Students share about where they are from, pivotal memories, and tales of childhood and family. Through poetry, long reflections, and short glimpses into the past, these authors expose their lives to the world in beautiful ways. Hear of the warmth of the sun, the power of writing, and young love.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the Publisher: “In the summer of 2022, twenty-two high school students met every day for three weeks to write and learn together through daily writing prompts and visits from guest speakers who taught many different writing genres including, poetry, museum writing, zine making, fantasy writing, playwriting, and more. Students also spent significant time exploring the de Young Museum to inspire their writing, including tours of The Obama Portraits and Faith Ringgold's American People exhibit. These young authors were encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and perhaps most challenging of all, share and discuss their writing with each other. Sharing our writing makes us vulnerable, but as these students learned, it is often through vulnerability that we can truly connect with each other and discover the impact of our words. We are so grateful that these young authors are brave enough to share their stories and we hope you enjoy their humor, their candor, and their wisdom.”