Colors of My Mind
By Josslyn Grover, TIWP Student I feel everything all at once. I am a white t-shirt at the mercy of a seven year old at a tie-dye camp, splashed by all the brightest colors until all that remains is a muddy brown rag. First, the seven year old sprays me blue, a calm that starts…
The Leap
By A.R., TIWP Student If I knew that it was impossible to fail, I would do it all. I would take a chance on learning a new skill, hobby, or sport. I would break out of my shell and create bonds with those I have lost or those I wish to start. If I knew…
Ladybug
By Sol Dente, TIWP Student“Now, what’s this?” A young woman sat on a faded burgundy couch, her long black hair spilling over her shoulder like sea foam in a storm as she shifted her weight in order to show the two children beside her the green hardback book she held in her hands. “Ladybug!” The…
Perfectly Imperfect
By Ayumi Nagayama, TIWP Student When I was in third grade in Japanese class, I remember that I made one mistake. My mom is Japanese and I grew up learning Japanese so I spoke it pretty well. In class we were playing a game and I lost to this guy when I made a mistake.…
Waves
By Mira Haldar, TIWP Student Today, in the twenty-first century, there are numerous ongoing challenges to pursue. Climate change, women’s inequality, racial injustice, immigration, the education crisis, low income families, animal abuse, suicide prevention – the list goes on. But these are world challenges. No matter how powerful the individual, no single person can completely…
A Fairytale
By Kiera Roux, TIWP Student I want to live in a world where we are taught to be okay with the unknown.A world that recognizes that fulfillment comes from asking questions. And being okay with not always getting an answer.A world where we see the Earth as a gift, not a right.A world where you…
Vicious Truths
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student I’m sorry, women. It wasn’t until recently I understood the weight of our struggles. The dark history and the persisting pain. I still don’t know what we’ve done to deserve it. How a made-up hierarchy translated into centuries of abuse, murder, silencing. Was it the way we cared for all…
Being Human
TIWP Student Sometimes, I feel angry. Sometimes, I feel like I shouldn’t speak. Sometimes, I feel upset and emotional. Generally speaking, I communicate to my heart’s content – I participate, express myself, but only to a certain extent. Otherwise, I fear it comes across as overpowering. Like I’m “too assertive” or too this or too that.…
Beautiful Wreckage
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student I read an essay in my English class with a line that goes “pretty much anything you worship in life will eat you alive,” and it reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite novels that reads, “beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”…
Grandma’s Wisdom
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student I know the pain. You pour everything you have into everyone and they just look the other way. You’re so kind and generous and they use you like a doormat to wipe poo off their shoe. Now you carry their wrongdoings. You are so closed off so they pick and…
Numb
By Olivia Uzuncan, TIWP Student I’m not quite sure when it happened,probably when I was 13 or 14,when all of the terrible things going on in the world didn’t scare meor worry meor cause me to lose sleepbecause all of a sudden I was numbto school shootings,to rapes,to racist violence.Another day, another tragedy.And looking back…
The Life of A Girl
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student Wake up.Hopefully you’re alone. Eat, but not a lot, because you don’t want to be bloated all day.An apple will do just fine this morning.Maybe even half. Get dressed.But be careful,You don’t want to be a slut.Don’t cover up though,Show some skin! Be confident. Grab a purse on your way out. Forget style:What’s the hardest…
A List of Misogynistic Things Boys Have Said to Me Before and What I Wish I Said Back
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student Women aren’t funny. I hear this one a lot. Boys like to use this a lot when a girl makes a joke and they don’t get it. The “F” in women stands for funny. (I don’t see an “F” in men either.) But really. Why does someone’s gender determine if…
Who is a Woman if not in a Dress?
By Elena Tamagno, TIWP Student I’m not a girl. There’s no way I can be a girl, right? I don’t like skirts, or dresses, or those pink-colored bedsheets. I cut off all my hair and half the people I ran into thought I was a boy or just refused to use gendered terms near me.…
The Secret to Love
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student I think the secret to love is love. Ever since I can remember, the idea that love is what I’m searching for has been imprinted in my head. Thinking about all the movies I watched as a kid, all they taught me was that I should wait for my prince…
The Fatal Social Climb of Females in the 21st Century
By Kiera Roux, TIWP Student Globalization of society has muted our souls, pushing us into a box with few tools to escape. How can we have faith in ourselves when we never had the opportunity to find that self? School, social media, and television all imagine other people and how we can strive to become…
The Female Experience
By Kea Yoshinaka, TIWP StudentI was trained from the beginning; we all were. Sit tall, cross your legs, do your hair, smile. When I was five, it manifested as every new person using “she’s so pretty!” as a hello. It felt weird, because I would have never thought to use someone’s appearance as a conversation…
Heartbreak
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student There is a small papercut at the bottom of my heart. Very small, but very much there. My insides tangle, unable to be unwound. There are no more butterflies left. The papercut starts to extend. My mind is almost empty. The only thoughts left being darker than the night sky,…
Flight
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student My feet sprint across the field, stomping across the already dead weeds. Colors of flowers pass me by like light, and I give no more thought to them. The grass tries to tickle my ankles but I’m never in one place for long enough to allow them. My dress flows…
Who Am I?
By Sol Dente, TIWP Student I am the ‘prefer not to say’ option on a Google form, the X on a drivers license, the they/thems among the she/hers and he/hims. I am the yellows and blacks and the purples and the whites and pinks and the blues and the greens and the grays. I am…
How My Mind Works
By Caroline Crossland, TIWP Student Potential is the blossoming of the bubblegum pink rose. Its light feathers flare out, but only to the smallest increments, like the little dainty patterns in a baby’s maple green eyes. The clock of my body ticks to the gems immersed in seventeen years of age, but those thick strings…
Yes, I’m Female and Autistic
By Maya Petzoldt, TIWP Student People often ask me what it’s like in my head, and I never tell them the truth, because in all honesty, who would listen? I give people minimum-word answers, answers they expect, like “Weird,” “Crazy-land,” and “Unexplainable.” These satisfy people, because they don’t really want to know, or they would…
Who Is Emotion?
By Maya Petzoldt, TIWP Student Emotions are often struggled with, people juggling definitions back and forth. People sometimes travel for years at a time to find them, and then believe they have found an answer. Perhaps they have found the answers, or perhaps they are tired of searching, and simply trick themselves into thinking they…
Most Alive
By Ellie Hawkins, TIWP Student I feel most alive when I make someone smile, a genuine smile where their eyes light up and they radiate compassion and warmth. Smiles are contagious. They are a temporary solution to many problems. A moment of contentment in the middle of a raging storm. Smiles have a way of…
The Stuffed Blue Elephant
By Ellie Hawkins, TIWP Student I see her skipping towards me, little pig tails swinging side to side, Velcro shoes that screech on the polished floor and stripped, baggy overalls that hang over her shoulders. She stares me straight down, right into my soul, and grabs me from the shelf, me—the runt elephant whose stitching…
Courage
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student Fear is what makes us stronger. I’m scared of heights, but I’m more scared of never being able to fly. Sometimes I’m scared to speak, but I’m more terrified of what would happen if I don’t. I’m scared to make mistakes, but I’m more scared of never learning. Fear pushes…
Privilege
By Ava Choudhry, TIWP Student“I am a stockpile of chemical toys. My body is a deadly gadget.” — By Margaret Atwood I live in a place where I can afford to spend my life growing my mind. I don’t have to worry when my next meal will be or where I’ll sleep tonight. While I sit…
Healing
By Ava Choudhry, TIWP Student Yes, of course it hurts to lose someone you love, whether by death or any uncontrollable circumstance. Of course it hurts when you think of them, your heart pulling your body into a black hole, that sucks away your strength and momentary happiness. Of course it hurts, but less often…
Anger Swallowed
By Ava Choudhry, TIWP Student“A good anger swallowed clots the blood to slime.” — By Marge Piercy Too many times, I am placed in groups at school with boys who always have to be right and try to invalidate my opinion. If I speak up and even slightly bruise their ego, I am considered…
The Impossible Rules of Being a Teenage Girl
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student You have to get good grades, have an amazing social life and also look untouchable. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Don’t show too much skin, ’cause then you’re a slut, but if you don’t show enough, you’re a prude. Don’t party because it’s unattractive, but if you don’t, then…
Forest Walks
By Evangeline Ford, TIWP Student Can you feel the emptiness—the roads that once were busy, the schools that were once filled with life? Anybody who ever claimed to love the world is now being challenged, both in will power and in their ability to love the world when they can’t see it. Find your passion,…
Christmas Time
By K.W., TIWP Student, Age 9 Christmas is a time for love and Christmas is a time for joy and peace. You can sing lots of Christmas carols at people’s doors and that can bring a smile to their face and yours. Decorations can get you in the Christmas spirit. Children are always happy with…
My Future
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student I question a lot about this world. About my future. Where will I go to college? Will I even get in? What will major in? Will I be valedictorian? Will I speak at my high school graduation? What will my first real job be? Where will I live? When will I…
The Danger of Being Female
By Kea Yoshinaka, TIWP Student “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” — Margaret Atwood Recently, I’ve become strikingly aware of the fact that men really aren’t scared of much. Yeah, they get scared in the dark sometimes, or they don’t like being in deep…
Dear World
By Amy He, TIWP Student Dear World,I wish you’d have more compassion. Compassion for our families, neighbors, countries, enemies, the earth itself. Because we’re blessed with our planet and each other. Why make it hard? It’s an unfair world as is, yet the more selfish you become, the worse it gets. I know that because…
I Believe
By Amy He, TIWP Student I believe I will get through this.I believe I may never be fully satisfied, because I believe there will always be a next step.I believe I can hold on to my happiness, no matter what.I believe in art.I believe we have powers.I believe life is worth it.
The Reality of Womanhood
By Kayli Harley, TIWP StudentFrom the moment their eyes open, within the first seconds of their existence, women are conditioned to believe that the world is something they need to earn. We are provided a set of guidelines for our behavior: be sweet, but have grit; be calm, but have passion; be polite, but speak…
I Believe
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student I believe that we can always do better.I believe in doing my best.I believe no one should have to live in fear.I believe I should not be ashamed of who I love.I believe hate is unhelpful.I believe we should not get more or less based on our orientation or genitalia.I…
I Believe
By Ellie Hawkins, TIWP Student I believe stubborn is a choice.I believe in second chances.I believe in living in the moment.I believe life is too short to count the years.I believe in fate.I believe in people.I believe every day is a new day.I believe crying doesn’t make you weak.I believe it’s important to love your…
I Believe
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student I believe there is good in everyone.I believe in love.I believe that someday I will find my place in this chaotic world.I believe that without the bad days there aren’t any good days.I believe that with tears comes a smile, just like with rain comes a rainbow.I believe that feeling…
I Don’t Know
By Elle Gordon, TIWP StudentI don’t know.I used to think I don’t know was a superpower.To give myself permission to learn and explore.I used to say I don’t know when my parents asked who ate the chocolate, or when I was asking my friend a question on the math homework.I used to think I don’t…
Listen
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student Dear world, I want you to listen. That lady you had a political Facebook fight with. Listen. Your sister who needs a shoulder to cry on. Listen. Your teacher or boss who can’t seem to get off your back. Listen. There is so much static in the world. “Kanye got…
Eyes Wide Open
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student I had a conversation with a guy about a show he saw on TV. He started by saying he was glad that his 10-year-old sister wasn’t in the room as to not scare her. The show spoke of the constitution but also about sexual harassment. He said that it opened…
Dear World
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student Dear World,I hope that one day we realize that we are all human. No one’s gender, race, religion or sexuality can make them less than. I hope that everyone will realize that it is a woman’s choice. I hope that we realize that we can’t take our planet for granted.…
Here’s What I’m Telling You
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP StudentInspired by a line from Eve Ensler’s poem “Manifesta to Young Women and Girls”See the world at night.See the beauty of the lights in complete darkness.Listen to children, because their minds are so pure and the harshness of the world hasn’t gotten to them yet.Look at the stars.Watch the sun go down…
Falling
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student It’s been seven months. Seven months since the pink tank top girl. And I’ve come to learn that she was just a single word in your book. But a chapter of mine. In those seven months nothing has changed. I still look at you like you are the only person…
The Platinum Rule
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student We learn how to care for others. “Treat them how you would like to be treated.” But no one ever teaches us how we should treat ourselves. So yes, I think it makes sense that there is a lack of compassion. We are all taught to “treat others how we…
Deserving Love
By Samah Hamid, TIWP Student “We accept the love we think we deserve.” — The Perks of Being a Wallflower So many people live their entire lives thinking that they don’t deserve love. They might have had a difficult past. They might be too harsh on themselves. They might have fallen into society’s trap and…
Me, Myself
Elise Flagg, TIWP Student People can tell you what you’re like. They can tell you you are beautiful, you have nice hair, your eyes glisten like a diamond in the sun. They can only tell you things they see. And they can tell others also what they think. Key word “think.” Key word “tell.” I…
Living In Bold
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student”Are you afraid of living life in bold?” — Luz Corrigan from the song “Author” I want to step outside of the lines I have drawn, turn around, and erase them entirely. I want to touch every corner of this earth that I can find, stand on the edge of a cliff…
Society’s Expectations
By Olivia Uzuncan, TIWP Student What if, in life, there isn’t one right answer? What if their pain, just because you think it’s not as important as yours, still needs to be validated—because it’s everything to them. One girl’s “fat” may be another girl’s “skinny.” “Oh you’re not fat at all, have you seen me?”…
Recognition
By Olivia Tiffin, TIWP StudentI do not seek power over others or the crowd’s applause. I hope nothing of a fiery hunger for attention or the words of command. All I walk towards on the path is recognition, a recognition of how I see the world and how I see society crumble and be ripped…
Enough
By Hettie Van Dyke, TIWP Student What is enough? Is it enough to simply be loved? Some might say so. I do not. Is it enough to be happy? For some, perhaps. But are we ever truly happy? No matter how far back into the deepest corners of our brain we push that little nagging…
Love, Your Body
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student Dear Elle,I am going to be your closest companion. I love me. I love you. Why can’t you give me love in return? I will fight for you. I will help you do your tasks and live your life. I will sit in bed and cry with you. I will…
Letter from My Body
By Amy He, TIWP Student You might want to trust me more than you think you should. I’m the feeling in your stomach telling you where to go. I’m the pang in your chest telling you it’s wrong. I’m the heaviness in your eyelids telling you when you’ve had enough. I’m the pulse in your veins…
Curveball
By Samah Hamid, TIWP Student Sometimes life likes to throw you a curveball and show you just how unfair the world really is. It’s thrown at you when you walk into a room full of only guys. It’s thrown at you when you’re taking an unpaid maternity leave. Then, you start to doubt yourself. You…
Let the Girl Go
By Amy He, TIWP Student “I have a right to my own voice and a right to my own vision. I have a right to collaborate with creativity, because I am a product and a consequence of Creation. I am on a mission of artistic liberation, so let the girl go!” — Elizabeth GilbertLet the…
Who Do You Think I Am?
By Elle Gordon, TIWP Student“Who do you think you are?” I think I am the same as you think I am. I am anxious, stubborn, irritable, and opinionated. Sometimes I am selfish, lazy, annoying, or cowardly. But this doesn’t make me unworthy. The pimple covered face you call ugly is the same one my pups…
Extraordinary
By Taryn Pearce, TIWP Student Sometimes I have this desire so strong for something beyond my daily life. I don’t know how to describe this feeling but, when I think about it, I imagine dancing in the kitchen until 2 am, going on a spontaneous road trip, telling someone how I feel with no regrets…
Adaptation
By Olivia Uzuncan, TIWP Student In March, we were told to adapt to the idea of being a homebody. Empty grocery store shelves became the new normal as we adjusted to the fact that we couldn’t have the social and human connection that was vital to our soul. We had this dream of a new…
The Patriarchy
By Aly Kirke, TIWP Student Why are men so violent? I don’t get it. Throughout history men have always been the violent ones. Men bring no good to our world. They carry violence, abuse, and manipulation. Who do we have to thank for the genocide of the Indigenous people? Men. Who’s to blame for the…
I Wonder
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student I wonder about a lot of things. Is Earth dizzy from spinning so much? Do the clouds get headaches after crying so much? Do the trees get annoyed when animals land on them, tickling their branches? What does it feel like when fire climbs up the bark of a tree,…
What I Wear Does Not Define Me
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student What I wear does not define me. My shiny pink strawberry lip gloss does not give you the ok to kiss me. My wandering eyes does not mean I’m looking for you to come over to me. My low cut shirt does not mean it is ok for you to…
Today is the Day Change Happens
By Katerina Bonderud, TIWP Student Today is the day where I make like the founders, declaring their independence from the corrupt authority of England, and declare my independence from the corrupt-ass mindsets that have been passed down to me from generation to generation. My parents told me to not get something if I just want…
Letter to My Middle School Self
By Amelia Chen, TIWP Student Here’s what I’m telling you: Go for it. Find out what you want, what you truly want, and go for it. Know what you need and take it. Trust that you are the captain of your soul. Believe in your intuition. Hold on to your knowledge. And take a leap of faith. Take a…
Resilience
By Aly Kirke, TIWP Student I don’t feel strong. I don’t feel resilient. I feel as if I were on a sinking boat, and rather than sink and drown with the boat, I clung to a piece of driftwood. It doesn’t feel brave. It doesn’t feel powerful. It just feels not stupid. I’ve just been…
Being Your Own Heroine
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student I believe everyone is their own main character—because everyone is their own story. You can’t be a side character in your own story. Only in someone else’s. You are your own story and your own heroine. There is no understudy. There will be a love interest. A best friend. A…
30 Years Later
By Elise Flagg, TIWP Student I yearn for the day I can tell my kids about my teenage life. About the times that I went to the bay with my best friend and swam next to yachts and under docks going incognito after a lady got mad at us for getting on her giant swan…
Letter to My Middle School Self
By Gabriela Benveniste, TIWP Student Here’s what I’m telling you: Things won’t always go as planned. You don’t have to be quiet all the time. Your ideas matter, too. People might not always take you seriously, but you have to believe in yourself. Don’t doubt your decisions. It’s your life and you get to choose…
Letter to My Middle School Self
By Claire Kostermans, TIWP Student Here’s what I’m telling you: Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of voicing your opinion or sticking up for yourself or others. Don’t be afraid of boys or anyone that seems scary, because that will let them win. Don’t be afraid of the future and don’t dwell on the past.…
Kindness, Strength, Love
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student Some people find it difficult to separate strength from violence. They think strength means aggressive behavior, a competitive mindset. To me strength is confidence. Strength is thoughtfulness, it’s care, it’s perseverance and it’s grit. I believe the greatest strength is not anger, it’s love. My strength shines through when I…
When Someone You Love Is Sick
By Kayli Harley, TIWP StudentWhen someone you love becomes sick, really sick, could-possibly-die sick, your life changes. You watch them. You watch them lie in bed, inhabiting a body that is strained beyond your comprehension. You watch them when they walk around, you watch them when they fall asleep, you watch them and you wish…
Passion of the Pen
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student Almost all confusion can be solved with some paper and a pen. Once the ink seeps into the blank white space, it is ready to tell you all the things you thought you didn’t know. The curves of the letters dance across the page; it won’t stop unless you make…
Boundaries
By Claire Kostermans, TIWP Student “No one gets to affect my mood.” —from a list of healthy boundariesI remember the times when my happiness was determined by a notification from a Snapchat or Facetime or a text or even the thought of you—just to be drained when those simple notifications stopped appearing. I remember thinking…
Weighing My Options
By Pascale Lowell, TIWP Student I wish you knew that I don’t hate you. I’m not trying to be rude or uninterested or avoid you. I simply don’t know how to talk to you. Please forgive me for staring at you silently before answering your question. I’m searching for the right answer, an answer that…
Relativity
By Maya Hanck, TIWP College Program”You ask whether your verses are good… You compare them with other poems and you are disturbed when certain editors reject your efforts.” -RilkeComparison rules. Everything around us is judged and ranked on a scale that is contingent upon its comparison. In our reality, value is allotted based on a…
To Matter
By Sophie Corbett, TIWP College Program “All human needs are an expression of life’s energy flowing through us. Needs are the very thing that connect us to life itself.” — Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, NVCI want to matter. I want to be heard, respected, trusted, accepted, and known. I need all those things. I need those…
I Am Beautiful
By Claire Kostermans, TIWP Student I am beautiful because I am strong. I fight my battles until I am victorious and I never give up along the way. I am beautiful because of the way my pear-colored eyes glow, just like black cats do at midnight. I am beautiful because I walk with my head…
I Hope
By Ben Davis, TIWP Student I hope the world will be better in the future—even if there’s ample evidence that it won’t be, ample evidence that things already might be too late. I think if our generation were even just five years older, if more of us could vote, if we were able to enact…
My Manifesto
By Daniel Litwin, TIWP Student What is a manifesto? Throughout history people have taken a stand for what they believe―physically in the form of revolution or protest, or in writing, as in a manifesto ― for good or for ill. Notable historical manifestos include The Declaration of Independence (1776), the Declaration of the Rights of the…
Manifesto
By Kayli Harley, TIWP StudentI believe that people should write more love letters.I believe that if we all lived in a Jack Johnson song life would be pretty peaceful.I believe that asking questions is a good thing and curiosity is limitless.I believe that books can be portals to vibrant and lively worlds.I believe that if…
An Anthem for Gen Z
By Maxine Pollock, TIWP Student An essay inspired by the CNN article “We’re tired of waiting: Gen Z is ready for a revolution.” This is what I know to be true: Our generation is powerful. I know it is true that we have grown up in a modern world surrounded by people who look, act,…
I Am Certain
By Katerina Bonderud, TIWP Student Uncertainty is unsettling. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, that’s one thing for certain. Uncertainty becomes scary and overwhelming when your mind jumps to the bad endings. Everyone wants some sort of happy ending, right? So why not dwell and fear the worst? Well yeah,…
Zoom Relationship
By Amelia Chen, TIWP Student Our relationship is a zoom relationship. Our conversation is a zoom conversation. I am telling you what I need but it is lost in the connection and you are only picking up pieces of my words, not the full meaning. I go on to try to make you understand, but…
Mainstream and Me
By Ellen Jurgens, TIWP College ProgramI grew up about sixteen miles east of Seattle. In our neighborhood, my family was one of four or five white families. One of six if you count our neighbor to the left who was a middle-aged Russian lady. Obviously she was white, just not as boring as the rest…
Check Your Privilege
By Aly Kirke, TIWP Student Think of a time you felt nervous doing something completely normal and legal. Was it last week? A year ago? Think of a time you were wrongly accused of something. Was it something big, or just taking your sister’s shirt? Think of a time you experienced something unfair. Were you…
It Hurts Me When…
By Rebecca Gunderson, TIWP Student It hurts me when I hear people use the word “Jew” as a slur. I don’t feel safe when I turn the corner at my high school and see a swastika marked on the wall in permanent ink. I’m uncomfortable when we study World War II and we look at…
A Reflection on Race in My Small White Community
By Julia Lima, TIWP Student I think I really became conscious of my ethnic identity when I started elementary school. I remember feeling shamed by my peers for the Brazilian foods my mother would pack in my lunchbox for me. I remember wishing I had blonde hair and light eyes, like my peers. I remember…
The Strength of the Earth
By Lizzie Arroyo, TIWP Student When I feel the urge to run away, or curl into a ball in a hole somewhere, I put my hand flat against the nearest piece of wood I can find. A desk, or a church pew. I press my palm and my five fingers against it as hard as…
Ocean of Voices
By Caroline Hesby, TIWP Student Sometimes those with the loudest voices have the most empty space in their hearts. They yell and with their shrill screams they pierce your ears until they ring, their ideas laced with selfishness and ignorance. They wash out the voices that have not been acclimated yet to the battles of…
To Fly
By Katerina Bonderud, TIWP Student “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” –Martin Luther King When I was younger, I had a dream of being able to fly. Every chance I got, I would…
Inequality
By Jonathan Hagendoorn, TIWP Student There are many different types of people on Earth, each with their own spot in the world. Everyone has different opinions and interests pertaining to what they want to do, and each individual will have their own successes‒or failures‒throughout their life. Often, though, it turns out that the powerful, the…
Untamed
By Maya Hanck, TIWP Student, College Program Inspired by the book “Untamed” by Glennon DoyleTrue beauty stems from within, or so we say. But the actions of society tell a very different story. Society tells us that beauty stems from physical appearance: thin, tall, blonde, high cheek bones, long hair, bright eyes, a soft smile.…
Silver Linings
By Sophie Corbett, TIWP Student, College Program Right now we are in the midst of a global pandemic and a war on racial inequality. People are suffering, dying, and angry. However, these challenging times have created an interesting dichotomy. While the world seems to be erupting into chaos, there is also a sense of peace…
I Can
By Rebecca Gunderson, TIWP Student “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way” -Martin Luther King, Jr.If I cannot make immediate change, I can protest. I can make signs. I can wear a mask. I can march alongside the black community in solidarity.If I cannot take action, I…
Counterfeit
By Maya Hanck, TIWP College Program”Race balls-out toward the extraordinary life that you’ve always dreamed of.” — Sophia Amoruso I’ve never been the type of person who knows exactly what career path she wants to take or even what field she wants to work in. On the contrary, I’ve always known what I don’t want…
Making Peace With The Unknown
By Sophie Kendall Corbett, TIWP College Program “Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.” — Rainer Maria Rilke My spirit animal is a cat. I enjoy taking naps, basking in the…
Sundowners
By Kayli Harley, TIWP Student The last rays of sunlight moved with the wind through each blade of grass until they landed on my skin. The few trees in the plain stood as silhouettes against the watercolor sky. The low mountains enclosed us in this space as they grew and fell in anticipation for the…
We Are Healing
By Rebecca Gunderson, TIWP Student Quarantine is a time of healing. In the midst of this pandemic, we are healing the earth – Venetian canals are getting clearer each day. We are bonding with our pets like never before. We are appreciating the nature around us as we explore new hiking trails. Our workload in…
Pens of the Pandemic 