Almost

By Lina Norris-Raman, TIWP Student The highway unfolds before us, a dark ribbon under a sky dusted with stars. Wind screams through the open windows. For a fleeting moment, I am boundless. Infinite.  The blasting song begins to fade. I can hear the ocean from outside. The tears I’ve been holding back finally spill over, blurring the […]

Middle School Hallway

By Lina Norris-Raman, TIWP Student In a sea of faces, the noise of laughter and whispers dance through the air. Yet the solitude sits heavy, an unseen weight in a crowded room. Eyes scan the floor, avoiding connections that never truly form. A hollow echo resounds inside. I am alone, yet surrounded. Conversations ebb and […]

Forget

By G.G. Gallagher, TIWP Student I write what I know. And what I know are the moments with you. I’m sure I could find plenty of other things to write about, but those moments I have pictures for. When I take pictures, it’s because I want to remember. I fear forgetting. So those big moments, those […]

Our Media Addiction

By O. Deng, TIWP Student I’ve been corrupted by social media. I know it. Every time I open the app, I get hit with a rush of dopamine that intensifies every time I swipe at the screen with my finger. Until one hour goes by. Then two. Then three. And I realize that I’ve wasted […]

If I Should Have a Daughter

By Zara Quiter, TIWP Student Inspired by Sarah Kay’s Ted Talk If I should have a daughter, I would take her skipping through the trees, racing through the daisies, just to hear her laugh. I’d take her every year until she was sick of me just to catch a glance of her being young once […]

Eighth Grade

By Zara Quiter, TIWP Student I’m sorry. Yes, I agree. It is my fault that I didn’t feel like trying today. That I woke up and wore a mirror image of yesterday’s outfit. That I spent no time fixing my hair. Or trying to smile. Or trying to coexist. And it’s also my bad for […]

If Women Ran The World

By O. Deng, TIWP StudentI wonder what would happen if women ran the world. I would probably feel safer knowing that the place I lived in was run by people similar to me. Instead of feeling unsafe and unheard, maybe I would feel included and valued. I’m so tired of hearing men saying they are […]

The Lockdown

By Zara Quiter, TIWP Student On November 12, at 11:46AM, my friend and I left our class at Piedmont High School, and walked down the street into the office at the middle school, like we always do. We checked in at 11:50, and then walked to our English class. As always, we’re slightly late, due […]

For the Girls

By Lina Norris-Raman, TIWP Student For the girl who smokes outside the school, we all know she’s struggling.For the girls who judge her, they deceive themselves into believing they’re okay. They criticize her to avoid confronting their own issues. They belittle her to gain acceptance, to fit in. Perhaps it’s all they’ve ever sought.For the […]

Smile

By O. Deng, TIWP Student“I have been woman / for a long time / beware my smile.” —Audre Lorde Beware of my smile. Just because I smile at you in the hallways doesn’t mean I like you, and just because I don’t, doesn’t mean I hate you. I smile at you when I feel like […]