Poetry is not confined to books. It does not strictly belong to a seventeenth-century British poet and his endless sonnets. Poetry is the ache of a single mother’s back, the slight brush of your crush’s hand against yours, the tears in your eyes when you kiss your old life goodbye and embrace your new one. Poetry is people and more importantly, poetry is you.
—Mentee Kilhah St. Fort
Sounds—we hear them all the time in the city, but we don’t necessarily register how much of an important role they play in our understanding of our surroundings. This piece is about sounds you hear...
When you think about living in the Bronx you may conjure up a vision of a nasty place. For me, it’s just the opposite; it’s a place of peace and comfort. I really hope my...
A Slice of Life By Christine Yan, Writing 360 Mentee Growing up in a fairly homogenous community, I found it difficult to embrace my cultural background. Recently, I’ve started to explore its manifestations through the...
I was born and raised in Manhattan, which has given me such an interesting and unique perspective on life. I have always wanted to document all my life experiences in a way where I can...
What was once the largest landfill in the world before closing in 2001 happens to be within my hometown and community of Staten Island. Since then, the landscape has been engineered to become the largest...
An exploration of ghostly subway rides during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Da Bronx is a piece that depicts where I am from. A place near and dear to my heart.
This piece talks about my relationships with nature and my parents in order to explore my feelings toward living in New York City.
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.
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.)
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.
I was inspired to write this piece in December 2020 when I was absorbing the Christmas spirit in a shut-down New York City.
A poem about our two neighborhoods in New York and our experiences inhabiting the city in our own particular lenses.
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.
A kind-hearted eccentric gentleman is hoodwinked by his naive gesture and a glittering gem in a dusty New York shop.
The Princess of New York City struggles to literally find her voice and come into her inheritance—a stutter, and the power to speak.
I tried to be different this year and not make a piece about me or my family but I failed terribly. This piece shows how I am no different from anyone and how I can...
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...
When I was told I would have to write an essay about myself as part of my college application I was convinced I couldn’t do it. I had always avoided writing that involved telling my...
I first started out with just a rush of memories of the garden, then I organized those memories into seasons and turned five pages from my collage journal into representations of those seasons and memories.
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...
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.
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.
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.
There’s an untold story behind every woman.
Felicity Quinton never would have thought babysitting her sister’s children would result in a wild goose chase around New York City. But, life is full of surprises (tall, dark, and handsome surprises).
An evocative piece of flash fiction meant to draw the reader into the author’s encounter with a so-called subway creep.
I was scrolling on social media and my eye caught a rather shocking headline. This poem is about the article I read and how very serious news is made palatable.
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.
WNYC Transmitter Park is a staple afternoon park for many, located at the bank of the East River. When observing the park and Greenpoint overall, I realize just how much it’s changed.
A tale of an immigrant’s adjustment to New York City and the impacts of childhood and cultural board games.
The city is full of sights and sounds, so maybe it is time we look around. On a journey in hopes to make others notice, I present to you my little green notebook.
Growing up as a daughter of resturant owners, I explore the shame of not having parents that could dedicate their time to me and the realization of the sacrifices they made for my happiness.
A love story that begins in an impossible subway scenario that ends with a sweet surprise.
This piece is at heart a study of me, a view from inside my room and inside my mind.
My goal for the summer of 2022 was to ride a bike in Manhattan’s Midtown/Lower East Side. While writing other pieces, I was inspired to replenish a childhood dream I did not continue.
What sacrifices did we make during the pandemic to sustain our parental relationships? What kind of person have you become since then?
New York skyscrapers are far from the sky-scraping Smoky Mountains, and in combining our stories, we shared our fierce pride for our homes and the inherent poetry there is in growing up in these places.
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.
吃飯 (HEK-FAN) New York is a series of video essays that follows the format of an abecedary, documenting personal stories of food and culture between a pair of friends.
You do not expect
the kindness. It comes
in splashes, like an outpour
after a long drought.
Learn how to write first love in all its complexities with YA author Melissa See. Through having a conversation about...
Explore self-awareness, overcoming adversity, and embracing your authenticity at all costs with former White House Social Secretary and author Deesha...
Learn about the art of crying and the creative journey involved in crafting autobiographical comics with illustrator and visual artist...
Join two-time national Audie Award winner Melania Luisa Marte as she explores the magic of poetry and plants.
Learn why writing from experience and empathy are such powerful tools in defending reproductive rights with activist and author Merle...
Learn how vulnerability through writing can give way to a deeper examination of societal issues with poet and writer Morgan...
Learn how language can help us imagine and embody new worlds with author Ross Gay.
Learn the importance of telling your story in your own voice and how to overcome the challenges of writing a...
Join Manga writer and illustrator Misako Rocks! as she leads an all-skills level welcome Manga lesson—which includes drawing by hand!...
Learn how exploring complex emotions associated with tragedy can create a poignant story with author and mentee alum, Joy L....
Learn how to channel the senses on the page with the author of ten critically acclaimed novels, Bernice L. McFadden.
Join Yasmine Cheyenne as she explains how to deal with feedback & be compassionately honest with ourselves.
Explore belonging through magical realism with Alexandra Méndez, author of What The Jaguar Told Her.
Join mentor and bestselling author Donna Hill as she leads us through the intricacies of writing about romance.
Uncover history through the tales of those dear to you with Michelle Duster, author of Ida B. the Queen.
Join TV writer and author Elle Johnson as she shares turning a family tragedy into a heart-wrenching story of love.
Join New York Times bestselling author Qian Julie Wang as she leads us through the process of writing a memoir.
Learn from graphic novelist Kate Gavino how to create a graphic novel that illustrates the industry!
Break down the prescriptive norms of being “girl.”
Learn how to honor and celebrate the important figures in your own life with Gigi Coleman.
Learn how to find and accentuate conflict and tension with Natalie Baszile, author of Queen Sugar.
Find a new way into your story in this micro narrative writing workshop with Darien Hsu Gee.
Learn how to write fiction using your lived experiences with Daphne Palasi Andreades.
Learn how to break down simple conversations into dazzling narrative stories with Amistad’s Abby West and Podcast Host Rebecca Carroll.
Make new meaning from what matters most to you with writing prompts designed to dig up the details.
Use your memories to write Historical Fiction with Emily Neuberger, mentor and author of new novel A Tender Thing.
Indulge your fictional half with the New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett.
Dive into podcasting with the renowned therapist behind Therapy For Black Girls.
Experiment with voice and character dimension with the author of Lakewood.
You don’t need to be a musician to write great lyrics. Turn heartbreak into art in this songwriting Salon.
Freewrite to uncover a thematic thread for your collection with inspiration from Jasmine’s experience growing up in Newark, NJ.
Learn how to make your writing sound as authentic as possible!
Learn to turn your most embarrassing experiences into comedy gold.
Discover what home and belonging mean to you with actor, singer, writer, and producer Sepideh Moafi.
Write young adult fiction with author Amy Zhang, who published her first novel at age 18.
Learn about the history of Hip-Hop and write love poems with writer, poet, and youth worker Sam Arriozola.
Learn how to start small to write a novel with Keisha Bush, author of No Heaven for Good Boys.
Learn to write high-stakes memoir scenes with Maria Konnikova, New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and professional poker player.
Learn how to use art as protest with TONY nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau.
There was a poetry writing prompt online to write your “10 personal commandments.” I wrote the 10 personal commandments of my D&D character.
This work talks about a young person who has recently come to a very chilling realization, but you as a reader won’t know what it it until the very end.
As the evening lamp bathes the room in its familiar warmth, my gaze falls upon the empty chair beside me, Dada.
This poem invites you on a journey into a piece of my identity and culture.
My own experiences in school when I first came to America, a time I felt not welcomed.
This piece is inspired by recent events which reminded me of my childhood, growing up in Haiti.
Flavor, cookery, and presentation are the vehicles of culture, identity, and creativity. I’m extremely blessed to be loved with enough provision to experience finger-lickin’ meals.
The poem intertwines the narratives of Palestine and Bengali heritage, celebrating resilience and solidarity. Through storytelling and shared struggles, it portrays the enduring legacy passed from generation to generation.
A 13-syllable-per-line structured poem that sits with the guilt of womanhood and daughterhood.
Growing up surrounded by women of color, I always felt isolated by the fact that my body was different from those of the beautiful women around me. This poem was my moment of solidarity; my body is no one’s but my own and I don’t need anyone else’s approval.
Daniela and Shoilee both live in New York City. Shoilee grew up in Queens, and Daniela moved to Brooklyn after growing up in Chicago. The following poems depict their journeys of life in the city.
Inspired by the experiences I had in a park I’ve been going to since childhood.
In my family’s living room, I reminisce about an old music machine and its feeling that I took for granted.
I’ve spent my whole life on trains, and most of my life writing. This project is an intersection of both experiences through a unique yet familiar format: Google Maps. Consider it “Poetry in Motion” for the next generation! Each poem was written while riding specific trains. Simply select a “line” (by the title of the poem) to read each full piece OR read stop-by-stop (stanza-by-stanza) if you select the teardrop icons.
