This piece shares the story of a young woman who was influenced heavily by jazz throughout her life and details her understanding of jazz through a Black perspective
Contemplative
Weeping Wisteria
All will wither eventually; enjoy it while it lasts instead.
rain
![Freda Dong](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/10115830/Freda-Dong.jpg)
The thoughts of a student on a rainy day.
Young Mourning
A young person’s feeling while aging.
Always a Bird to Me
![Maya Collins](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/11152413/Maya-Collins-2.jpg)
In this whimsical and melancholic poem, sisterhood and coming of age are illustrated in the metaphor of flight.
Bus Stop
![Ella Yarden](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/30152056/Ella-Yarden.jpg)
An excerpt of a normal NYC commute that explores the riders’ histories through their transient time on the bus.
I’m Not Angry, I’m African
This is inspired by one of my best friends Jayda and our conversation on the stairwell about our anger.
Rin, Haru, and Umi
![Sophia Li](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/22114916/Sophia-Li.jpg)
This piece was selected as an Honorable Mention in the First Chapters Contest, hosted in partnership with Penguin Random House and Electric Lit.
A boy who plays violin is nudged out of his shell.
Offline
![Megan Ngo](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/03101819/mn.png)
![Molly Tansey](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/03102012/Molly-Tansey.png)
Told in a series of chat conversations, “Offline” tells the story of a writer who, fed up with his technology-assisted world, turns to the one thing he’s tried so hard to avoid: AI.
embracing womanhood
Dismissing missed periods became a habit, until fear, not maturity, forced me to listen to my body’s silent cries.
Identity Ecdysis
This letter explores my journey as I navigate the challenges of embracing my asexuality, breaking free from societal expectations, and finding solace in a new identity, shedding my old one.
i’m afraid You’ll end up seeing me the way i see myself
One by one, her words vanished until there were none le–
Universes, Drifting: A Temporal Haiku Collection
![Chelsea Zhu](https://gwn-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/15123848/cz.png)
We capture little moments of friendship, revelation, beauty, and stillness while exploring the brief and transformative form of haikus.
Breathe In Breathe Out
Grab yourself a nice glass of water, settle into your comfiest seat, then breath in and breath out. In our final episode of A Fistful of Verse, Tara Lago grounds the listener into worlds where freedom, hope, & love prevail. Allow this episode to remind you about the miracle of breath.
Limericks on a New York Night
Poetry360 mentee Mia Lindenburg tells her story of leaving poetry and returning to it upon realizing slam poetry can also capture all the joy and wonder of the world.