By Alexia Tzortzis, TIWP Student Icarus flew too close to the sun on purpose—and laughed as the wax burned down his back and he plummeted into the ocean. The sun painted everything in shades of gold, and set the feathers around him a flame. There is a certain beauty in setting the world on fire […]
The Evacuation Theorem
By Ashley Larson, TIWP Student Guns. Guns on land. Guns of different brands. Gun that are small and guns that are grand. Guns for hands. Guns hidden in the Florida sand. Guns still aren’t banned. Fire away mentally ill renegades. Fire on this day. Fire at school today. Fire through the lung’s airway. Fire at […]
I Wish People Knew
By Libby Hawkins, TIWP Student I wish people knew that there have been over ten shootings in schools this year—and it is only February. I wish people knew that even though it was not their sister or cousin or friends, it was someone else’s. I wish people knew that even though it happened across the […]
Thoughts About Parkland
By Alex Bonardi, TIWP Student When my mom used to stress over my schoolwork or my life, I would brush it off and respond with “everything will be fine; it always works out in the end”— and an eye roll. She would stress even more and I would put off my schoolwork even more. But […]
On Writing & Creativity
By Raelyn Kaplan, TIWP Intern I don’t know what to write (ironic because what I want to write about is creativity). I just can’t think of anything. But I guess that’s the antithesis of creativity—forcing out inauthentic pieces just to have a piece at all. It’s when I stop thinking that my thoughts turn creative. […]
Walls
By Ashley Larson, TIWP Student These walls know me better than my family. Inside, these walls hold our secrets, our past lives, our differences and similarities. Inside, these walls hold our screams, tears, radiating smiles and our world. Inside, these walls hold our true beings, our fantasies, our realities. Inside, these walls hold everything we’ve […]
A New Year
By Elizabeth Arroyo, TIWP Student This New Year, I’d like to put an end to the tradition of hurt, scared people pushing down other hurt, scared people to make themselves feel less hurt and scared. This just seems like the only problem that’s actually solvable in the next fifty years. You start at high school, […]
Stories As Light: The Necessity of Stories to Heal, Connect and Empower
(A short speech from the Stories As Light event at Orinda Theater on December 6, 2017) By Elizabeth Perlman, Executive Director of TIWP Thank you all for joining us at this beautiful gathering of writers and readers! Together we are here to celebrate the power and necessity of stories, stories that cast a light even […]
Lazy Summer Afternoon
By Isabelle, TIWP student Peach tea on a Sunday afternoon wooden porch and crystallized sugar mornings like honey evenings like scotch And every soul in the county knows 11pm is the best time to see the fireflies against the treeline And every kid in the house knows that after church there will be a big […]
Push and Pull
By Isabelle, TIWP Student Her cheeks glowed a pink sunset, her eyes, the blue horizon. How new and enticing this feeling is: warmth bouncing between his arm and her shirt, his skin and her shoulder, his blood and her blood. How fresh yet bizarre, the feeling of his breath, her cheek, his smile, her blush, […]
The Intuitive Voice 