Why?

By E.C., TIWP Student Why do you do this to yourself: dress nicely for a boy who doesn’t care, ask him how his day was, even though you already know the answer (“Good,” without a “How are you?”), act dumb and pretend you don’t know what a certain phrase means, just so you have an […]

Here You Are

By Jenna Zapalac, Guest Contributor Angry. It’s been a rough day. You’re bursting with emotion, have so many things to say you can’t remember them all. You’re finally alone. Quiet. Peaceful. You feel like screaming, shattering the tranquility of the serene lake and sending a ripple around the world because you have something to say, […]

Questions Of Her Mirror

By Sophie Bubrick, TIWP student Imagine, imagine waking up each morning to the faceless future of yourself—for all your mirrors have been stripped from their walls in your house. Could you handle having to create your ideal appearance based off of memory—or would you still feel that habitual need to ask your mirror questions from […]

We Were Made For These Times

By Sophie Bubrick, TIWP student Open your eyes now. Don’t be afraid. The harsh, unforgiving world welcomes you into its unpredictable arms. A baby girl’s soft, button nose pokes out of her white blanket. Her dark, emerald eyes absorb the life emanating from all around her. She will grow up as elegantly as her mother […]

A Girl Like Me

By Izzy G., TIWP student I think about the girl in Texas, or Georgia, or Alabama, sitting in the back of her Latin class, hiding behind her headphones, and her braces, and glasses and frizz. We aren’t that different. But she doesn’t dare put a bumper sticker on her car that would indicate that she […]

The World I Want to Fight For

By Pearl Biggers, TIWP student I don’t want to fight. No, I don’t want to have to fight. Whether this is fear or laziness, I don’t know. But I am not a militant. I am a creator. I hold onto love and daydreams, not anger and weapons. I am not a fighter. My heart is […]

They Do Not Teach You This In School

By Tracy Poff, TIWP Women’s Program What is school? Is school the brick building with desks and chairs?  It is the place where you put your tushie in a seat and listen to someone else talk? Words don’t teach. Your life on Earth is the real school.  What did you learn when you ate so […]

I Love

By Emily C., TIWP Student I love the way the ground smells after it rains—fresh and clean and new. I love the way the flowers flow in the wind, hugging each other with every gust of wind that comes their way. I love the way the sun rises and sets everyday and produces colors in […]

A To Do List of Love

By Megan Lewis, TIWP student Fall in love with the complexity of falling leaves in September. Take inspiration from your power to create—and your freedom to choose this power. Understand that what you love may someday break your heart. Find small beauties in common places like bus stops or coffee stands. Take note of the […]

The ABC’s

By Emily C., TIWP Student I am an abstract aardvark, answering astonishing arguments. I am a blubbering balloon, baffled by the big brain. I am a curious centipede, crawling to cure craziness. I am a defiant dog, defending deliberate discussions. I am an enormous elephant, evening everyone’s emptiness. I am a ferocious feline, finding fresh […]