadly Militia

Emmanuella

Agyemang

Bronx, New York

10th Grade

She turned toward him. “Besides, what is life without dreams?”

He was not the type to enjoy bars, or alcohol for that matter, but he felt obligated and a bit pressured...

Song of Solomon: A Prequel to Chapter One

Willem

Groot

New York, New York

Collegiate School

10th Grade

"She’d trusted him well enough to let him into her world, teach him her ways..."

The world was surprisingly in better shape than Rickell Kendricks. 20,000 years into the future...

The Astronomer’s Tragedy Trip

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"Because in both our Americas, the color of your skin is the power you hold."

When I look at you I see black. I recognize we are not the same because I cannot ignore your color...

Dear Black America

Tessa

Demann

New York, New York

10th Grade

"My throat burns with unexplainably despondent longing for removal from an otherness..."

My mother says menopause is full of pain. Hot flashes, anger, despair, insomnia, a surge of untameable emotion

16 Siroccos

Mary Lawrence

Ware

Brooklyn, New York

10th Grade

"The result of that move was not the replacement of a home but the addition of another."

The sound of a baby crying jolted me awake. Slowly the sounds of the other people came into focus...

A Tale of Three Cities

Samson

M

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"They were in no mood to be bothered, especially by any form of authority."

Mature Content

They shrugged. Sonny and Vito, both students in their fourth and last years of high school, stared at...

The Upshots of Indifference

Luke

Trahan

New York, New York

Collegiate School

10th Grade

"I jumped when I realized what was happening. He was here. He was finally here."

I woke up with a huge smile on my face. It was finally the day. I sprinted downstairs to see...

Remi

Anthony

Piccinno

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"It reminded me how important it is to be grateful for the things we have..."

As the end of the school year nears, I never thought I’d want to extend it any longer...

Unexpected Goodbye

Alison

Quade

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I think everyday about how that day could have ruined my life because Beau..."

Easter 2015 was the worst Easter of my life...

Beau the Survivor

Mackenzie

Dowling

Boonton, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Whenever I refused to do something, Bella would bring up my past self..."

The sun cast a gleaming reflection on the water under the bridge as we passed over it and into the city...

The Bridge

Daniel

Raser

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Ever since that day I have been training to become a head chef..."

It’s the 16th century in Nagano, feudal Japan. My name is Akamatsu and I am 12 years old...

Mother’s Stew

Ryan

Ferrante

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I now realize how crucial it is to cherish every moment with the people you love."

While driving home from the hospital with my Father's hand in mine, I realized I was never going to be...

There is a Bright Side to Everything

Lea

Ratchford

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Getting snacks together, racing around, building forts, it’s the youths’ prime time."

“God, it’s hot.” Casper dropped down on the pavement beside his friend Alix...

Something About a Meteor

Korene

Tu

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"Although I never liked making a big deal out of my birthday, I couldn’t help but feel..."

It was around 8:00 on Friday night. My parents pulled a round chocolate cake out of the fridge...

I Looked Like An Idiot in That Hat

Anonymous

Johnson

12th Grade

"It was now or never. I opened the email and read the header of the message."

December 15. That was the day where all my work and all my time would be worth it...

College Stress

Ryan

Shanker

Mountain Lakes, New Jersey

Mountain Lakes High School

12th Grade

"I used to take walks out in New jersey. My sister would always want to go exploring..."

This is my sister: no matter how far she went, she always came back for me.

She Always Comes Back

Julia

Kirsch

New York, New York

11th Grade

"She’s beautiful and amazing and she’s here, in the same room as M. Smiling at M..."

M has fallen in love with the girl and her math homework.

You Must Be a 45-Degree Angle…

Sylvi

Stein

New York, New York

Hunter College High School

11th Grade

"but we are / the same being different bodies / same blood different / beauty we are"

Her hairs black / fair skin subtle pink lips / eyes like mine

amoo – a story with collom lunes

Redeta

C

Brooklyn, New York

11th Grade

"I can’t help but wonder if I’m the angel you always speak of. The one with the broken..."

It was three days before I found out where they’d been...

Three Days Playing Angel

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

"The morning light snakes into the walls of the room, illuminating the truth..."

Only three minutes now, three minutes until the rest of the air in his body leaves him...

Night Terrors

Amanda

Castillo

Bronx, New York

12th Grade

There was absolutely nothing he could argue against these “circus animals”.

“What the — ?” James woke up in surprise to find himself in a cage with his hands and feet cuffed...

Animalia

Amy

M

Hummelstown, Pennsylvania

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"I am strong. / I am myself. / I AM She."

SHE sits in the classroom, always raising her hand, even if SHE’s not sure of her answer...

She

Aarushi

B

Princeton, New Jersey

9th Grade

"To hibernate in summer"

We shall get ready...

Haiku of a Virus

Susan

Wang

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

10th Grade

"But I was aware. I knew that our world was heating up."

Today, something changed. Every day, I woke to the deafening blare of “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande...

Loop-di-Loop

Debby

L

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"The world brightened with Calla’s radiant glow..."

Zeus, son of Cronus and Rhea, was the most powerful god in all of Olympia. Though he was mighty...

The Girl Who Could Light the Night

Alexandra

Su

New York, New York

"White privilege is built into the core of our nation"

Mature Content

I think it’s funny when one says white privilege isn't true / How could you think that when the evidence...

White Privilege

A.

JT

Fort Washington, Maryland

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"They say that memories are what make a man."

In a dark and dreary land, an old man stands below a mountain in a black world...

A Dream From the Ashes

Matt

Tenzin

Astoria, New York

"The crash opened her ears and eyes, and reminded her of the skiing accident..."

Florence swept her thick braid over her left shoulder and walked towards the edge of the bridge...

Soda for Julia

Emilie

Su

New York

The Brearley School

10th Grade

"Then God said 'Do what you want with these gifts I have given you.'"

First there was the It, an amalgamation of everything that ever will be, and everything that will never be...

An excerpt from translation of the 21st Century text, The Bible of Gygax.

Manu

Kadiyala

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

10th Grade

"so she didn't care anymore / about life / about family"

she / walks / clothes tattered / heart shattered / for nothing mattered / did it?

she walks

N

B

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"they remember / the languor and warmth of / dreaming in company"

[central park] / somnambulic stupors often / lead one to an oasis of sorts

Central Park

Emilie

Su

New York, New York

The Brearley School

10th Grade

"Yet there’s only so much that I can do to shield you from this..."

There is so much about this world that is difficult to understand...

Grow As We Go

Emilie

Su

New York, New York

The Brearley School

10th Grade

"...she worried she wouldn’t get the robin to a vet in time."

The cold, evening air brushed across Julie's face as her shadow lurked behind her...

George

Emilie

Su

New York, New York

The Brearley School

10th Grade

"To find her, my angel, and where my heart belongs"

Life is like a road that goes on and on...

The Road

Charlie

Manoogian

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

10th Grade

"But when she was younger her favorite hobby was going to the doctor."

She walked into the quiet waiting room with faded blue chairs looking ready to walk down a runway...

The Waiting Room

Anonymous

A

New York, New York

11th Grade

...instead of seeing two extremes, you begin to see the faint shadows of land.

POV: You’re a student from Episcopal High School wandering the labyrinthian halls of the National Portrait Gallery...

Point of View

Cindy

Wang

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

I can tell that people are watching me, but I don’t know why.

*loud phone alarm noise* Another day. It’s going to be a great one. Or is it?

Average Day, Eccentric Me

N.

B

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

Was---the word that haunts me. He was my best friend. He was alive. I was okay.

Mature Content

I’d known him for three years before he...

He

N.

B

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"I have a hidden talent and I am ashamed of it, but I love it."

I have a secret. I feel like I can’t share this really cool part of me.

A Secret

W.

Mosby

Alexandria, North Carolina

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

Fearful black eyes stare back at me, hopeless, as he breathes in his last breath

I scavenge a cupboard dry of food before setting off, three oatcakes left and no water. Cottonmouth. I bundle up for the November night, grab gun, knife and leave unseen.

The Hunt

Bear

Matheson

Charlottesville, Virginia

12th Grade

"I remember her staying up through the night. I remember her kissing me goodbye"

If only she had lived the life I live. If only she could have been as fortunate growing up as I am. If only she knew how much she has impacted my everyday life.

The Life She Could Not Live

Lucy

Peacock

New Bern, North Carolina

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"Kiss the air and dance in peace. Every season has its seeds"

Squirrels, sparrows, wind and bees Roam around the empty streets.

Neighborhood

Susan

Wang

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

10th Grade

"Nothing really matters out here. There is no need to seek anything. . . all you will find is peace."

Finally, it’s your favorite time of the year. This time is truly superior in every way. There is just a unique beauty at the start of Spring in the valley.

Peace

Thomas

Gibert

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"I knew how important this interview was. It could easily be the one thing to completely destroy what was left of my reputation."

The camera flashed as it took pictures of me from every angle, the incessant reporters trying to crack my already fragile demeanor.

Princess Protection Program

Maria

Claiborne

Richmond, Virginia

11th Grade

You sat quietly, waiting for the drop. Dread rose off you and drifted into the air. It wasn't purposeful, maybe it was; But it didn't matter anyway, you had her and that's what counted. She nestled her chin into your shoulder and let it sit there, unbothered...

Bread Boy

Madeline

Whitehead

New York, New York

10th Grade

"I never saw You fill up that ugly “Best Dad” mug. / It was always empty: just like Your chest"

The wind waltzed with every follicle of my hair. / And as I waited for the storm to pass / I thought of my first performance: Chopped, well, “choppy”

“Choppy”

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

"You're a slave to your own / system: / a mere machine, / but when I see them I can’t help but wonder: / Does it hurt? "

Your eyes, they haunt me...

Windows To The Soul: An Ode to Basquiat

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

12th Grade

"Forever: / as eternal as my morality or: / lack thereof"

I’m choked with the fear of leaving, / forever, / and beginning anew...

The Inevitability of Growing Up

Amber

Azmoudeh

Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal High School

12th Grade

In my story I will talk about how dangerous murder hornets are. Murder hornets' have reached the US. Native to Asia, the giant insects rip off the heads of honeybees by the thousands. Vespa mandarinia, or Asian giant hornets, as also known as "yak-killer hornets, murder hornets, and "hornets from hell...

Murder Hornets

Ulysse

Laguerre

Brooklyn, New York

Clara Barton Highschool

10th Grade

"At 6:50, on the now empty, grassy knoll across the street, an area that would otherwise be filled with kids playing football, he stands alone and begins his mournful procession..."

Wearing his long-sleeved button-down and his trusty suspenders, my 80-year-old neighbor, a lone, brave bagpiper, marches out to the courtyard at 6:45 PM on a sunny Saturday evening and begins his vigil...

Bagpipe in the Bronx

Samuel

Rossberg

Bronx, New York

10th Grade

"They are humans who took one look at the canvas, and despite its rips and tears, created a masterpiece

Imagine being a character in a book, the story is the world that you live in. You can pick and choose the character whom you desire to be. You experience the same love they express.

Anyone Can Relate To

Liz

Jung

Bayside, New York

10th Grade

"She has long blonde locks, and I have dark brown frizz. She has piercing blue eyes, and I have common brown ones. Still, people say we look alike..."

Mature Content

She makes fun of me for being a sleepy grandma, but I can’t understand how she lives off of just five hours of sleep a night. She chats with friends in bed, while I read stories about characters I dream of being friends with.

She and I (Inspired by Natalia Ginzburg’s He and I)

Colette

Rohatyn

New York, New York

11th Grade

"Young children marveled at the towering buildings, scraping the sky above their heads. Black asphalt beneath their feet picked at their open wounds. "

Every day was the same. Get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner with my wife, go to bed, repeat. It was the average life of a working man.

Nearer

Sofi

Igyan

College Park, Georgia

Episcopal High School

11th Grade

"Evian? Why Evian? Does the name brand show his growing superficiality?"

He stands hunched over, mouth gaping, cigarette in hand. He hides his pain behind large round glasses and the rockstar physique. He doesn’t smile.

Muse

Olivia

Shackelford

Arlington, Virginia

11th Grade

"About a hundred counts later, I still felt like I was a mile underwater, pressure building up in my head so intensely I thought it might burst."

Sprinkling cinnamon into my steaming cup of black coffee from the small shaker, I inhaled the rich, toasted scent of my favorite cafe, Rinaldi’s.

A Stroll in My Shoes

Britney

Parkinson

Ashburn, Virginia

11th Grade

"Peter did not, however, forget that Harry was a wild animal. At times he feared his flashing yellow teeth, the powerful jaw that crunched entire cantaloupes like they were seeds. "

The first time Peter saw the bear, he was tending his garden.

Peter and the Bear: Based on a true story

Deana

Stysis

Brooklyn, New York

12th Grade

"You would run and hide as he punched the door until it broke, littering the carpet with wooden shards..."

Mature Content

Your dress fluttered in the wind as it hung off the clothesline outside of your house, the afternoon sun glinting off the gold and silver threads finely woven into the fabric. The faded blue and white stripes complemented the loose strings that were barely able to hold the dress together...

The Empty Home

Maria

Claiborne

Richmond, Virginia

11th Grade

"How could something that was so normal, so routine, go so wrong; what were the chances?"

I was tumbling when the gym receptionist got a call from my dad. She walked out onto the floor and told my coach to have me come to the desk.

Losing Boomer

Elizabeth

S

New York, New York

11th Grade

"He remembered nothing from that night. All he knew was growing up without a mom had been horrible."

Our story begins, as many do, in the future, with a boy and his dog. This story is a tragic one.

Birthday Surprise

Kai

Cooper

New York, NY

9th Grade

"But when I stare into the unblinking eyes of a zebrafish, I only see a human. I can only think about how this tiny animal could represent someone in dire need of help."

At 9 AM on a summer Monday, I opened two stainless steel doors to a room shrouded in white, except for the spots of blue made by discarded shoe covers that littered the mounted shelves.

I Love Bio (pt. 2)

Lola

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"...the potential to help millions of people across the world also instilled a sense of purpose and responsibility in me."

Ever since I have been little, I have always been fascinated by biology and all of its counterparts.

I Love Bio

Ruby

Berger

New York, NY

12th Grade

"While I wait for my mom to open the door, I pace around the room, marveling at the clicking noise that my dirty paws make when I walk across the floor."

It is 10:00 AM. I just woke up from a late Saturday night and I let out a yawn as I began to get dressed.

The Transformation

Lucas

Koenig

New York, NY

12th Grade

"Intoxicated I was and am, I’ve been this way for 50 years, never given a damn."

Mature Content

I come bearing news of success, For if you want to hear the rest, sit down and buy me another beer, I’ll call the waitress over here!

The Old Timer’s Tale

Matt

Tubridy

Rockaway Beach, New York

11th Grade

"it becomes difficult for me to formulate the sentences that will allow them to comprehend what it means to be biracial and bicultural..."

Groggy-eyed and stuffy-nosed I set my alarm for 6:00 as I sank into the spongy mattress that I called my bed, the sweat of eight teenage sailing instructors permeating the humid air...

Identity

Sawyer

Cooper

New York, NY

Bronx Science

12th Grade

"'Emilia, it’s time to go to the bathroom' my teacher would announce in front of the entire class..."

I believe in not holding your pee. When I was in the first grade, I had a wild imagination. So wild that my biggest fear was going to the bathroom...

Don’t Hold Your Pee

Emilia

B

Washington D.C.

12th Grade

"I am courageous despite not leaving my house. And you are too."

"I'm not sure that I am courageous. I am certainly afraid. I'm terrified."

Fighting the Fight? Please.

Nina

D

Easton, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"I hate to traumatize her, but I have to stay alive for her..."

“Mom are you okay,” she asked in a voice so loving and gentle. I could hear the concern, the fear, the worry...

Courage

Aaliyah

Thomas

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

12th Grade

"I dont know why God decided to bless me and curse me with the presence / of a possessed angel..."

listening to steve lacy i get the same feeling i had when i last saw your face / Mine lit up as bright as egyptian cities in the summer...

The Evening

Nova

Cane

New York, New York

12th Grade

"Ali instructed her to sit in his lap..."

Mature Content

As Raina was listening to music she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the past that haunts her in her dream...

Just Needed a Little Bravery

Samiha

C

Brooklyn, New York

John Adams High School

12th Grade

"This girl doesn’t have abs, but she’s wearing a bikini. Her legs aren’t shaved."

5’2. Ha! Too short. Eyes too spread apart. Big Nose brigde. Lets see… hmm...of course! Her teeth! Too crooked.

The Bathing Suit

Sophie

Hsu

Rego Park, New York

10th Grade

"I'm the oldest, I should drive. Technically Theresa ’s had more practice but she also lacks my extra three years of crucial brain development..."

Mature Content

I bought twice as much butter as the recipe called for. Two times as much. I'm not good at math but I know that double is more than enough...

Butter

Tessa

DeMann

New York City

10th Grade

"The beauty of Viterbo is that the new does not obliterate or mask the old..."

Dusk in Viterbo, Italy is like nowhere else. The air is silky while the sky is an electric orange and the sun lingers after a busy day...

City of Popes at 7:00PM

Carolina

O'Leary

Bethesda, Maryland

11th Grade

The Hike of Glory

There was a tranquil breeze and the leaves of the majestic trees were dancing as if the breeze was some sort of a song.

The Hike of Glory

Ottilie

Coffey

New York City

"He had seen her stealing loaves of bread and wanted to make a deal with Charlotte..."

Once upon a time there lived a young adult named Charlotte. Right before her loving mom died, Charlotte was given the family heirloom, a prized sewing machine...

Once Upon A Pre-Covd-19 Time

Sarah

Schweitzer

New York City

10th Grade

"Like the millions of viewers who watch these tantalizing teenage TV dramas, we both seek to understand the bizarre, liminal microcosm we spend 4 years in..."

Since I was 5 or maybe 6 and realized not everyone liked me, a steely ride began to poke out of my back. Its dull weight prodded me to focus on each mean word said to me, to gather them and hold them close...

High School Here

Sarah

Schweitzer

New York City

10th Grade

"The card game finished. The girls put on their bathing suits. Bianca was happy to leave the stuffy cabin..."

A gaggle of girls entered the cabin. Two flustered counselors soon followed behind them. The counselors instructed the girls to sit on their beds...

Chickadee Cabin

Sarah

Schweitzer

New York City

10th Grade

"She looked at me straight on and said that she had only lashed out at my body because of how insecure she was about her own..."

The day it happened was colder than usual, which was especially odd given the stifling humidity of a Maine summer. It began as camp days usually did...

My Friend Samantha

Sarah

Schweitzer

New York City

10th Grade

"Carrie silenced her phone and started falling asleep as the car was swerving..."

Mature Content

She wore her tightest dress and pulled her hair back, half up half down. It was curled to perfection. She wore the most beautiful pair of diamond earrings her mother owned...

A Night to Remember

Ashlee

Raghu

Queens, New York

10th Grade

Patience

Love is virulent, it's like a ticking time bomb ready to explode any second, I didn't have any protection, I couldn't help but be the victim. I got so close, fire consumed my system, but their impatience was my moral standard of aptitude and self restraint.

Patience

Kamlawattie

Singh

New York, New York

10th Grade

"Love is virulent, it's like a ticking time bomb ready to explode..."

...any second, I didn't have any protection, I couldn't help but be the victim.

Patience

Kamlawattie

Singh

Queens, New York

10th Grade

"I felt like an explorer embarking on a brave journey to some strange and foreign land. A land in which the subway is aboveground..."

As a little kid, I remember watching a 1953 classic, The Little Fugitive, and being so uncontrollably jealous of the main character, a kid who gets to live in Coney Island for a day.

How Do You Get to Coney Island?

Owen

Jones

New York City

12th Grade

"I recognized the shape of the brown wooden sculpture from the necklace my mother always wore; however, her necklace had shimmering white diamonds and not a gory dead man."

My parents gave me a silver cross as a graduation present from preschool. My cross was about two inches long and one inch wide. It had small round shimmering white diamonds that rested on a silver backing and hung from a thin dainty silver chain.

The Brown Wooden Sculpture

Martha

G

New York City

9th Grade

"'We never had enough food. No one in Taiwan did. Taiwan was plagued by starvation during the war'"

The chaotic cafeteria drowned me. Voices ripped at my ear--laughing, shouting, and whispering. The fluorescent lights hissed at me. Everyone at my lunch table sat around me with smiles plastered on their faces. How could they manage to stay so upbeat? How could I manage to live knowing this?

Egg

Ava

Yan

New York, New York

9th Grade

"rosemary and sage, / we throw upon the land, / their spirit lies beneath / here..."

knotted hair, scalps / cracked open like / fresh walnuts, hidden / under a woven sun...

Calabria

Imogen

Bylinsky

Brooklyn, New York

10th Grade

"Now she is pressing her palm into her malnourished cheek and letting a tear roll down the side of her hand. Tears don’t belong in the studio, but here they are, dancing freely down onto the silhouette."

She is seventeen now and her hair is strikingly blue. She wears two orange clips behind her ears that clash with her piercing locks and pale skin. Her gentle blue eyes are tired and moist. She is sitting on a cold metal stool, gazing at her painting...

Painting Answers

Jackie

C

New York City

11th Grade

"'Did you ever meet Putin?' 'Do Russians like trump?' 'Do you know if the Russians helped Trump?'"

Its torso is shaped like a colossal peanut. Its head is round with a glimmering face painted upon it with thick guache, covered in colorless yacht lacquer. The Matryoshka doll, Semenovskaya nesting doll, [Матрёшка] bears the scent of damp old wood.

The Matryoshka Doll

E

S

New York, New York

9th Grade

"Down the block, I would hear hip hop blasting from a car radio. A group of girls and guys would move to the music, hang on one another and smoke..."

When I think back to growing up in New York City, childhood images float into view and place themselves next to the ones all around me now. I remember running downstairs to the blue and white Good Humor truck on the corner of Central Park West and 92nd Street to buy a SpongeBob ice cream with black gumball eyes...

Cityscape

Leigh

B

New York City

10th Grade

The Angel and the Train

Mature Content

After sunset my reflection appears in the black depths of the kitchen window, thin, pale and drunk. The ruins of the gas station are burning in the hills, a sheet of wet gold floating on my chest. I can pick out the familiar scent of smoke.

The Angel and the Train

Zarar

Zarar

New York, New York

9th Grade

"One plus to the visit: the hot pink and green (your choice) plastic giveaway sunglasses with the inscription 'Dr. Fink says Wink!'"

My glasses are different shades of brown, often described as tortoise shelled. They rest quite comfortably upon the bridge of my nose. They curl downwards to fit the curve of my ears. This pair of glasses is unique to me...

My Eye Glasses

Phoebe

Cohen

New York City

10th Grade

"More knocks sounded on the door, escalating in volume. They emanated from the main door, directly behind me..."

I had already read my Torah portion; now it was my dad’s turn to speak. We had rented a small, historic synagogue in Rosh Pina, Israel, for a private bat mitzvah ceremony. Well, sort of...

Early Adulthood

Ariel

K

New York

10th Grade

"Merna and I did everything together. My little legs would dance to Shakira 'Hips Don’t Lie' with her. Merna’s phone would blast 'No One' by Alicia Keys..."

Ever since my older sister was born, she was always around. She was our first and only nanny. Merna was even there when my brother and I were born. Both my parents worked for most of my life...

Merna

Gabby

Gateley

New York City

10th Grade

"The stone gates act as a portal to another land..."

Just four hours from the bustling, busy streets of New York City disguised by grassy mountainside lies the most magical place on earth...

A Piece of My Home

Maddie

S

New York City

10th Grade

"I became aware of the ever-changing city, whose streets were overpopulated with businessmen and children..."

All I saw was the side of a building with a small white graffiti mark on the bottom right corner. But looking at this wall my dad was reminded of the hours, days and years he spent playing wall ball, the only passing partner he ever needed...

The Wall

Olivia

Waterman

New York City

10th Grade

"Of course my parents would tell me that I wasn’t allowed to call until 7, but I was already busy putting on my snow pants..."

When I was young, every snow day was better than the last. I would run to my parent’s room at 6am and beg them to call the Silvestris. My best friend lived less than 5 minutes away...

Snow Day

Charlotte

M

New York City

10th Grade

"'I don’t recognize this person anymore. This isn’t me,' he used to say."

His one goal: to welcome everyone into his home, always. The eminent, stained, rustic, too-small-to-fit-our-huge-group, yet perfect wooden table will forever be the embodiment of Johnny Vassilaros

The Table of My Youth

Artemis

Xenopoulos

New York, New York

11th Grade

“I did not intend on crying in front of him. I swallowed my fear and listened silently.”

Every word was linked with a long and heavy pause. His chest was a mountain collapsing into deep sighs, his eyes tumbling down to his hands. The hands, though, were calm like tree trunks that listened to the conversation silently.

An Engineer in the Army

Rhea

Ahluwalia

New York, New York

11th Grade

"The rocket always expanded and contracted when it was cold. It was alright."

10:41am, 28th of January. Smith walked through the threshold and set foot onto the air bridge. The door to the bright, gleaming rocket lay not ten strides away from him. He looked down through the bridge’s metal grates.

Per Aspera Ad Astra

Freddie

Coffey

New York, New York

11th Grade

"I am missing parts of my body that I need, one leg keeps me going on the traveling..."

"Where does the road end, when does the road end - Knowledge what I desire that and only that - Why can't..."

Where Does The Road End

Hannah

Ahmad

Harrisonburg

Other Grade

"One day, Jim felt a sharp pain in his chest and was scared he was dying. He was too..."

"Jen and Jim are residents in small town Johnsville. They have known each other for as long as they can..."

Secret Admirers

Reid

Roach

Oxford

12th Grade

"The bittersweet melody of a lone violin, drifting through a cracked window..."

Goodnight

Juliet

Harris

New York City

Other Grade

"You can start by accepting yourself..."

Silence

Harini

Karthikeyan

Cranbury

Other Grade

"Train after train, window after grimy window, my eyes glaze over the sea of passengers"

Ba-bump, ba-bump. The train’s heartbeat thumps through the station, its arrival marking the noisy departure...

The Girl Inside the Window

Sophie

Cheng

Bronx

9th Grade

"That girl, sitting all alone, is me."

You see her over there, at the isolated table. Isolated because you’re in the middle of a pandemic, a deep...

The Girl Sitting Alone at the Table

Sarah

Silverman

New York

Other Grade

"Its tulle filtered the sunlight into a loud magenta ripple against the grey pathway"

She fancied herself a superhero: legs wide, elbows pointed, chin tucked as she admired her shadow. Today...

The Changing Courtyard

Elizabeth

Louie

Brooklyn, New York

11th Grade

"Binge, Purge, whatever it takes / Starve, work out until your figure shakes"

We are the pressure Pushing you down Into the water Hitting the ground Can I have a second to breathe? ...

Can I Have a Second to Breathe?

J

R

Nyack, New York

"Unavailing quarrels would commence between the people of my head"

Without my windows, I’d lack cognizance, Unaware of all external affairs. I’d hold abundant amounts of...

Without My Window

Maksim

Newton

Nyack, New York

I’ve always loved how alphonso mangoes turn golden with the suns rays, wrinkled and uneven

we’ve been playing this game for so long I don’t remember when it started. Khun-yahy’s brown eyes, the sam...

this little lifelong game

Kiran

Bhat

Winchester, Massachusetts

11th Grade