Being the older sister of a younger brother with autism has been both challenging and gratifying. Throughout the years, I’ve learned many lessons from my brother on empathy, identity, and understanding.
Taking Root: The Girls Write Now 2022 Anthology
Perhaps you’ve seen a mangrove. These saltwater-loving trees grow thickly along the coastlines of South Florida. They edge the shores in heavy clumps; they huddle in meandering rows. The roots will catch your eye first: a rich reddish brown color, they grow out of the brackish water like creeping fingers. As a child, I thought the roots were trying to wrench themselves from the sediment—that the mangrove was a tree desperately seeking other waters.
What I didn’t know then was that the mangrove had adapted to thrive there. Between twice-a-day tides, the stilt-like roots pull oxygen from the air. The sediment that collects beneath the roots builds the shoreline, and a vibrant community of plants and animals live on or below the roots. Even the leaves are gifted. Two holes on each pump out the excess salt; it covers the waxy green leaves like crystals.
The young writers of the Taking Root: The Girls Write Now 2022 Anthology remind me of those red mangroves and their hardy, branching roots. Like the tree, they flourish at the borders, but theirs straddles the prickly border between youth and adulthood. In waters friendly or inhospitable, these writers persevere: always creating, always building, expanding. Through their words they interrogate the world we take for granted, and in their wonderings, propose new Earths to inhabit.
Here’s to those brave, beautiful writers, and the works that will take them near and far. Deeply rooted in who they are, their words are the salt crystals that adorn the leaves.
—MORAYO FALEYIMU
Explore Mentee Stories from 'Taking Root'
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different, not wrong.
stolen thunder
We see these grand beasts working so hard trying to survive and provide for their families, but with one bullet, hunters and poachers can kill them and all of their life’s efforts.
Cherophobia
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.”
This piece helped me break free and I will forever be thankful to my mentor for encouraging me.
The Sky’s The Limit
This is an excerpt from a story about a girl’s process of learning to be independent and self-confident after the unexpected loss of her brother.
Moving On
This is a love letter, but not to a person. It’s about realizing that your childhood is gone and that the place you grew up in is changing forever.
My Saving Grace
‘My Saving Grace’ is about my dream of becoming a doctor as a high schooler during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nervous Scrolling
A woman dining alone at a restaurant realizes memory doesn’t serve her justice.
Mental Whittling
Things you never had can be yours. Things you had for a time can be yours again. Carve your way, pay the price.
white with a hint of lavender
My fear of snow was like someone else’s fear of darkness. I now find the snow to be a good subject for metaphors which I explore in this piece.
Racing Mind
I have been running track since the age of nine years old. I am now in my high school’s track team, and these were my thoughts at my last meet.
El Barrio, an Excerpt
During the hottest summer of their lives, two best friends, Manuel Polanco and Xiomara Vargas, slowly drift apart as they deal with gangs, drugs and growing up in… El Barrio.
i’m worried about her
An ode to hers everywhere.
The First Naturalista
In this piece, I stumble across the wonders of natural hair and after, try to convince my mother to let me go natural.
Polished
At 11:32 on a typical Saturday night, a mom and daughter chat while doing their nails.
A House Sparrow’s Song
Even within a crowd, one can discover wings.