This is a poem about where I’m from as a 16-year-old, born and raised in Queens, New York in a small family of four.
Where I’m From
New York, We Love You: A Story Collection
Girls Write Now was founded in New York City back in 1998 and these poems, podcasts, vignettes, and videos serve as odes to the boroughs and bodega BECs that raised us.
Aboard our story-powered subway train, you’ll make your way from Manhattan’s bustling Chinatown to the heart of Queens; to a landfill-cum-park in Staten Island; the sunset skies over the Bronx; and the stoops of Brooklyn.
FEATURED ART BY IRENE HAO.
you, me, and the borough
Lena and Courtney are both New Yorkers—but they live in different boroughs: Brooklyn and Staten Island. After a year spent on Zoom, they gave one another tours of their respective corners of the city.
Untold Expectations
There’s an untold story behind every woman.
Overcoming Restrictions – Inspired by Tupac’s ‘The Rose That Grew From Concrete’
No matter the obstacle, if you believe in yourself and focus on where you want to be, you will be the rose that overcame all odds.
Six Miles Apart
In the socially distanced era of six feet apart, two Brooklyn-based writers celebrate the beauty and history of their everyday worlds in this visual diary.
Central Park
I wrote this poem about my favorite park. It’s a big milestone in my life because I went to this park as a child.
The Places I Call Home
I put together this collection of photos as a tribute to the places that are part of my life and feel like home. For me, home is both places and emotions. That is why I included photos of the physical places and descriptions of my memories there. Since moving from Peru to the US two years ago, I’ve been reflecting on my sense of identity and what home means to me. I know that many people who immigrate feel this way. This piece sends the message that it’s okay if you feel like you come from more than one place or have more than one home.
Where I’m From
In this piece you are about to read, I am telling you more about who I am and exploring all the layers of my identity. I use the words “I am” to highlight the different places, physical and emotional, that have made me who I am today.
Commuting Up
Shuttling between two neighborhoods, Flushing, Queens, and the Upper East Side, this story follows a girl’s journey to school. Along her commute, she discovers her identity and the meaning of hard work and perseverance.
Forever Queens/ The End of the N
We wrote two poems about our relationship to our residing borough, Queens. (Lilly is a lifelong native and Toni moved to Astoria five years ago.)
COVID Rewind: Thoughts & Reflections
A look into 2020 through the diverse eyes of interviewees from New York City. These interviewees describe their thoughts and experiences living through the pandemic.
Once Upon A Very Dirty Borough
The Princess of New York City struggles to literally find her voice and come into her inheritance—a stutter, and the power to speak.
Of Pyrite and Men
A kind-hearted eccentric gentleman is hoodwinked by his naive gesture and a glittering gem in a dusty New York shop.
A Suitcase of Lost Things
Two women, quarantining apart for a year, exchange disposable cameras and the stories of lost-and-found parts of their worlds, eight miles apart. These are the stories they uncovered.
Silent Neighborhoods Across New York
A poem about our two neighborhoods in New York and our experiences inhabiting the city in our own particular lenses.