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Falling into the Culture of In-Between
Serena Young
11th Grade | Orlando, FLFirst Place — Being Asian never really bothered me, until the 2nd grade. From the crayon box, sharp and unused, I picked out a peach color
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Departure
Satori McCormick
12th Grade | Castle Rock, COSecond Place — Lydia had noticed that her bruises were shaped in the form of butterflies. When her husband beat her, they flew...
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The Story of the Skipping Stone
Ella Mask
12th Grade | Alpine, UTThird Place — In a town along the ocean, full of people as beaten and weary as its shore, is a girl born from the sea
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San and Bert
Jessica Wang
12th Grade, New YorkFirst Place — San lived in a strawberry. It was a large strawberry, plump with a spongy outer skin and as grand as a boulder
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All the Buttons
Eleanor Bolas
9th Grade, New YorkSecond Place — The doorbell trills, ding-ding-ding, and then the door is open and Dee is pulling me inside her apartment.
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Public Park Therapy
Rachel Samantha Rose
Freshman, University of VermontThird Place — After a full minute of laughing and wheezing James blurts, “She didn’t even get the slur right
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An Excerpt from Brad Kessler's North
Brad Kessler
We’re pleased to share an excerpt of Brad Kessler’s latest novel, North, in anticipation of his conversation...
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An Excerpt from Myriam J. A. Chancy's What Storm, What Thunder
Myriam J. A. Chancy
Fiction has the power to help us understand one another. As readers, we may take comfort in storytelling that reflects our own experiences...
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As They Imagine Us on Summer Nights
Kylan Tatum
12th Grade, New JerseyFirst Place — It had the makings of a quiet summer. We strapped pink wings to our shoulders and dove headfirst into blue...
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A Letter to Mama
Ciara Balanzá
11th Grade, New YorkSecond Place — Dear Mama, I find it difficult to keep track of the days without my regular routine. I no longer feed pigeons...