Summer 2025

ISSUE 17: Selves Wide Open

Creative writing is serious business. At least that’s what the literary giants would lead us to believe. But that doesn’t mean that writers themselves have to be serious–at least not all the time.

Each summer at SCWI, besides doing some amazing writing, our teens truly become “themselves”. They laugh, wear whatever-the-heck kind of clothing feels right, draw hysterical doodles on our sign-out sheets and add crazy requests on feedback forms. Requests for next year include a trip to the spa because “being relaxed boosts creativity” and teleporting to NYC instead of taking the bus. (If we could make that happen, trust us, we would!) And they reveal their unique imaginations through their work, presenting their writing in class and in our Friday readings with courage and aplomb.

Writing provides a vital opportunity for self-expression. Whether their work is serious and ridiculous, these young writers find their voices and discover themselves through their words. And those selves express strong opinions and honest observations through their work and aloud in fascinating discussions about artificial intelligence’s impacts on writing and life, and about whether the early manuscripts and juvenilia we saw first-hand on our Morgan Library & Museum field trip should be displayed or kept private. (“I wouldn’t want anyone to see my early writing,” several of them said.)

When young people are given space and respect, they fill it with thoughts and opinions, and easily share their ideas in cordial, candid debate. They can articulate what they think as well as any adult. In this era of extremes that keep us apart, their skill and candor bode well for better communication in their generation.

As they step into the future, we hope that they will continue to observe with their eyes wide open, and express themselves with courage, grace, and honesty. If our summers together writing and creating help them do that, even a little bit, then we know that our exhilarating, exhausting three weeks have done their work.

Judith Lindbergh & Michelle Cameron, Directors

Table of Contents*

PROSE

• Since When Was It Weird to Go to IHOP on a Tinder Date? by Audrey L, grade 12
• The Girl in the Painting by Juliet L., grade 9
• Ivy – Half Human, Half Plant, All Heart by Ved S., grade 8
• They’re Never Free by Maayan R., grade 11
• Divine Daughters of the Patriarchy by Olive B, grade 8
• None by Emma H., grade 9
• To You, I’m Going by Michelle L., grade 10
• Excerpt: The Fateful Spring by Anya T., grade 12
• Excerpt: Crystallized Souls – Escape Attempt by Amelie Y., grade 11
• Tomato Keeper by Isabella R., grade 10

POETRY

• You Loved Me, or Something by Anabella M-F., grade 12
• To The Girl I Don’t Know Anymore (and maybe never did) by Yumna J., grade 12
• Dirty by Gee D., grade 12
• Eve, Being Lied To by Lilian S., grade 10
• Black Sheep, Blackberry by Camila R., grade 9
• Golden Boy by Reese G., grade 9
• Lights are always off by De’Anna P., grade 10

*Some pieces in this summer’s Journal contain disturbing language or content, including self-harm, violence, depression, suicide, animal abuse, and other distressing topics. Please read with care and review our Freedom of Expression policy, which protects these young writers’ right to self-expression within the broad bounds of creativity.

To protect the privacy of our student writers, we only use last initials.

Thanks to our interns for their enthusiasm, intelligence, dedication, and time in putting this issue together: Amelie, Ani, Anjali, Avantika, Flynn, Izzy, Natalie, Percy, Tabitha, Tim, and Yumna.

Thanks to all our instructors who made this year’s program a huge success: Libby Cudmore (Elements of Fiction and Flash & Short Stories), Chip Davis (Audio Dramedy), Catherine Doty (Exploring Poetry and Poetic Forms), Darcey Gohring (Autofiction), Livvy Jean (Hybrid & Genre-Bending Writing), Barry Lyga (Sci-fi/Fantasy and Writing Graphic Novels), Gabby Sher (Elements of Fiction), Michelle Cameron (Creating Character), and Judith Lindbergh (Creating Character and Eco-Fiction).

Special thanks to Libby Cudmore for making our Spyglass Mysteries Literary Adventure a blast!

And finally, a massive round of applause and countless cheers to this year’s CHAOS COORDINATOR (officially, our Program Coordinator) Prisha Mehta. Prisha has been part of The Writers Circle since elementary school and knew what they were getting into when they took on the job! This year’s fun included panicked printer problems on the first day of the program, wrangling teens on a hot day in New York City, and of course, playing a corpse–cardboard coffin and ridiculous wig included! We love giving one of our beloved young adult students this critical position which requires organizational skills, creativity, and a strong sense of humor in equal measures. And we always, always mean it when we say that we could not run the Summer Intensives without you!