Drawing from across the many high schools of San Francisco, the Young Authors' Workshop provided these teens with a way to explore the world and themselves through writing. Read some tales that these authors whisper and others that they shout! Featuring rainy afternoons, the world's most dangerous forest, twin brother, ethical love, and dreams of freedom.

— Simon Traub-Epstein, International Library of Young Authors

From the Publisher: “In the summer of 2025, twenty-six high school students embarked on a three-week creative writing journey known as the YOUNG AUTHORS' WORKSHOP (YAW). Throughout the program, students were introduced to various writing genres by guest speakers, community partners, and 826 Valencia staff. They had fun exploring several genres like flash fiction, poetry, and more. They also visited the Minnesota Street Project, Museum of Craft and Design, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for inspiration. Volunteers supported workshop groups where students shared their work and received valuable feedback. This year's teaching artist, Randy Ribay, an author and teacher, introduced students to flash fiction, opening their minds to new possibilities in writing. YAW concluded with a reading at the 826 Valencia Mission Bay Center, also known as the 'Enchanted Forest.' These young authors were encouraged to step outside their comfort zones and share and discuss their writing with each other. 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 and discover the impact of our words. We are so grateful that these young authors were brave enough to share their stories, and we hope you enjoy and celebrate their stories with the world, too.”