826 believes in amplifying and publishing youth voices. Browse our student writing collections for pieces that will inspire you and your students. Our students’ words will make you smile, think, sigh, cry so hard you laugh, and laugh so much you cry. Celebrate and honor their stories with us!
Our writing collections feature student writing on diverse topics from diverse authors. Browse, enjoy, and discover representative mentor texts to inspire your students to write. Find more student writing in our RESOURCE LIBRARY.
Leenoa/LeeLee A., Age 14, 826 Valencia
A young poet laments on an unrequited love.
Hermela A., Grades 9-12, 826LA
A poet grounds love in their culture through soft scents and sounds.
Isabella V.M., Grade 11, 826NYC
A poet imagines their mother growing up and falls in love with a past and present version of their mother.
Flor M., Grades 9-12, 826LA
A poet dreams about their beautiful, persevering, and kind love.
Rowan, Grade 2, 826 Boston
Love from the cosmos!
Gaby, Age 6, 826DC
A poet finds love through kindness.
A collection of pieces from Black students across the 826 Network that interrogate and appreciate the Black experience.
Brooklyn is the place to be over the summer! A young writer reflects on how summertime cookouts bring family and community together.
"There is so much love in one place and I love seeing family that I haven’t seen in a long time."
A poet fights to understand a crucial question.
"As my people hear the gun click as / The bullet / Is struck through the heart"
Maya Angelou inspires this student's will to, despite everything, still rise.
"Shoulders falling down like teardrops, weakened by my soulful cries at night?"
What is your happiness? This speaker explores what makes them happy—sharing a laugh.
"At school, my teacher reads funny jokes that make me laugh like a hyena."
A poet hears the weight of history like music when playing basketball.
"The piano moans... / Howls like a desperate crone"
A poet critiques the violent oppression of Africa and African people.
"All the hope. Still rowdy. / Karma in place, / so I ain’t gotta trip on nobody."
A speaker named Hershey paints their absurd and creative world.
"My teacher teaches me how to mess up the room"
A poet imagines their identity and Blackness through the heat of summer.
"Sounds of hollering and laughter, nothing could turn this / into disaster, old-heads getting plastered, oh it’s such a good day."
A student describes how the bright sun and a calming tree bring her peace.
"You think of peace because trees give you air."
A writer builds love with her family through a shared special word.
"I could be standing in the middle of a thunderstorm but when I hear that word, the sun magically appears over my head."
Odes, laments, confessions, oh my! A collection of pieces exploring the warm, terrifying, and all-consuming experience of love.
A young poet laments on an unrequited love.
"You have a mouth, but can you say my name one more time for me?"
Love from the cosmos!
"I know the stars love me when I taste the morning dew."
This poem explores the beauty of friendship.
"And the way we protect each other is like we have something to / lose if we don't.
A poet appreciates their loyal riding partner.
"It is hard to believe that when I am with you, I go faster / than some birds in the air."
A poet explores the warmth and safety they feel with their love.
"our hearts begin to tether / and our rib cages interlock."
A poet imagines their mother growing up and falls in love with a past and present version of their mother.
"Así que le agarre la mano a mi mami / Y seguí tomando agua del sifón // So I held my mother’s hand / And I served myself more club soda."
An ode to a poet's love for their culture and family.
"I am from short Karen shirts, worn to Karen church"
A poet grounds love in their culture through soft scents and sounds.
"the intruding scent of itan, / that fills my room."
A poet finds love through kindness.
"Kindness makes me be with you"
What happens when the only thing two people have in common is their love for each other?
"A boy loves dreadful touches"
Explore pieces from our newest anthology of student writing: UNBOUND: The Power and Possibility of Young Writers' Emotions!
This bilingual poem describes the way happiness looks and sounds.
"Felicidad es el sonido de un elefante (Happiness is the sound of an elephant.)"
This joyful letter to everyone's favorite pop star sings! Are you "...Ready For It?"
"I almost went to the Eras Tour./When I couldn’t go, my heart dropped to the floor."
This poem shares an honest look at a big feeling: anxiety
"Anxious is homework"
This personal narrative explores the connection between music, place and self-reflection. We recommend reading it while listening to the included playlist.
"Tying your shoes in the dark is hard, but you eventually get used to it."
This loving poem uses descriptive language to pay tribute to the writer's family.
"I am like a taco./My family is all the ingredients for me."
This poem shares about the beautiful things that can happen when doubt fades away.
"I giggle. There is no silence between us that I was worried about."
This poem uses imagery to describe a small moment of joy.
"Small moments, quiet moments, moments of joy."
This list poem shares tips to manage the anxiety that can come along with making a phone call.
"6. Panic as it rings. What if they don’t pick up?! Do you leave a message? You didn’t write a script for that! You aren’t prepared for this! Abort! Abort! Hang up!"
When we publish our students’ writing, something magical happens. Students see their ideas reflected in something tangible and begin to see themselves as authors with words worth reading. See the magic in action by checking out 826-published books that will feel right at home on any bookshelf.
Our writing collections feature student writing on diverse topics from diverse authors. Browse, enjoy, and discover representative mentor texts to inspire your students to write. Find more student writing in our RESOURCE LIBRARY.
A collection of personal narratives and college essays that explore identity, values, and dreams
Jarmani reflects on the pain of being rejected from his top high school, but through that challenge, he finds motivation. He grows more focused, disciplined, and driven to succeed in all areas.
Jarmani reflects on the pain of being rejected from his top high school, but through that challenge, he finds motivation. He grows more focused, disciplined, and driven to succeed in all areas.
A student recounts the epic highs and lows of high school track and cross country.
A student recounts the epic highs and lows of high school track and cross country.
A personal essay that explores the different shades of the Black Lives Matter movement.
A personal essay that explores the different shades of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The power of public speaking shines through this student's memoir.
The power of public speaking shines through this student's memoir.
A student reflects on how her relationship's with her parents has influenced her life.
A student reflects on how her relationship's with her parents has influenced her life.
A young writer reconciles their sexuality with the beliefs of their community.
A young writer reconciles their sexuality with the beliefs of their community.
A student finds her wings in unexpected places in this piece about the transition to college.
A student finds her wings in unexpected places in this piece about the transition to college.
A student tells the story of how his family has influenced his life.
A student tells the story of how his family has influenced his life.
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