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by Milica Filipovic Most writers can be categorized as either a plotter or a pantser when it comes to organization. A plotter is someone that prefers to have the information for their story neat and ready before they begin the actual writing process, and a pantser is someone who prefers to dive right in with only their creative mind as a backbone. Writers that find themselves as a mix of these two definitions are called 'plantsers', a category under which I consider myself to be. In all of these cases, there needs to be a level of planning. Whether it be simply writing down ideas so you can incorporate them into your work in progress or creating a distinct timeline of events, you need to find the way that works best for you. Here are a few of my best suggestions regarding the development of your story ideas into fully-fledged pieces. One of my favorite ways to keep my writing on track is by using a notebook. It’s been proven that writing things down by hand helps to absorb and retain the information written. You can include whatever you’d like in this notebook, any details that will be useful along your journey. I personally prefer to keep my character profiles, deadlines, and spontaneous ideas on paper, while having my outline for chapters and major events available in my online documents. This ensures that the extra details are stored in a safe place but that I also have quick and easy access to more vital information that I’d need whenever and wherever I choose to write. Additionally, I like to have visuals at hand for when my mind can’t conjure up images. A great resource for free, yet aesthetically pleasing pictures is Pinterest. There’s an endless collection of photographs on every topic imaginable, for free! You can even create boards (folders) for different topics. This site is a very efficient place to find references for locations, people, objects, etc. The only downside is that it can be time-consuming and a distraction from actually writing. Picrew, an online platform where you can create drawings of your characters by editing premade templates, is another fun website to explore for this purpose. These options are digital but feel free to use your own artistic skills to capture your book’s visuals. I unfortunately don't have these talents, so another great resource for visuals, although slightly more expensive, would be contacting digital artists to capture a scene or character from your story. Commissioning pieces ensures that they match up the image you have in your head to the fullest extent and, in the process, support a hardworking artist. There are also many programs that can be used to help in your writing process. From free sites to paid softwares, each one has its own perks and downfalls. I mainly use Google Docs to write my stories as it's a free resource that is backed up on all my devices. You can edit the margins and formatting with minimal difficulty. Further along the writing process, I use the paid software Scrivener, an outliner and word processor made specifically for authors, to format my work for publishing and experiment with designs. It’s important that you find what works best for you. Some other softwares I recommend are Microsoft Word – which functions similarly to Google Docs with the majority of the same tools; and Reedsy, a website where you can write and store your work safely. Reedsy also has extensive resources on writing and publishing in general. Even though I cannot confirm that these platforms can simultaneously connect across devices, nor that they offer the same practicality, both are great alternatives with unique features. Upon discovering which platform worked best for me, I began to work on organizing the logistics of my story. As I stated previously, I prefer to do my outlining over Google Docs and place my ideas in chronological order to serve as a guide when I’m writing. My list of potential scenes are jotted down in my writing notebook or Notes app on my phone. I then take these snippets and sort them into major and minor events in my story. With this, I can create a rough outline of my timeline. Finally, I gather all this information and place it in an online document, organizing them by Act > Event > Scene > Description. The information you want to include in this document can be more vague or detailed based on your preferences. This is my favorite way to outline because it’s not time consuming, but still serves its purpose. Finding the right organizational strategy is crucial for any writer, whether you're a plotter or a pantser. The key lies in striking a balance between planning and creativity, ensuring that you have enough structure to guide your story while leaving room for spontaneity. Remember, the best method is the one that works for you, so don’t hesitate to experiment with different techniques and tools until you find your ideal workflow. Happy writing!

by Skye Davis A staple component of fantasy world-building is the creation of magical creatures and their cultures. Authors like J.R.R. Tolkien made fantastical racial groups like elves, dwarves, and orcs irremovable pillars in the genre. We receive an almost unspoken standard: elves are clean, intelligent, and powerful; orcs and goblins are dirty, thoughtless, and dangerous. Through this, the readers receive their “good” and “evil” characters—those that protect and those that destroy. The former are human; the latter, sub-human. While these novels’ readers and authors might not consciously recognize and acknowledge the presence of these distinctions, which are difficult to apply to reality because of the comforting distance from it that the fantasy genre provides, they heavily mimic real-world racial prejudices. The effect remains: there are superior and inferior races whose irrefutable, wholly unalterable qualities assist in the degradation of people, both real and fantastical. Stereotypes take the diversity of groups of people and combine them all into one, denying and simplifying the differences of each individual. An element of this oversimplification is a psychological bias known as essentialism—a cognitive framework that allows propagators to categorize members of a specific group into distinct boxes, assuming they all share fundamental qualities (Mandalaywala, 2020). Fantasy novels are fraught with these oversimplifications. It is much simpler to code large groups with widely applicable and easy-to-understand characteristics. Even simpler is to write that these characteristics are a result of their genetic makeup—a form of categorization known as genetic determinism. With genetic determinism, a character’s behavior is a part of their genetic makeup (Gericke et al., 2017). Tolkien’s racial distinctions now permeate the fantasy genre as his work has become the model. These descriptions of appearance and behavior have now become tropes. The antagonists of Tolkien’s novels bear a resemblance to racist caricatures. A frequently discussed passage is his description of the soldiers of Harad: “...black men like half-trolls with white eyes and red tongues” (Tolkien, 1955). It is not explicitly stated that their similarity to trolls is predicated on their “blackness”; this color and their bestial nature could be separate characteristics. Yet, the combination of these characteristics, and the fact that these soldiers were written to be antagonists, is intended to strike aversion in the reader, and perpetuates the harmful racial stereotype of dark-skinned people being violent and frightening. In a letter written to Forrest J. Ackerman, Tolkien describes the orcs in his novel as “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types” (Tolkien & Carpenter, 1958). He depicts this race as sub-human with his descriptors, seemingly monolithically applicable to the species. A frequent criticism of this more critical reading is its anachronism. Current readers have a different understanding and sensitivity towards race than writers like Tolkien, who lived in Britain in the 20th century. The question then becomes, was Tolkien racist or expressing the evidence of institutionalized racism that was commonplace during his time? This blog post does not seek to reconcile with this. The argument at hand is that Tolkien’s work, having become the birthplace of most fantastical literature, has implications for modern derivatives. A modern example of this insensitivity lies in an excerpt from the novel A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. As a short world-building detail, Novik included a line that described “dreadlocks” as “not a great idea thanks to lockleeches… [that] [poke] an ovipositor into any big clumps of hair, [lay] an egg inside, and [creep] away” (Novik, 2020). Lockleeches, Mana-sucking creatures, prefer dirty, notably long, hair, so the specific mention of locs acts as a continuation of a racist claim of their uncleanliness. People with locs have to see themselves reflected in this magical system that deems their hair dirty by nature. The author sought to establish a simple world-building element, but its implications have real-world effects on its readers. Through descriptors like these, an attempt at diverse world-building becomes a mirror for racist rhetoric. Naomi Novik announced on her website that this passage will be removed from future editions, but this incident serves as an example of why white authors should be mindful of the presence of unconscious or unnoticed racial prejudices that might seep into their writing. This is a much smaller detail with fewer implications across the fantasy world than Tolkien’s racial distinctions, but it is a questionable element nonetheless. The onus is on the author to be critical of any caricatures they might summon in their work. This discussion of race in fantasy world-building is certainly predicated on modern understandings and attitudes towards race, so the purpose is not to make accusations against the author or to degrade the work. It is possible to enjoy and appreciate a piece insensitive to issues that a modern reader might recoil from. Works like Lord of the Rings reveal the prejudices of their day. This post’s intention is not to make a judgment on that score. Regardless of authorial intent, these characteristics bear the same trappings as prejudicial perceptions of real-world people. These prejudices, cemented further by these fantasy novels, have become the building blocks of world-building. Elves—tall, lithe, and lily-white, are a powerful and graceful race. Ogres, however, are associated with destruction. Newer authors might not think twice about these characterizations or their impact on readers, because they may seem to be natural descriptors confirmed by a long line of fantasy novels. Current-day authors can scrub their work of past insensitivities with an open-minded awareness of these tropes and a desire to expand their creativity beyond the racial prejudice that other fantasy authors have displayed in their genre-defining work in the past.

by Tatum Bunker When creating an epic story encompassing a plethora of new worlds and intricate cultures, one may become interested in creating entirely new languages, to be used by the characters residing in these very fictional worlds. These languages are called Conlang. Conlang, short for ‘Constructed Languages’, is a made-up language and focuses on the making of fictional languages. This article is to list the bare bones of a language and how you can use that to your own advantage for those interested in creating their own fictional languages. While there are so many features to a language, this article covers the Phonetic inventory, grammar rules, Semantics, the writing system, cultural considerations, and resources you can use to help you with your Conlang journey. Hopefully, this will encourage you to further explore your creativity and help enhance your world-building skills! One of the basic requirements of creating any language is Phonetics, which are the sounds and pronunciation of different words and letters. Phonemes are an element of Phonetics which differentiate specific sounds from one another. For example, when saying ‘cat’, you pronounce the ‘c’, ‘a’, and ‘t’. But if you were to switch out the ‘c’ for a ‘h’, you would read  this word as ‘hat’. Phonemes are actually the smallest sounds in a language that can change the meaning and sound of a word. To better explain it, think of them like the individual colors in a box of crayons — each one is different. When mixed together, one can create lots of different and beautiful pictures, just like you mix phonemes to make words! Developing a Phonetic inventory will be very useful as well; the inventory is the organization system of your Phonemes! How your letters are shaped and how they are pronounced will be stored in the Phonetic inventory based on how you want your language to sound. Let’s look at the English Phonetic inventory, which has approximately 44 sounds! These sounds come from the 26 letters in the English alphabet. As speakers of any language know, different combinations of letters will create differently pronounced words. This is why the letter ‘c’ in the words ‘cat’ and ‘chilly’ are pronounced differently. Phonetics is a highly important layer of creating a language, as it’s the foundation of how communication flows. Developing a solid understanding of your chosen Phonemes and the Phonemes of the languages you speak can make the creation of your Conlang much simpler! Once you’ve figured out your Phonetic Inventory, you should start on the grammar rules. Morphology is the study of forms of words, which means there’s a focus on the roots, prefixes, and suffixes (or Morphemes). A lot of words in the English language are rooted in Greek and Latin. Of course, there are so many words that have various origins that it’s impossible to narrow down an official root language. To show an example of Morphemes being used in a typical English word, let’s use the word ‘conversation’. The word comes from the Latin phrase ‘conversari’. The root words are ‘con’ meaning ‘with’ or ‘together’ and ‘versari’ meaning ‘to turn’. The suffix ‘-ation’ means ‘creation’ as well! Derivation, however, can be adding ‘un’ to ‘happy’ making the word ‘unhappy’. Happy and unhappy mean two different things, thus creating a new word. Sentence structure is also extremely important in Conlang, just as it is in any other language. In most sentences, there is a subject (S), a verb (V), and an object (O). You must decide what you want your language to follow: SVO, SOV, or VSO. English mostly uses SVO (Bird eats seeds) while languages like Spanish uses both SVO and SOV in some cases. To provide more examples, Swedish generally uses SVO, Japanese uses SOV, Taiwanese uses SVO, and Hindi is SOV. There are various other combinations of sentence structures you can use as well, but those three are the most common. Onto semantics! Semantics is the study of meaning in a language. Different words could mean the same thing, but with slight variations. For example, a pail and a bucket are very similar. They are both durable containers that can be used in a variety of industries. However, a pail typically has a lid and is used as a shipping container whereas a bucket is hardly used with a lid. Because of the subtle differences between these two words, creating a comprehensive lexicon for your fictional language is highly important. The words that you create should have clear meanings and usage. Being unable to formulate a proper sentence could have you sounding like: ‘Today we gathered shoes when we photosynthesized at a store.’ Instead, the sentence could correctly be phrased as: ‘Today we purchased shoes when we met up at the store’. Writing systems are also crucial. There are three main types of writing systems, which are alphabetic, logographic, and syllabic. Alphabetic systems use letters (English, French, Spanish) and can be classified into three sub-types. Each letter can either follow vowels, consonants, or consonant-vowel pairs. Logographic systems use characters that represent words (Chinese, Egyptian hieroglyphics, early Cuneiform), and syllabic systems use symbols called syllabograms to represent syllables (Japanese, Cherokee, Ancient Greek). More modern languages will use alphabetic, but if you are writing in an ancient language, you may want to try your hand at syllabic or logographic writing systems! Another big thing to focus on in your Conlang is the cultural and contextual considerations. Will the rich speak with a larger vocabulary? Will the youth speak in slang? Will those who live in the North have a different dialect than those in the East? Or maybe there’s a polite way to say hello and a rude way to say goodbye. You will be able to use derivation and inflection in order to change some words around. Keep in mind that as the years go by, languages change. You may not hear any older folk actively using modern slang nor do you hear the younger kids saying what their grandparents might have said either. What was a normal word then could be a terrible name to call someone now. Hopefully, this overview of Conlang and the general basics of a language were helpful to your journey of language creation. If you are looking for more advice, fret not! There are various platforms where you can find materials for constructing your Conlang, and also find other Conlangusists. Reddit has various SubReddits  where people creating their own languages offer tips, ask for advice and clarification, and share their ideas! Ones I have found myself reading through often are r/conlangs and r/FantasyWorldBuilding. If you are looking for a translator to use, I would highly recommend using LingoJam. Once published, people can use the translator just as one would use Google Translate. Conlang.org is also a great resource to use; it has all sorts of materials that explain the basics of Conlang, contact information of Conlanguists, and so much more! If you want a more step-by-step approach to Conlang as well, Conlang University is a project hosted by talented Conlanguists with free lessons. Hopefully, this overview of Conlang and the general basics of a language were helpful and inspiring. By understanding the basics of a language, you can develop a deeper layer of creativity for your fictional worlds. With the resources provided and the extra research you can do, you can be ready to begin your conlang journey! Resources: Wikibooks: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Conlang Writing Systems: https://opentextbc.ca/psyclanguage/chapter/writing-systems/. Follow Tatum @tatum_tot24601 and at her literary magazine @thelettershomecollection

By Jason Wu The fantasy genre is one of the most popular genres in the literary world. With many categories and subcategories, it can seem daunting to choose tropes. As a writer myself, I often found difficulty in choosing the perfect trope(s) for my story. A trope is essentially a recurring theme or plot device that can be seen throughout literature. Tropes became popular thanks to William Shakespeare indulging in its use in his many plays. One of the most popular examples being the trope of “star-crossed lovers” in Romeo and Juliet. Tropes are used now to help readers find stories with similar elements that they already like, sort of like categorizing books based on story elements. This is why knowing what tropes to use is important, it helps identify an audience for the writer. While some may assume tropes would just be chosen from the stereotypical list with items such as ‘Damsel in Distress’ or ‘The Chosen One’, these tips give insight to tropes that are much more specific. A lot of fantasy books follow the ‘Good vs. Evil’ theme but it doesn’t have to be the case, as sometimes the “Evil vs. Evil” trope is used. For example, The Sith Order in the Star Wars films operated under the Rule of Two: There were to be only two Sith in the Galaxy, a master and an apprentice. If the apprentice wanted to become the master, all he had to do was kill his master and take the title for himself. The Rule of Two was specifically designed to prevent this trope on a massive scale, as in-fighting was as big a threat to the Sith as the Jedi were. A step away from the normality of the ‘Good vs. Evil’ trope would be beneficial to making a story more interesting and compel more viewers to read on. I’m not saying ‘don’t use the dominating tropes of the genre’, but rather make changes within its constraints, so that one could create a story that is uniquely theirs. For example, in my own work, Empery X Couple: Tryst Heartstrings, the main character Clyde is “The Chosen One”, but not everything in the story happens in a way that is always beneficial to him. He experiences many setbacks in war and loses friends in the battles. While in the grand scheme of the storyline, he does eventually win the war, it is not without loss throughout. The process of choosing tropes should be not solely based on a single trope, but rather a selection of several tropes. For example, in Harry Potter, there is the ‘Good versus Evil’ trope as well as ‘The Chosen One’.  A writer should utilize a set of tropes to focus on. A story shouldn’t bring only one trope into the light, but rather multiple tropes. How a writer uses a combination of tropes is what makes a story unique. Tropes exist for writers to mix and match to fit  their story. Many tropes have sub categories too, for example, the ‘Good versus Evil’ trope also has ‘Evil vs. Evil’, and ’The Chosen One’ has ’The Unlucky One’. There are a lot of trope options out there, and it can be confusing. Figuring out which ones you want to use takes a lot of time and research. But then again, it’s all part of the brainstorming process. In conclusion, in order to master the fantasy trope, you will need to do a lot of research, play around, and just figure out what tropes will work with the kind of story that you want to create.

The life of an author is often believed to be one of inspiration and creativity, with words flowing effortlessly from mind to page. However, the reality for most writers is that their craft is shaped by their own daily routines. Each author has a different routine. Many authors start their days early, leveraging the quiet morning hours to focus on their craft. For instance, Haruki Murakami is known for his regimented schedule, waking up at 4 a.m. and writing for five to six hours straight. This early start allows him to enter a state of deep focus, free from the distractions of the day. Maya Angelou too wrote in the mornings, renting a small, sparsely furnished hotel room where she could concentrate fully on her work. These morning routines are crucial for some authors as it helps them set a productive tone for the rest of the day. The uninterrupted time allows authors to deep-dive into their creative process, often resulting in a more prolific output. This practice underscores the importance of consistency and discipline in the writing life. Others focused on balancing focus and flexibility. Authors like Graham Greene aimed to write 500 words daily, whether he felt inspired or not. This consistent output helps writers avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism and writer’s block, ensuring steady progress on their projects. Murakami, for instance, incorporates running and swimming into his daily schedule, believing that physical endurance is necessary for the mental endurance required in writing. Similarly, Henry David Thoreau took long walks in nature, which he found essential for his creativity and philosophical reflections. William Wordsworth had long walks in the Lake District. These walks inspired much of his poetry, which he wrote in focused sessions during the afternoon. Exercise and physical activity not only promote health but also provide a mental break, allowing ideas to percolate subconsciously. It helps authors to live a balanced life, physically and mentally. The impact of social interaction plays a drastic role on the author. Some authors prefer discussing ideas with authors, others their solitude. J.K. Rowling preferred brainstorming and writing the Harry Potter series in cafes, surrounded by the hustle bustle of daily life. The presence of others provided a sense of connection and inspiration without direct engagement. Other authors, like Marcel Proust, embraced complete solitude, isolating themselves to immerse themselves deeply in their work. Some authors have evening or night routines rather than morning ones. They often use this time to unwind, reflect on their day’s work, and prepare for the next. Many authors read extensively in the evenings, which serves both as relaxation and a source of inspiration. For instance, Stephen King reads every night before bed, which he believes is crucial for honing his craft. Franz Kafka, worked as an insurance officer by day and wrote at night. Kafka's job left him little time to write during the day, so he often wrote late into the night, sometimes until the early morning hours. His night-time writing sessions contributed to the surreal quality of his works, such as "The Metamorphosis" and "The Trial," reflecting the disjointed nature of his own life and sleep patterns. Marcel Proust, who wrote his monumental work, "In Search of Lost Time," mainly at night. He often slept during the day and wrote at night in a soundproof, cork-lined room to minimise disturbances. As authors have been known to defy the normal, there are several authors who have had a completely erratic schedule. Sylvia Plath struggled with severe depression and possible bipolar disorder influenced her erratic writing schedule and intense bursts of creative periods. Her mental health issues are vividly depicted in her works. Hunter S. Thompson known for his "Gonzo" journalism style, his substance abuse resulted in a highly erratic lifestyle. His writing process was unconventional, often fueled by drugs and alcohol, leading to an unpredictable and chaotic personal life. Charles Bukowski's drinking habits were central to his persona and his writing. His alcoholism led to an unpredictable lifestyle and capricious writing schedule, often reflected in the raw, unfiltered nature of his work. While every author has a routine that is uniquely theirs, glimpses of their routines can be seen in their works, yet the common aspect in all of their daily processes is discipline and careful balance of the various other aspects in their life. In the same breath, it doesn't matter when you write, it's important that you stay true to your thoughts and ideas and try to convey those to the reader. Citations: The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers, written by James Clear The daily writing routines of Joan Didion, Kurt Vonnegut, Haruki Murakami and other famous writers,  written by Chris Harrigan Follow the author Prisha on Instagram @prishaaa_m

by Carina C The misrepresentation of mental illness in the media dates back many years. It has been negatively romanticized in recent years. The media has often been guilty of portraying a mental illness as desirable, or falsely representing the effects mental health has on  people. This is severely harmful to people with mental illnesses and to those who are absorbing misinformation presented by the media, especially  for teenagers and young adults. A great example of mental illness being romanticized, especially through social media, is the 2003 film Thirteen. This film is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Tracy who gets involved in sex, substance abuse, crime, and develops mental health struggles. Over the past few years, people on social media have made these experiences seem aesthetic and desirable; people will idolize the main character, try to act and dress like her, or even imitate things she does. This is detrimental because it makes mental illness and dangerous behaviors seem cool and trendy, without showing the long-term effects of such actions, or how harmful and difficult to go through with life they are. It also invalidates those who are diagnosed with mental illnesses, and spreads misinformation about them. Another example of a mental illness being romanticized is the book All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. (Before you continue reading, please know there will be spoilers throughout the rest of this section! Also, in the scope of discussion for this article, I would be including the book only.) This book is about two teenagers, Finch and Violet, who bond over their grief and mental health struggles. Finch especially struggles with mental illness and commits suicide in the end. Some people, myself included, believe mental illness was misrepresented and romanticized in this story. Despite mental health struggles being such an important part of the plot, they usually end up being glorified or quickly lead to another part of the story. At times it seems like mental illness is only used to help the plot progress. For example, Finch’s death seems glossed over, despite suicide being the reason Finch and Violet met. Instead, the adventure Finch sends Violet on before his death is portrayed as more important and shown more than his actual death. Showing the cool, mysterious, and fun adventure more than the main character’s suicide, even after mental illness is such a huge theme in the story, feels wrong. This book also misrepresents mental illness, failing to show what it can really be like at times and making it seem mysterious and whimsical Unfortunately, the romanticization of mental illness typically affects teenagers and young adults the most. Many films and books that romanticize mental illness, define teenagers and young adults as their target demographics – as readers, or as central characters in such stories. This causes many people in this age group to not understand what mental health struggles can really be like, and makes mental illness seem trendy, cool, or even fun. Additionally, social media romanticizing mental illness also affects this group. When social media makes mental illness seem cool and trendy, it often affects how people view it. All in all, mental illness is still being heavily misrepresented through romanticization in the media. Both creators and social media users are at fault, even if it’s unintentional. So, I hope after reading this you can avoid contributing to the romanticization of mental illness and making bad decisions due to it. References Gesick, Greta. “Do We Romanticize Mental Illness?” RedHawks Online, 30 May 2023, redhawksonline.com/2023/05/30/do-we-romanticize-mental-illness/. Accessed Apr. 2024. Townsend, Alex. “Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.” Disability in Kidlit, 16 Jan. 2015, http://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/01/16/alex-townsend-reviews-all-the-bright-places/#comments. Accessed Apr. 2024. Niven, Jennifer. All the Bright Places. New York, Ny, Random House Children’s Books, 6 Jan. 2015. Hardwicke, Catherine. Thirteen. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2003.

by Tatum Bunker BookTok is an online community based on TikTok that recommends, advertises, and discusses books. Many authors have successfully promoted their works and readers have found new book recommendations through BookTok. There are various ‘sides’ of this side of social media, but the overall community has unfortunately developed a reputation for books that showcase deranged and unhealthy relations. Books of fiction aren’t real, that’s a fact. People write their wildest dreams, ideas that can take years to perfect. That being said, the popular and highly recommended books that circulate often objectify characters and set extremely unrealistic expectations of relationships. These can severely impact readers’ perceptions of healthy relationships, especially readers who haven’t been in a relationship yet. With the prevalence of these objectifying and unrealistic portrayals in popular books, a cycle of harmful stereotypes and ideals is created. Sam Bode, a young writer from The Dispatch agrees and writes that “Because TikTok is such a massive platform, untrustworthy, self-published authors are able to promote their stories to a much larger audience than they could before. Their unfiltered stories often strike the interest of young, naive teens who don’t know any better,” (Sam Bode). Readers, especially those who lack real-life experiences and are potentially impressionable, may believe that these unhealthy narratives are normal. It's crucial to recognize the power of literature because it can heavily affect societal norms and to advocate for more diverse and healthy ways to represent situations that actually reflect normal relationships. By prioritizing stories that show respectful, consensual, and realistic interactions, we can include media representation of more positive and inclusive portrayals in literature. This will not only benefit individual readers' well-being but could also contribute to a mindset of  healthier attitudes and behaviors. Within these pages, you may read various toxic tropes and narratives that glamorize abusive behaviors and harmful stereotypes. Colleen Hoover is a great example of an author who romanticizes abuse. Lots of her writings are known for their plotlines that focus on toxic relationships and sexual themes, which are predominantly aimed at teenagers. This not only normalizes unhealthy behaviors but also reinforces damaging stereotypes about love and relationships. Consequently, the widespread consumption of such literature can have detrimental effects on the emotional and psychological well-being of young readers who can foster unrealistic expectations and normalizing toxic patterns of behavior. Olivia Pastrick, the managing editor of The Reflector, expressed her opinions on the topic by stating that “Young adults and other impressionable readers often lack the maturity to fully grasp what is and is not acceptable in real relationships, and BookTok makes it that much harder with the romanticization of toxic and harmful situations (again, think back to the mafia boss plus a vulnerable female victim love story trope),”. These young readers should not be reading Haunting Adeline, but instead Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Reading adult topics affects how these minors see the world and the relationships they make with others. They may fall in love with horrible, toxic characters with the same characteristics as a man who should be placed in prison. But these concepts can not only affect the younger readers, but all readers as well. You see, when reading a book with heavy topics, a reader may feel distressed. These pages can damage a reader’s mental health and could even cause them to actively seek similar situations as found in the books. Therefore, it's important for both readers and creators to recognize the potential consequences of promoting and consuming content that romanticizes or normalizes harmful dynamics. When you understand the importance of accountability and promoting diverse, inclusive, and responsibly crafted literature, we can strive to create a healthier and more empathetic literary landscape for all readers. BookTok can be a wonderful place to promote various reading materials, but it can also destroy one’s view of relationships and social dynamics. “The romance novels BookTok promotes are convincing teens that controlling and isolating behavior means that your partner loves you an incredible amount and wants to protect you. In reality, it is a common method abusers use to emotionally guilt their partner into staying with them,” (Sam Bode). It introduces harmful tropes and concepts to easily influenced readers which can heavily affect their lives. The glamorization of problematic dynamics can encourage unhealthy ideals which could even lead to distorted perceptions of reality. As a result, it's imperative to use critical thinking when reading newer books and to promote responsible consumption of these reading materials to try to prevent the negative impact of BookTok. If you find yourself flipping through the pages of BookTok materials, try setting them aside and turning to Good Reads instead. Olivia Pastrick: ‘BookTok’ Thrives on Marketability Rather than Artistic Integrity Sam Bode: Booktok promotes toxic and misleading dynamics Follow Tatum @tatum_tot24601 and at her literary magazine @thelettershomecollection

By Carina Featured in this interview we have Smrithi Senthilnathan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Rewrite the Stars Review. She will be telling us about the magazine, her other projects, and giving some useful advice. You can also find Smrithi on her Instagram, @theunwrittenstories101. Carina: To begin, why don’t you introduce yourself? Smrithi: Hi! I'm Smrithi, the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Rewrite the Stars Review. I recently finished high school and will be going to college this fall to study journalism and data science :). Interesting! So, why did you start Rewrite the Stars Review? I've always loved writing since I was a child. I was going through some old trinkets the other day and I found my 5-year-old journal where my dream ambitions were to be an author and rockstar haha. Over the years, writing remained more of a hobby that would mostly surface during school competitions and the occasional short story but nothing more than that. During the pandemic though, I had a lot more free time on my computer and I got back into writing. The first year of the pandemic, I spent a lot of time on my own projects and wrote my first novel. The second year, I started exploring a lot of online writing communities! I created my own writing account on Instagram and interacted with a lot of people there. Through these communities, I discovered the concepts of literary magazines and publications. I submitted to a couple of them and had my fair share of acceptances and rejections. One thing I noticed though was that a lot of the pieces published in these magazines seemed to be very deep and cryptic and involved a lot of figurative language. Although they were nice to read, they also felt daunting to me as an amateur author because almost everything I wrote was pretty direct and straightforward. It heightened my impostor syndrome and fears that I’ll never be as good as the greats. I started Rewrite The Stars Review primarily for authors like me. For amateur authors who are just figuring out how to use language at their disposal. Through this magazine, I try to emphasize the different shapes and sizes writing comes in. After all, art isn't about the words but the emotion and what it makes you feel :). That’s amazing! Did anyone or anything in specific inspire aspects of Rewrite the Stars Review? That's a great question! Honestly, since it was a while ago, I can't remember any specific things I was inspired by but I definitely drew inspiration from a lot of magazines on Instagram for the layouts of posts and issues and the website. I do remember though that at the time, my favorite small magazines were Healthline Zine, Cloudscent Journal, and Ice Lolly Review. Those are definitely some other amazing magazines with many achievements. Do you have any big plans for the future of Rewrite the Stars? I definitely do want to start thinking about physical copies of issues and charity work! One big motto of RTS is that we believe anyone can be an artist and you don't need a degree or professional courses to be able to create art. Although our contributors are primarily young authors, we do have a few older authors who are discovering the beauty of writing later in life and try their hand at it! So it's very important to me that eventually RTS contributes to improving access to education and literacy for underprivileged children. I haven't thought about it much until now since RTS was just starting out, but I do have ideas in mind that I want to work on now, especially since I'm an adult. Those are amazing ideas, I can’t wait to see them implemented! Could you tell us what it’s like to be the founder and Editor in Chief of a magazine? What are some of your responsibilities and favorite things to do? Of course! So honestly my duties aren't set in stone and they've changed a lot over the two years that I've been running RTS. At the very beginning, I was handling almost all the departments including graphic designing and social media. After more members have joined the team, I'm grateful to have been able to lighten my duties by spreading responsibilities among different people. Currently the main thing I do is curate the issue. That involves reading through all the submissions and providing feedback, discussing with other editors on which pieces we want to publish, emailing submitters, and publishing the issue (for more information on how our submission process works, you can check our article about the behind the scenes of RTS). I also unofficially do a lot of things though. I delegate duties to others and make sure everybody's doing their job. I provide my feedback and suggestions on designs and blog articles. I help coordinate events and suggest ideas on what kind of events to hold. In case somebody is unavailable for a particular week, I help pitch in to ensure their work gets done. I review new staff applications and help to train staff members. I lay out plans for RTS and set goals for the team. There's a scene from the show Brooklyn 99 that I adore where one character says to another that being a leader isn't about having lofty targets and meeting all of them, but rather it's about putting out fires. A lot of the things I do for RTS may just be simple things that just involve a couple of messages, but I'd like to think that simply the fact that I'm there when the team needs me provides a feeling of comfort in the knowledge that someone else is taking care of things and making sure they're done properly! As for my favorite things to do, well that's a difficult question because I love almost every aspect of running this magazine haha! If I had to pick, I'd say my favorite thing is a tie between reading all the lovely work sent to us, and responding to emails from contributors! I especially love when someone tells us that RTS is their first publication, or they squeal with love for our magazine in an email. It makes me smile every time to see that RTS actually has a positive impact on people. Your hard work, even if it just seems like small things, is definitely noticed! I saw you mentioned a novel earlier. So, can you give us more information about some of your other projects? Aw thank you, that means a lot to me. So I'll be completely honest, I haven't had a lot of time to work on my writing in the past year because I was in 12th grade and had to balance my schoolwork with college applications and chose to use my extra time for my writing account and RTS (because when I actually wrote my novel I wanted to be devoted to it). Now though, I'm on summer break and hope to actually draft my idea! I don't have much to give you right now but the book itself is a Hunger Games-esque novel where royalty choose representatives to fight for them in a life-or-death tournament to decide the next monarch of the country! It's set in a world with a magic system inspired by Indian culture, and I'm very excited to get started on it soon! That sounds cool, I’ll have to check it out once it’s finished! Do you have any advice for balancing projects, school, and a personal life? The main thing that has helped me is to make schedules and lists. I have daily to-do lists, weekly check-ins, and monthly goals. It's a lot more convenient to track what you need to do and how when it's outlined in front of you, instead of just trying to do it inside your head. Reading Atomic Habits by James Clear gave me a new perspective on productivity and I have since implemented a lot of the techniques in that. I would definitely recommend reading the book - or at the very least subscribing to his weekly newsletter! I think it's also important to know your priorities and when to prioritize what. I took breaks from RTS during my most important exams and although I was still available to text, I made sure I didn't have any major duties per say and delegated all my work (shoutout to my beautiful wonderful team for supporting me throughout all of it and motivating me, I love you guys <3).  I also made sure that I prioritized my social life and didn't stay cooped up in my house all the time. I'm not a very social person but I went out with my friends once a month! I think it's all about just good planning and being able to go with the flow. Plans do break sometimes, especially when your mother announces a random family member's wedding that we need to attend, but as long as you try to get as much done when you can and don't fret too much about incomplete to-do lists, you'll be fine :). Thank you for that! Finally, is there any other advice you have for other young and ambitious people? 1) Be bold and unafraid to explore. Try different genres and styles and art forms. Never limit your creativity. Don't be afraid to take risks. My favorite thing about art is that there's no set definition for it so there is literally no limit to the things you could do - you could even create your own artform! 2) Never tie yourself down to arbitrary standards. Don't do things for other people or because others are doing them. Your art is valid and nobody can take that away from you. It doesn't matter if you write poetry or fanfiction, it doesn't matter if you write everyday or once a year, it doesn't matter if you've published eleven books or you never want to publish. You are a writer, you are an artist, and you're valid. 3) Make art a priority. It can be so easy to say "Oh I wish I could write but I never have time!" but I personally believe that you can always make time for things that you want. Obviously you should never force yourself to write, but if you truly do want to write then try to make time for that. One of my favorite quotes is "the price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret". Easier to wake up earlier or stop procrastinating rather than regret it later. Note: In some parts of this interview Smrithi talks about writing in general instead of art, because she herself is a writer. But, Rewrite the Stars Review still publishes and appreciates art!

By Milica Filipovic The reading community online and in person thrives off readers’ connections to the imaginary characters  we follow through books. As a young writer, I’ve had to notice how to market my characters towards audiences in ways that’ll build long lasting bonds with readers. There are two aspects that come into play here: Why do we need these attachments and how can we ensure they are made? To start, we must understand how these attachments are formed. This emotional relationship is directly related to psychology. As my professor would gladly quote, psychology is the basis of human interaction. When we accompany a character through the ups and downs of their lives, our brains develop an empathetic connection. You are feeling and understanding the character’s emotions and their actions in response to them. This feeling can be altered by writers to evoke specific types of relationships with their reader. This is where your part comes in as the creator of your own story and its meaning. You have certain characters you want readers to resonate with and in order to do so, you must use psychology as a tool. Let the way our minds work be your critic. Attempt to observe your work from the perspective of an outsider, if you cannot sympathize with your characters then neither will your readers. Avoiding this issue is easy. Simply make your characters normal. This doesn’t mean taking away all their unusual aspects or abilities but simply making sure that these unique traits aren’t their only ones. Give them normal mannerisms, gestures, or quirks. Maybe they interrupt others in conversation, or perhaps they get so lost in their thoughts that they dissociate during events. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to make them imperfect. A flawless character often falls under the archetype of a Mary Sue, a character talented at everything with no shortcomings. No one wants to read about a person who’s got everything going for them, give your readers the dark and grim details. Characters are impacted by their pasts, this should be resembled in the way they are perceived. Even if they seem perfect, it is likely they’ve got something else. For all we know, Mary Sue could’ve been extremely arrogant because she had everything going on. Maybe she was an egotist. Explore that side of your characters and let it be known to your readers. The bond between readers and characters is rooted deeply in our psychology, driven by empathy and human interaction. As a writer, leveraging this knowledge is crucial to crafting characters that resonate and endure in the minds of your audience. Don’t let fear be a barrier for your creative mind. It's the nuances and flaws that make characters memorable and their journeys impactful.

by Prisha Mehta The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity. - Alberto Giacometti Oftentimes literature does the same to us, we get lost in the alternate reality of the novel, letting imagination and reality collide. Literature and art have always been hand in hand, each a personification of the other, authors have often drawn inspiration from artworks. Examples of artworks being incorporated with literature are novels such as The Da Vinci Code, Black Water Lilies, and The Goldfinch. Let us take a closer look inside Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code which uses Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpieces such as the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa which acts as a clue for the protagonist in unravelling the mystery as well as using the cryptic imagery in The Last Supper. These paintings acted as the backstory for the novel, using these artworks to uncover the ancient secrets and challenge the conventional interpretations of history and religion. Similarly, Micheal Bussi’s book Black Water Lilies, portrays Claude Monet’s famous painting "Water Lilies”. He takes us deeper into the psyche of the painter while setting the novel in his hometown “Giverny”. The author uses the painting as a metaphor, like the flowers floating on the surface of the pond. This metaphor can be interpreted in many ways such as how we only see people at their surface level just like the flowers never bothering to see their inner being or their roots, so to speak. Another perspective could be how like flowers we are ephemeral, a fleeting life in this system, one day we bloom the next we wither. The paintings serve as a bridge between the past and present, as secrets unravel, everything leads back to Monet’s masterpieces. The same way, one can use artworks to depict various types of symbolism in their novels. Here’s how you can do the same: Choosing the Right Artwork Selecting the correct artwork is crucial to effectively convey symbolism in writing. Consider the themes, mood, and tone of your story, and choose artwork that aligns with these elements. Look for pieces that evoke emotions or concepts relevant to your story, more specifically its plot. Whether it's a painting, sculpture, photograph, or any other form of visual art, the chosen artwork should resonate and connect with the story. 2.   Interpreting Symbolism Once you've chosen your artwork, dive into its symbolic significance. Explore its cultural, historical, and artistic context to understand its hidden nuances.  Consider how the artwork has been interpreted by scholars, critics, and artists throughout history. By understanding the symbolism behind the artwork, you can effectively integrate it into your writing and imbibe your story with multiple interpretations. E.g. The book Girl with a Pearl Earring  by Tracy Chevalier explains the historical past of painter Johannes Vermeer’s painting of the same name by imagining the life of Griet, a servant in Vermeer’s household and capturing the social and cultural aspects of the Dutch Golden Age. This shows us perspectives we might have never thought of before. 3.   Using Artwork as Plot Devices Artwork can serve as more than just decorative elements; it can also drive the plot forward and help develop characters. Using the artwork as a symbol for change, revelation, or conflict within the story helps us to understand the characters and their relationships with the artwork and how they evolve over time, reflecting their growth, struggles, and inner turmoil. By using such artworks in the key plot points, one can create a story that truly resonates with the readers. To enhance the writing to properly adapt the artwork into the plot of the story, one can use writing techniques such as, Descriptive Imagery This would be one of the most important and integral ways to adapt the artwork into the story. Through using sensory details to engage the reader's imagination, it can evoke a powerful visual experience. This essentially creates a vivid and immersive description of the artwork within the story. 2. Character Interactions with Art A painting can be used to show different  perspectives to different people. Each character can have a different emotional attachment to the artwork. This shows how the characters interact with the artwork, revealing their personalities, emotions, and beliefs through their responses to the artwork. Thus, using artworks as symbols in writing is a way to make stories more interesting as well as meaningful. Writers can pick such artworks after understanding its history and hidden emotions to correctly utilise it in their piece. This helps the readers form an attachment to the artwork through literature. Utilising various writing techniques will enhance the reader’s senses to read a story they surely will not forget. Using writing techniques such as these will not only make the novel much more enthralling, but also allows the author to experiment with various writing techniques. Follow the author Prisha on Instagram @prishaaa_m

April is National Poetry Writing Month! To celebrate that, we asked our followers on social media to send us poems they'd written in the past month. These artists went above and beyond with their poetry, exploring themes from asexuality to feminism. Continue reading for a selection of poetry from poets around the globe, coupled with comments by our editor, Bri. If you like what you read, you can check out these artists' social media handles to read more of their work! As always, thank you for your continuous support, we wouldn't be where we are without it <3 Friends by Sammy Always keep them close, Some will stay, Some will go, You never know who might end up being your friend, But always know they'll be there till the end, Because they are your friends. Bio - Sammy is a 12 year old girl from India who has been very interested in poetry and writing since last year. In February 2023, she started her mixedgram (an account on which she shares different things, not only writing but art, cooking etc.) Instagram - @the_words_you_missed. Comments - I love the vague yet intriguing first line that really draws in the reader; who is them, and why should we keep them close? The immediate follow-up of the answer maintains the rhythm and the elaboration feels so natural. The final two lines that wrap it up nicely are very comforting! Poppies by Claire Kroening Their eyes speak in poppies: spring rain, sunset-valleys, sound calmness where it's enough to just be; blossoms of Venus starbright ever unfolding, ever growing, ever loving - for everything else becomes clear like the grass peaks through the sundrenched-warmth for now is enough in their icy-blue. Used napowrimo prompt - Eyes Bio - Claire Kroening is a queer poet based in Wisconsin. Their work has been published in Honeyfire Lit, Intersections Magazine, Maythorn Magazine, and The Globe Review, among others. In their free time they appreciate visiting art museums and studying creative writing. More of their work can be found on Instagram. Instagram - @clairerosek Comments - The first line is fresh, original and eye-catching! The vivid descriptions flow extremely well together as you gradually shift to motions (ever unfolding, ever growing, ever loving) and end nicely with a final subject looping back to the theme of “eyes” and a transformation. The Watchman and His Cat by Shamik Banerjee I know a watchman and his cat; He, with it, every night and day, Sits and guards a landowner's flat, And does not very often say; When I his small guardroom pass by, A nice rictus by him is shown, But never much can converse I, Though full five years he has me known; His family, did long demise, Are dead too, the cat's kitlings three, Perhaps, they find in each other's eyes, Mitigation from agony; Blessed is their bond, but more than that, A loveness no one cognize can, Save the watchman who loves his cat, And the cat who loves his watchman. Bio - Shamik Banerjee is a poet and poetry reviewer from the North-Eastern belt of India. He loves taking long strolls and spending time with his family. His deep affection with Solitude and Poetry provides him happiness. Instagram - @where_tales_end Comments - The first line is great at drawing in the reader. I love how you continue on to describe their routine, providing familiarity between the reader and cast. I loved the relationship of each character with the persona and how they seem at first to mean nothing until you explain the history and we come to like the new characters, understand their story. The ending is sweet and perfect for the overall piece. The First by Ines Mueller I try to think of good times between you and me, but the memory keeps running away. Dress billowing in the wind, laughing over her shoulder, looking at me with an “I know something you don’t know” kind of childish glee. She’s not wrong but she is dead. And as I watch you read her eulogy, the paper steady in your hands, your crisp black suit melts into yellow and orange and red with vibrant pink flowers blooming on green grass, stained glass, the organs’ melancholia. I shouldn’t be here, I think, but she keeps running and running and running until she is gone, over the horizon. Bio - Ines likes to read and write, taking inspiration from her life and her chaotic brain. She lives in California. Instagram - @ines.m.m. Comments - The jarring comparison of the present and then dive into the joyful memory is great, especially when you reveal the surprise that she’s dead. I love the imagery you create in the funeral scene and the line “the organs’ melancholia”. I like how in the end we realise that the persona is leading up to regret and missing this person. A Bit Of Advice by Zia Adora Shining brightly in the sky up above, Shimmering, sparkling and glowing. Like a mirror ball made out of ivory, Lighting up the vivid night sky. Being a companion of the stars and Inspiration for poets to write about. The moon always stole people's hearts. But a bit of advice, The moon also has a darker side, Murky, gloomy, obscure. Dark and rough like it's made from obsidian. Disguising itself as the vivid space it's floating in. Always forgotten and left out, Wondering if someone, somewhere wrote a poem about its darkness too. Pondering if people realize it's the same moon who they admire for it's beauty, But never search for its presence when its showing its true self. When it's finally showing its darkside. Bio - Zia is just an insomanic poet who turns her sadness and anger into poems and could be found hunched over her phone reading whatever book she currently found interesting with a cup of tea and her earphones at 3am in the morning. Instagram - @sleepdeprived_writer Comments - I love the overall flow. Fantastic imagery especially “like a mirror ball made out of ivory” really stood out to me. I love how you compared light and dark and gave the moon personality, linking it’s existence to something more, something deeper, like the side of a person not many people know: the “darkside” as you say. A Teaspoon of Sand by Kiran A slam of a door Being brushed off as a joke It all starts so innocent ‘A favor?’ they ask Already stabbing my back It wasn’t like this before Before it was bright It was love and it was light Now it’s dark Its words and claims of my worthlessness Clanging in my ear I can hear them, feel them, see them Through my eyes, though Covered in a velvet cloth All I do is sit and wonder With a glass of water in my hand, Would I dissolve into myself If I was a teaspoon of sugar Or would I remain Like a teaspoon of sand? Bio - Kiran is a young writer and poet from India. Usually found daydreaming and writing in the back of her maths notebook, she aspires to be a published author someday. She hopes that her poetry resonates with the reader and moves them, even if it is a minute shift. Instagram - @kiran.writess Comments - Overall, a sorrowful piece with a fantastic first line with drama, leaving readers curious! I also love the comparison of past and present and the light and dark symbolism. The description of the impact of the words are intense and you end with a new found question that readers themselves may reflect on as well. An Average Day by Nethi tw; some imagery of blood how did it feel when you kissed her in your bedroom last night?/ did her lips taste of too-sour lemonade or was it sweet enough for your liking? / i promise i'm not hurting but the acid in my heart keeps on burning/ i wish you'd stabbed me in the heart/ instead of shoving me down the nearest well/ rendered me unfeeling instead of cursing me blind/ at least then i'd know what's good for me and avoid all that screams beautiful disaster/ sometimes i sit in my bathroom crying/ wondering how wounds so deep haven't killed me from the inside yet/ what was love but a poisonous lie/ disguised in wrapping paper and a handful of ribbons/ guess what?// i broke the 'stranger danger' rule/ jumped off the edge of the swimming pool double time/ and now i'm sinking into a swamp that once promised me so much/ so much for happiness// my blue heart is wide open, like a wound and i'm bleeding the red onto my pillows/ all while you kiss her in your childhood bedroom. Bio - Nethini is a Sri Lankan queer teen with a heartfelt passion for writing poetry. She also has a deep love for music and dreams of being able to play 'cardigan' by Taylor Swift on the guitar one day. Instagram - @venus.in.verse Comments - The jealousy conveyed in this is powerful and the suffering is also done well. I enjoyed how jealousy is conveyed through the descriptions of the persona’s reactions and how it effected them; the diversity of these demonstrates your creativity and I love how you ended the piece with a personal note: “and now I’m . . . “ which lends a personal melancholy finale. Skin by Pratiksha Flash floods of sun-soaked memories, Whirl into my mind, But I can still see undertones of shadows, plain as day Lurking. Skulking. Prowling like animals. Waiting to take over. Shadows of insecurity, of jealousy Shadows of longing For the people I yearn to be. Shadows that sweep me into rivers of fantasy, Only to crash me into ravines as the morning comes. How long will I have to beg, borrow and steal, The very essence of people, Who've committed no crime, Except the mere one, Of confidence, of genuinity? I seem to become one with my fears, I lurk, skulk and prowl, In the dark corners of a room. Waiting, watching, For a chance to transform into another. How many skins do we have to try on till one finally fits? Bio - Pratiksha is an aspirational young writer who can usually be found reading fantasy novels in the corner of her room. As an avid reader and writer, Pratiksha hopes that her work resonates with people and allows them to gain a fresh perspective of the world by looking at it through different lenses. Comments - The visuals in this are intense and vivid. The universal themes are also extremely relatable and beautifully described and the circle back to the movements of the ‘animals’ make for a fitting, satisfying conclusion. A Love Letter To The Moon by Nyx How do I make my whole life a love letter to the moon? The stars came to life They say by being yourselves, being happy, by loving yourself for who you are, by being easy on yourself, by living. I asked, “what do you mean?” They say that living is the rarest thing, most people just exist. They continued by admiring its beauty every night. Sometimes you can click on pretty pictures of it. I said that I do all this generally as well. They responded, “You see, your life is already a love letter to the moon. You just have to treat yourself better.” Bio - Nyx is a student and loves writing, singing and listening to music. Instagram - @_she_.writess Comments - The message in this poem is profound. The flow of the poem is beautiful as it describes the meaning of life and what it means to live and I love how you chose to explore that with both actions and the dialogue. Love that you end of a sweet note of self love April Is The Cruellest Month by R S (Inspired by T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land") April is the cruellest month, Harbinger of hope, summer's prelude; Springing daisies, springing lilacs, At best a fleeting interlude. For hope ignites a sweltering fire, And turns to ash sweet content; April begets whim and desire, In hearts wallowing in lament. It saddles yearning to the heart, When fleeting is its innate nature; April is the cruellest month, With fickleness as its signature. Bio - R.S. is a denizen of India who writes Poetry to find harmony in life. She graduated with Honours in English and loves to read and write poetry. She rises early to feel inspired with the morning star and create new rhymes. Instagram - @thepoetrywindmill Comments: I love the personification of April. It’s beautiful how you discuss the traits of the month to mean more than a season but you go on to list visuals and feelings that occur to the persona with exquisite language. I felt really moved by the balance of feeling and visuals that you painted as well. Desiderium by Jason Wu The past acts as an aide-memoire, reminding you of evanescent events and those that span a long time, constantly giving a poignant sensation. No matter how ignoble one may feel, concordance and eudaimonia free from restraint allows your soul to return to its peaceful state, letting one be free of lost desires. Bio - Jason is a determined writer with dreams of becoming a author. He is also a volunteer/localization expert for Lemcnsun Entertainment and Soul Tide. Instagram - @editor_masterwu Comments - The use of vocabulary is masterful to bring out the message of reminiscing the past! I love how the second stanza is hopeful, and reminds us that we can be free of the memories of the past. Short but sweet! A Love-Stricken Fraud by Shu when i see you, all the way across the room, i feel a twinge in my heart. i don’t know why, but i blush when you come near me, and i love it when you speak. my friends say i should try. but wouldn’t that be a bad idea? i have no clue how to talk to you. your presence makes my brain melt. that’s what all the love-stricken people write, isn’t it? should i write that too, despite not being able to fall in love, just so i can fit in? i stare at the poem, then rip it out and toss it away. Bio - Shu is an Asian Canadian in high school. They're interested in politics, history, typology, K-pop, and of course, writing. He has a love for weird reels, cats, and almost every dark-coloured aesthetic in existence. Instagram - @wlvshuu Comments - This encapsulates the idea of a fresh, young love well. I love the natural feeling of flow and stream-of-consciousness, nearly like a diary from a coming-of-age movie. The end is a brilliant twist that is like a breath of fresh air. A poem by Aki Rayne the colors that you've painted me in are all the wrong shade now. the words that found a way to leave my throat come out wrong. and my image is tainted with something murky and dark. casting a shadow on all that had once been my light. a change that is irreversible. and I will forever be marred with the aftermath of a changed opinion because what others think you to be is all that you are and ever will be. they put the words in your mouth but you're the one who's pleading for another chance on your knees. but you're the one in shackles on the ground for everyone to see. the painting "ruined by the people," not more than a forgotten memory. Bio - Aki is another eighteen year old who's trying to find their place in the world. Aki is slightly obsessed with writing, and you'll find poetry, details about their wip and things like moodboards and interactive posts as well on their account. Poetry is Aki’s coping mechanism and they hope their poems are something that others can resonate with. Instagram - @writeyourwoes.aki Comments - This was a fast-paced read that described anguish and anger well. The constant listing of all the bad things from the persona’s perspective are brisk but intense. The middle that reveals why they are so upset is done well and the twist towards the end, the switching of roles is a great twist. Dawn: A Terza Rima by Vastriane "Did being late become your brand, my child?" I felt myself grow older with a sigh and die with work and children in my mind. The door unpeeled itself, divulged the sky, then all at once the world unravelled true: while hums of leaves replayed a sapling's cry, I squint against the shine of morning dew, I see the tree seemed smaller, branches skinnier, and the leaves were less distressed like it was new. Oh, how the sun reflected years of blur and the wind carried me like mother did years ago, before the labor meant “I’m happier,” and shadow was my fear— now friend and foe. "I can't believe I'm late for freshman year!" That sounds like a rainbow fading in glow... Truly, the rainbow vanished and the sun appeared; it opened its eyes like it did back then, when I touched her first, my sapling, dear. I sigh— relieved. The door's agape again. Bio - Ianna Reign, writing under her pseudonym Vastriane, at the age of twenty-one, is currently an undergraduate student in University of Sto Tomas in the Philippines. She is majoring in Bachelor of Arts, Creative Writing, and is pursuing the art of poetry. She is an aspiring novelist and poet, greatly inspired by POC musicians, authors, and artists. Instagram - @vastriane Comments - A thought-provoking piece. The universal feeling of one being late and embarrassed in front of the class is a great start. The rhyme in this poem is beautiful. The description of nature and the apparent theme of growing up is demonstrated well together. I Thought Of You Again by Allison i thought of you again Not because i missed you But because the memory of you sticks like molars rooted in the gums, unrelenting and stubborn. Can't stop the odor of bile and teardrops, not like soap and unwrapped erasers like how it used to be. i thought of you again, Not because i want you to come back But because i see you standing in the crossroads of my mind again Ordering soft pork buns and crispy scallion pancakes… Sometimes i want to let go of that memory i want a seagull to swoop down and pluck you out of my mind, Wipe you away like a soup stain at the corner of my mouth, Watch you disappear into a crowd like a stranger (even though you already have), i thought of you again Not because you are a simple muse for my sappy poetry But because i loved you in all forms love can take, And you mean more to me than words can ever capture. And i assume I'm supposed to wait until your color fades Like the lettering of old newspapers And maybe I’ll read them again from time to time Until the thought of you dwindles away. Bio - Allison Kwan is a 19-year-old student currently undertaking a biology degree but is a writer at heart. You can find her cultivating her inner zen by practicing yoga, huddled in bed reading fictional novels and learning new languages in her free time. Instagram - @cloudykorner Comments - Grief is portrayed well. Insanely natural flow and I love the sense of denial and missing of a person which I could with every memory described. The diverse comparisons lend this piece a sense of freshness with every line. She don’t need a crown by Tapasya Bhardwaj She didn't need a crown She has a sword in her hands, She can even cut the bodies. But now she is sitting there silently, maybe counting the buried memories. She is confident like a lioness, don't need a king to keep her safe. She is a bird who belongs to the sky, one day she'll fly away after burning her cage. She is a sword with diamond, as dangerous as she is sweet. She is aware of herself very well, quit already if you can't take her heat. She is a rose with thorns, won't let you touch her delicate side. She has covered her beautiful face, in order to save you; not to hide. She's already a queen, don't need a king, don't need a castle, she lives in our heart. With poison flowing in her veins, she is alone enough to tear you apart. She don't need a crown on her head, her sword is enough for her identity. If you think she is not strong, then you're only alive because of her serenity. Bio - Tapasya Bhardwaj, a young writer, trying to explore the world of words and dive in it. Loves reading, writing, art, rain and music. She believes that every word needs to be woven to form a poem. Instagram - @laxmisharmabtp123 Comments - I loved how empowering this was. The various comparisons of the persona are beautiful and so is the rhyme. I also adore the self-awareness the persona has as it brings home the theme of independence in a woman and the ending warning truly captures the danger she poses. To learn more about the artists, visit our instagram account @rewritethestarsreview and follow the link to the respective contributors' pages.

To celebrate Friendship Day on August 6th, we asked writers from all across the world to submit their friendship-themed writing to be published on our blog. These amazing submissions are paired with feedback from our editors Bri, Smrithi, and Ava. Enjoy the crème de la crème of submissions as you reminisce on your own friendships! POETRY Haikus: Honeyed Dedication stuck to your knuckles won’t budge; stay when needed most through treach’rous troubles. recognize as sweet when times are happy, carefree-- grateful for before. by Jules Duve Instagram: @jules_duve Bio: Jules Duve is a Filipino American high school student in North Carolina. They enjoy literature through many mediums: reading, writing, editing, and even the study of language itself. They plan to pursue archaeological linguistics and a life filled with writing, from typing unseen poetry in their notes app to analyzing the occasional classic. Category: Poetry - Haiku(s) Inspiration: This poem is inspired by my personal friendships. My friends would stick by me even when I tried to purposefully push them away. Later, I found that I admired their dedication and appreciated that they continued to support me. Many of my peers I've discussed this with have gone through similar situations, and it's my hope that others my age may relate as well. Feedback from Smrithi: This set of two haikus is an example of how you don’t need a lot of words or pages to connect with readers- all you need is 24 words. I love how effortlessly this piece flows. The duality between the two haikus is showcased masterfully and I love the contrast between the two ideas. Both however connect to the theme of friendship and it is definitely something all our readers will be able to relate to. I hope everyone found a piece of themselves in this piece just like I did :) Ties in Turmoil Wrapped in fake gold foil, Roots tangled above the soil, Friends and foes do coil. by Isabella Norris Instagram: @_isabella.norris_ Bio: Isabella is a sixteen, almost seventeen-year-old from Canada. Some hobbies of hers are crocheting, reading, running, and writing. She also enjoys making niche playlists but is unsure if that qualifies as a hobby. People that inspire her are Angela Davis, Emily Dickinson, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Sappho. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: What inspired me to write this haiku was a recent friendship breakup I went through. I think that is very relatable for teens, as we are at an age where we are slowly but surely emotionally maturing, and as we evolve, we are bound to outgrow people. Feedback from Smrithi: This piece is certainly interesting as on its surface it seems like three unrelated phrases. But when you read the inspiration behind the piece and begin to unravel the mysteries of this piece, you realize there’s a lot more than what meets the eye. The implications of this short poem, the connotations of words like ‘fake’, ‘tangled’, ‘friends and foes’ - all of them create a twisted web of interpretations that together paint a picture of how friendships aren’t always what they seem like. I love this piece and I love how the author has chosen to write it! Friendship Filled with gratitude. For I found a friendship like, A blanket of love. by Bushra Ali Instagram: @calm_peace Bio: Bushra Ali is a poet and writer from Pakistan. She's been living in this enthralling world of writing since her childhood. The spark of storytelling and dancing with words was ignited in heart by the countless books she read in her school library. She believes in the saying that ‘Everyone has a story to tell’, and she chooses to write her stories by her words. Bushra showcased her writings mainly through social media platforms and then made her way to a few magazines. She admires and has a passionate love for literature and all that holds. Bushra aspires to publish her own books someday. You can read more of her work at her Instagram account @calm_pace. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: True friendships are indeed a blessing. I am lucky because I am surrounded by people who always support me with their genuine love. Friendships provide you a home in a state of despair. A warm blanket of love that you drape yourself with on a gloomy day. Feedback from Smrithi: This is a heartwarming short piece that speaks about the importance of friendships in our daily life. I love how the piece is written and how it flows across the formatting of a haiku. The italicization of the last line is particularly impactful as it highlights the enormity of a good friendship in our lives. Excellent haiku! Grieving Together Then, we haunt your flat, toothbrush dangling from teeth. Only you remain. by Rachael Aimee Instagram: @rachaelaimee.art Bio: Rachael Aimee is a young writer based in South-East London with an interest in unravelling the body to find what lurks beneath, through experimental form, sticky language, and grief. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: This haiku is about finding rock bottom, struggling to do the smallest things to keep going, and a friend remaining there when everything else is lost. the power of friendship is often underestimated in life, but grief is a time where it shows itself to be stronger than we'd all thought. Feedback from Smrithi: I am in awe of this piece. In three sentences, the author manages to convey a feeling with multiple layers and many different aspects of it. I love the idea behind this piece and how the author has chosen to execute it. It conveys both a melancholic and an eerie atmosphere at once, and leaves an impact on the reader. Excellently done! Everyday Ice cream on the roof, relishing in the sunset, our backs to the world. by Chi Le Instagram: @lychee_sept Bio: Chi Le is a Vietnamese high-school student who enjoys reading, watching and reading. She is fascinated by English Literature and all small, everyday things that pique her interest. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: This is the image that would pop up in my mind whenever I think about friendship. Having your best pal beside you, you just know instantly that they will always have your back, even if it means that they have to turn theirs on the world. Feedback from Smrithi: This piece immediately brings a single and vivid image to our mind- one that we all would’ve experienced in one form or the other. A day with our friends, carefree and happy, as we take in the comfort of not being alone in the world. I adore how this is written and how it brings up memories for the reader. Splendidly done! i’ll always want to do your makeup Love is the lipstick In my hand, tracing your lips With soft devotion by Andrea Wagner Instagram: @redpandrea Bio: Andrea Wagner is a graduate student in English lit and rhetoric as well as an editor for Penumbra, Stan State's literary journal. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: It's a queer piece about loving a girl and doing her makeup. Might seem basic, but I feel like the simplicity of a haiku really captures the fragility of the moment. Feedback from Smrithi: As the author mentioned in their note on the inspiration, this short poem captures a single moment in time. The choice of the moment, the phrasing of the sentences, the title - all of it corresponds to paint a picture more effectively than a longer piece could’ve. I love the underlying themes and messages behind this poem- how the author illustrates that love isn’t grand gestures or outlandish dates but a simple moment that symbolizes mutual trust and affection. This one made me smile and I hope you smile too :) From me to you From me to you, a binding thread of fate, a bridge that melds our souls. by Alice Instagram: @aliceswips Bio: Alice is an aspiring young writer from Italy who has been pouring her heart on paper since her childhood. She is a night owl who lives in her own wonderland and draws inspiration from her experiences, passions and emotions. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: “In a few lines, I've tried to describe the strong and unbreakable bond between two friends, symbolized by both a thread and a bridge. The thread, woven by fate, aims to represent a tight connection between them that's nearly impossible to break, while the bridge symbolizes the overcoming of differences and distances to create a solid link and direct communication between the two individuals.” Feedback from Bri: Short but sweet. I love the complexity of the words, even though seemingly simple, they can mean a variety of things. The mention of the folklore is beautiful and how it represents a path between two people and remains connected; the idea of souls meaning it’s deeper than just two people physically being together in any way and things can be overcome to bring people together. Together, We Drunk the Sun she was late for tea and the moon remained un-pink. but warmth? we’re a choice. by Christopher Tang Social Media: @chris.tang15 (Insta) , chris_tang15 (Twitter) Bio: Christopher Tang is a Writing MA student at Warwick university, where he also writes for The Tab and was appointed Editor-in-Chief at The Tab Warwick. Specialising in poetry/non-fiction, he intends to pursue art and entertainment journalism in the future, and later publish his own debut poetry collection. His creative work can be found in numerous publications such as Outlander Magazine, Seaside Gothic and RUBY Literary. Category: Poetry - Haiku Inspiration: “I met my best friend over two years ago now. We decided to meet for bubble tea and watch the famous pink moon rise on our university campus. But she was late for 10mins for tea, and the pink moon never appeared. it was just normal moon coloured. Yet, it didn’t need to be pink, and she didn’t need to be on time. Everything she does for me, as my best friend, is enough. Her simplicity is perfect. And despite that cold, barely Spring night where we stayed up to try and find the moon, I had never felt warmer. I think this is what speaks to youth nowadays - we’re always told to be something MORE, when in reality, we are just enough. we are warm. we are on time. we are pink.” Feedback from Bri: A raw yet warming, profound piece. I love the idea the friendship is about forgiveness, staying when things don’t always go right and choice. I think being late to meeting with someone is something common and important in friendships but it can be forgiven through compassion and maintain a strong friendship; appreciating that someone is enough even when they’re not always meeting expectations. The message that people are always told they can be more can be abused so I love that you recognise that and bring home the message that we’re always enough. Sounds of Summer Windows down, fresh air, fountain drink fizz, quaint laughter— Summer night music. by Xalynn Perez Instagram: @xaeforshort Bio: Xalynn is a writer currently residing in New Braunfels, Tx. She enjoys local coffee shops, reading, and film photography. You can find previous work published in the Fall ‘22 issue of The Creative Zine. Category: Poetry - Haiku Feedback from Ava: Three descriptive lines that capture the platonic ideal of friendship. Reading this haiku allowed me to be transported into the scene that is described. The quintessential feeling of friendship without need for a mention of another person. Everyone has had a moment like this with their friends and this haiku produces a sense of nostalgia for those times. Conventional Poetry: Lose a Friend It’s always sad to lose a friend I just know that they’ll forget me. And I always think that the next time I see them They’ll act like they never met me. I’m not saying it’s their fault, I know I’m pretty forgettable. People will come and they’ll always go, I just find it so regrettable. That I’ll keep missing people, That won’t even remember that they lost me. And we’ll all keep moving on, and I won’t really acknowledge what it cost me. That I’m not even a footnote in their stories, While they were a whole chapter in mine And I’ll never really tell them, But I’ll still talk about it and rhyme. And life will just keep moving on, like it’s been known to do. But if I ever finally write a book, just know that one of those poems will be about you by Mayhem Instagram: @w.rite.now Bio: A writer who is always wrestling with the thoughts in her head, in an effort to mold them into a form of expression that may or may not be understood by others Category: Poetry - Conventional Feedback from Smrithi: This poem is absolutely beautiful! I have a soft spot for poems with rhyming couplets because they always read so effortlessly and like a song. This poem conveys such a simple idea in a profound way and I love the choice of words- especially the contrast between a footnote and a chapter. The last line had me smiling in a bittersweet way. As everybody would’ve lost friends at some point or the other, I’m sure this poem will be relatable to a lot of our readers! Know that if they were meant to leave, there’s nothing you can do to make them stay </3 Heart Invasion we sat on a bench at the park laughing to every stupid thing we said. we talked about life, about people. i said I don't like people invading my privacy. she replied, yes, I don't like people invading my privacy too, and the most private thing to me is my heart — but you already claimed it. by Adedokun Ibrahim Anwar Twitter: @IbraaheemAde1 Bio: Born on a Friday in October, Adedokun Ibrahim Anwar is a homeschooled Nigerian, a teen writer who was born and raised in the suburbs of Lagos. He writes in a voice that is meaningful communication, for himself, for those who seek to be touched in places where humans can’t. His work has appeared or are forthcoming in literary journals, including Brittle Paper, Eunoia Review, African Writer Magazine, The Kalahari Review, The Shallow Tales Review and elsewhere. If you don't find him catching up with late night deadlines, you find him building bricks with toddlers. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: I was on a call with a loved one. She was staring the things she dislike, then I mentioned something, her reply sparked the poem up my head. It's a piece you wouldn't want to have it in your submission file without publishing. You are hungry for this, I know. Feedback from Bri: I love the simple yet profound themes of this piece. The choice of first person really helps to make this shine and as you said in your explanation, it does well in discussing different feelings. I love the reciprocation between two people to demonstrate what a friendship can be too. It’s not just having a good time, but having a sad experience and sharing it; being vulnerable, intimate and sharing private things. two There was something special about tonight: I saw you there, under the dim lights, the reminiscing memories started to shine and once again, your soul ran to mine. Your hands lift my heart: it feels less heavy than it did in the void of your absence. Your voice takes me away from madness, it will make me love again, when I’m ready. I didn’t know words could sew the cracks on my tongue, but yours do, and no kiss, no touch could heal the bruise like the sole standing next to you. If our ghosts could tangle together, I would wish for a swiffer path to heaven. by Teresa M Medina Instagram: @louvre_in_blue Bio: She is a high school student and (occasional) poet. Too busy and too tired. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: I think the most important thing about the poem is that it doesn't treat friendship as a kind of relationship less valuable or deep than romantic love, which is something that is often shown in media. I wrote it about a friend of mine, and I believe this kind of relationships are beautiful and deserve to be written. Feedback from Bri: A heartwarming piece. I enjoyed the gradual introduction with the context of time and how the relationship was introduced and particularly, the idea of two souls. The emphasis on how the person feels better when they are with the other person is lovely and very relatable. I also love the idea that this person is unique and they want to be together. Connection Connections, like red thread Tied together, non-binding Easily broken, yet It grows stronger at every bullet point Wear and tear The red string's been through it all Colors fading into merging grey Still, it stands tall. Bonds unbroken strings out of shape A connection so frequently called upon It's best friends forever by Deeksha Instagram: @wizardee.in Bio: Deeksha is a teen writer, poet and an aspiring author. If she's not on her computer frantically writing then she's probably on the couch reading another book or taking a long walk. Some of her other hobbies include driving, coding and art. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: The anime show "your name" inspired the red-string theme. In Japanese culture a string is always used to demonstrate bonds and I find that to be very intriguing, very beautiful. It was also inspired by Taylor Swift's song "invisible string" I don't believe in fate but I believe that when you meet someone and form a connection with them, the string is attached and even though it might end up being broken someday, all of us know that the string never really detaches from inside us. Friends are these unbroken but severely worn threads, and some of these threads will never break, as though they were never meant to..... "isn't it magical to think that there was some invisible string attaching you to me?” Feedback from Bri: A sweet piece. I love how you took inspiration from the idea of the red thread of fate and described the red thread and the persistence of it through beautiful descriptions. The beautiful metaphor really lends to the piece when you discuss how the colour faded into a grey, yet the friendship still persists. Room 930 (or, movie night at Phoebe’s) Six girls pile on a twin XL, half-watching Ladybird/Twilight/Pitch Perfect. I am basking in the hum of the projector and the chorus of gossip/laugh/cry. I, an only child never short of sisters. Family magnolia blooming and sap-dripped over the glow of a film that bathes us in the too-tight dorm. (I was once thirteen, atheistic girlhood praying for joy like this, crying it will get better, it will get better, it must get better.) by Brianna DeLima Ifland Instagram: @briannaifland Bio: Brianna Ifland is a Filipino-American creative writing and multimedia production student at the University of Arkansas, where she has proudly founded the Film Honors Society. Her work is marked by interpersonal relationships, culture, identity, and mental health. Despite her theatre-heavy background, she now focuses on expanding her storytelling to prose, poetry, and film. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: I remember being a young teenager and envying the friend groups who would hang out all of the time. I couldn't drive, and my parents were a little strict. So, once I got to college, I was surrounded by friends. We developed a habit of having weekly, if not twice-a-week movie nights. Recovering from a breakup and the difficult transition to college, it was my friends who got me to the place I'm at now. I don't know where I would be without them. I wish I could tell my younger self that I would find people who truly understood me, and I think that's expressed pretty well in this piece. Feedback from Ava: Beautiful imagery that really places you in the dorm room with the narrator. The joy of finding family after having wished for one for so long is palpable. I especially adore the ending parentheses and what the contents add to the piece, reflective and bittersweet, a reminder that there are so many great things ahead in life. Love Poem To My Best Friends Who Live In Different Corners Of The World In another life, we play Jenga in my living room on a Saturday evening. When you knock over the tower, we all laugh before our second glass of fruit-punch, fairy lights twinkling over us. In another life, our soft moments happen in real time and not over glass screens, and I give you a hug when I see you cry. In another life, I call you less & less because I can always come over. I make your bed when you can’t get up. I know what you like for dinner after a difficult day, & what levels of spice you can tolerate. In another life, I bouquet the stars and lay them at our feet. I tag along for hospital visits. I make sure you catch your train. In another life, we spend all night cursing out the coworker who makes you cry. In another life, my world exists within smaller boundaries, and that makes it larger than it has ever been. by Phoenix Tesni Social Media: @PhoenixTesni (Instagram and Twitter) Bio: Phoenix Tesni (she/her) is a twenty-three year-old poet from New Delhi. A Best Small Fictions finalist, her works also appear in Surging Tide, Limelight Review, Sage Cigarettes, Celestite Poetry, and many other places. Phee likes to dedicate her life to consuming & creating art, indulging in all forms of South-Korean multimedia, and petting as many cats as possible. You can find her at phoenixtesni.com or on Twitter/Instagram @PhoenixTesni. Category: Poetry - Conventional Feedback from Ava: A poem that truly captures the longing that comes with long distance. An imagining of a life you could have with the people that you love so dearly that live so far away. The parallel structure that carries throughout the piece is a great way to show that there are so many things you could be doing with your friends but that you can’t. I fell in love with the metaphor “I bouquet the stars and lay them at our feet”. It is so visual and such a gorgeous picture of love and devotion. friendship Content warning: Implied mental health struggles the support of a friend can mean everything. a single soul to talk to when the world is too busy to care. a smile that returns a single sliver of light to your day. a hand to hold and pull you up, an non-judgemental hug. the unfailing support of a true friend has the power to change a life. by Luca Instagram: @cracked.illusion Bio: Luca(they/them) writes poetry for fun alongside being in full time education. They also enjoy reading, listening to and playing music. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: This poem is for people who’ve been struggling with life (especially mental health, but it isn’t explicitly mentioned) and how a friend has helped them out of it, whether they knew it or not. Feedback from Ava: The power of friendship cannot be overstated and this poem touches on a vital aspect of that. Friends can pull you through the darkest moments of your life, and can give you the support you need in your most difficult moments. Luca does a great job of showing how just one moment of love or kindness from a friend can mean a world of difference. A well done, important poem. To Know and To Be Friends To know someone is one thing: You see them in class, you’re in the same club. Close enough for a polite glance in their direction, Far enough for an unfriendly snub. But to be friends is something else entirely: Sometimes you may find yourselves miles apart, Trapped between unspoken barriers, Or in the midst of an argument that may break a heart. But you will still be friends at the end of the day. For you both share that longing closeness, That happiness that never deserves to end. And friendship is simply knowing this. by Avery Leloup Instagram: @avery_tortellini Bio: Avery Leloup is a curious soccer fanatic from New England. When they’re not reading a book or watching Messi play, you might find them kayaking, cycling, or writing. Category: Poetry - Conventional Inspiration: I was pretty inspired to write this based on my own experiences with friendship. I know every teen struggles with friendships in one form or another, and I think they might relate to my own struggle of growing apart & even occasionally fighting those friends that I love. It’s a pretty universal experience in my opinion, so I kinda just hope the poem can resonate with people! Feedback from Ava: A unique, but true take on friendships. This poem reminds the reader that friendship is not always a smooth road, that it comes with obstacles and issues. It also reminds readers, however, that true friendship is worth fighting for, that it rises above the difficulties. I love the progression seen over this poem: from acquaintances, to friends in a rough patch, to two people that care deeply for each other regardless. A “ happiness that never deserves to end”. Really beautiful contemplation on how friendships grow and change. CREATIVE NON-FICTION Telegram: letter to my best friend i’ve probably known you for half my life now though i’m not sure my math’s right - & it feels so much longer. it’s in the way i know that you like to draw freckles on your face with that brown eyeliner & i know how you hate rucola & love making pinterest boards for people you love (i have one too). it’s in the way you know how my hair feels like when we’re washing the bleach out & how i hate knees & love isopods & pigeons. it’s in the way all the pictures of myself that i like were taken by you. it’s in the songs we send each other. we haven’t seen each other in so long & listening to your voice messages made my heart ache. all yours. by ephraim Instagram: @phytoparasit Bio: ephraim (he/him) is a self taught artist and occasional poet. his art revolves around the exploration of identity, space, nature, history and technology. Category: Creative Non-Fiction - Telegram Inspiration: N/A Feedback from Smrithi: This piece is poignant and evokes emotion immediately from the reader. I love how they’ve mentioned the small things that they remember about their friend, thus reminding us that when we lose a friend, it’s not the big moments we remember but the little joys we almost forgot. My favorite part of this piece is the descriptive ability of the writer and how everyone can relate to this piece, even if not to the specific aspects of it. Wonderful piece and it made me feel so many different things from nostalgia to bittersweetness <3 To My Bestie To My Bestie, I’ve never told you how much you mean to me, nor will I ever tell you. I think we both know what we mean. Just in case you don’t, here’s a short letter. You are the person who gets me through school, life, and everything in between. You are the person I would drag to watch the sunrise at 5 am, but you would secretly enjoy it, even if you complained the whole time. I know you would. Because there is no other “you”, and there is no other “us”. A year ago you asked me what our friendship meant. I was at a loss for words. Now I can only attempt to explain. Wherever you and I go in the future, I hope we will always stay in touch. I hope you will remember me, because I will always remember you. <3 Your Bestie by Grace Instagram: @snowflake12374 Bio: Grace is a teen who loves to read and write. Her favorite genre is fantasy, and her favorite book is Six of Crows. In her spare time, you can find her reading or procrastinating her work. Category: Creative Non-Fiction - Telegram Inspiration: I just really appreciate all my friends a lot, even if I don't show it to them. Feedback from Ava: Deep friendship so often transcends words. It can be hard to articulate your love for and bond with a person. This piece is simple but carries across this idea well. An understanding unspoken but a love still obvious and prominent. I feel like this piece emphasizes the idea of expressing love through action and the little things in daily life. It's a lovely letter to all those who love their friends and want to express it. Musing: Harmonizing At 2. AM It’s hard to find friends when you usually lose them… but when you find someone— someone you really connect with— you realize they’re worth fighting for. This morning, she dm’d me about a TV show we’ve become embarrassingly invested in. She shipped two guys who were head-over-heels in love with other girls so we agreed that they’re soulmates… just in the friends way. Maybe that’s the core of genuine friendship—like it’s meant to be— the way you just “get” each other. So you send her stupidly hilarious memes while the sun still rises. You indulge in oddly intellectual discussions about The Summer I Turned Pretty while wishing for waves and moonlit escapades to scintillating seashores. You vent about your exes and plot revenge on every boy unfortunate enough to mess with the wrong girls. You obsess over Taylor Swift together: belting “AND THAT’S THE WAY I LOVED YOUUU” simultaneously… in the dead of night… even though you’re worlds apart. It’s funny how distance has little effect on real friends because, while we can’t walk side by side, our minds remain in tandem and our thoughts still resonate on the same wavelength. I could have never guessed how my failure to wrangle tickets for the Eras Tour would be the tragedy that brought us together; it looks like our companionship blossomed from the dark depths of mutual disappointment. But the concert ended yesterday and it’s 2 a.m. and we’re still singing with all our hearts. by Claire Young Instagram: @graceclaire357 Bio: Claire is a rather unique specimen. Her ideal habitat is the seaside but she is always up for an adventure. She enjoys running in the rain and golfing when while the sun sets. She also really loves to read and write in her free time! Category: Creative Non-Fiction - Musing Feedback from Bri: A beautiful, rich piece. I love how you say friends and people are worth it. The exploration is beautiful in connecting the TV show with real life, making it relatable with vivid, universal depictions. I also love how you highlighted this is a friendship that’s online or long-distance and yet it can still be experienced in a rich, fulfilling way. I also love that you explained the origin story as it lends a sense of finality that solidifies the beauty of friendship. PROSE Short Stories: Removed from the Nest Content warnings: reference to Ukraine and the war, refugees, scared/traumatized child The train rolls into Prague, its antique metal doors rattling with each bump in the tracks. Clutched against a young girl’s chest, underneath her scarlet coat, is a cardboard tube, emptied of its potato chips. Her arms ache from embracing the container for nearly twenty-four hours, taking care to keep it horizontal so the contents sit most comfortably. Her eyes squeeze shut against the squeal of old brakes. A hand rests on her shoulder and she looks up to meet the gaze of her mother, as if to say we’re here. But she doesn’t actually say the words. Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, and yet barely a word has been murmured the entire ride. They shuffle behind those in front of them. The station is full of new faces, ready to welcome survivors as they pour out of the train. The girl presses into her mother’s side, holding her single belonging closer. Then a smile steps forward, placed upon a middle-aged woman in a sterile white coat. And for the first time over these painful months, the girl feels like she can relax. She opens her coat to the woman and offers the tube. The Czech doctor takes it from her carefully, and peeks into the container through the clear, hole-punctured lid. Inside, black eyes stare back out, swallowed by green and yellow feathers. The budgie is scared, but alive, and is going to be safe now, along with its best friend and her mother, under the roof of the avian veterinarian. by J L Kies Instagram: @jl_kies Bio: J. L. Kies is a creative writing major and the editorial assistant for the 22nd issue of "juice," UWinnipeg's literary journal. Kies has a bird named “Pierogi” and special interests in horror and gaming (and, specifically, horror games), aspiring to one day work in the video game industry. Kies recently received an honourable mention from Elegant Literature, and debuted with a horror flash piece published by Litmora. Category: Prose - Short story Inspiration: I think it's topical for young people as it has to do with big international events (the Russian/Ukrainian war), and is based on true events. My inspiration for this piece was my late budgie and the deep, unexplainable bond we had. She was my best friend. Feedback from Smrithi: I adore this piece. The writing is captivating and immediately hooks the reader in. The story flows seamlessly, each aspect of it unfolding as we read further. I never knew such emotion could be packed in such a short story- but this writer has impressed me beyond words. The connection with friendship is unconventional and unique and I love how the writer has chosen to express the theme. Splendidly written piece, and one that brought a smile to my face. M-A-S-H It’s like this: you are raised without a liver. You are an inch too short to reach the cabinets. I am a stepstool. I am a filter and the metabolism. You are raised without a sister, and like that I was born. You are given a lover; he is taken away. I am in your room when he gives you the call. I hold you until the hunger and tears subside. Your grandmother forgets your name, and sepsis tucks her into the casket, gentle and in sleep. I drive you to your hometown, tissues sliding in the backseat. You believe there is a limb you are missing, a cigarette burn shot through the middle of the book, a second stomach that craves braid trains and M-A-S-H. You’ll end up a dentist, in a mansion, married to Jess Mariano, with two kids, a clown car, and twin fishtails swimming from your scalp to your back. You’ll end up two mountains, tectonic plates colliding and peaks yearning to touch. I am a bridge. I am a sherpa. I know your valleys and ridges. Swam in your basins. Laid in the spurs. You’ll end up learning what I’ve known all along: there is a complete world within you. by Brianna DeLima Ifland Instagram: @briannaifland Bio: Brianna Ifland is a Filipino-American creative writing and multimedia production student at the University of Arkansas, where she has proudly founded the Film Honors Society. Her work is marked by interpersonal relationships, culture, identity, and mental health. Despite her theatre-heavy background, she now focuses on expanding her storytelling to prose, poetry, and film. Category: Prose - Short Story Inspiration: When I was younger, I was under the impression that I was somehow missing or broken and required other people. I'm still learning interdependence and the coexistence of loving and truly caring for others without relying on them and, thus, reducing myself. I wrote M-A-S-H as an almost letter from the perspective of my friends, as well as it being a tribute to unabashed girlhood. Feedback from Ava: M-A-S-H does a great job of capturing what it is like to love your friends. To support them through tough times. To know them better than you know yourself to the point where it hurts. This story beautifully discusses how so deeply depending on others can make you lose a part of yourself. I really like the metaphor of M-A-S-H and how it encompasses nostalgia for simpler times when a blueprint for life could be laid out in front of you. The first few lines of this piece are my favourite, such a clear and gutting depiction of how vital friendship can be as a young girl, but the pains of it as well. My Best Friend Lives Underwater He can’t walk properly, and can’t fly either, he’s not made for the land or the sky, my best friend moved into the sea, because he feels more safe there, although he barely breathes, he dives deep, then floats and takes a breath or two, and he has built a home underwater, like life is like that and won’t get better. My best friend lives underwater, because he’s been exiled, he says, I don’t belong among you, among those who bruised him and mocked him, and I want to bring him back, back where he was born and raised, but he won’t come back to me, he says he doesn’t need roots, he’s not a tree, he’s turned into a sea creature, and he feels safe underwater, impermeable to pain, like the sea is the barrier that won’t let sadness touch him. My best friend swims with the dolphins and the fish and the whales, he rides the waves, like this has been his home forever, he’s safe there, he’s carefree, he’s built a home underwater, and he’s abandoned his old life, the land, me, he says he’s always been a mermaid, he found his tribe and he is happy finally, and when he waves at me, inviting me, calling me from afar, I stand still on the shore, like I’m a tree, like I have roots, and I long to wet my feet, but I am stuck, trapped, afraid and alone and deserted. by Mileva Anastasiadou Instagram: @happilander Twitter: @happymil_ Bio: Mileva Anastasiadou is a neurologist, from Athens, Greece and the author of "We Fade With Time" by Alien Buddha Press. A Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best Microfiction and Best Small Fictions nominated writer, her work can be found in many journals, such as the Chestnut Review, New World Writing, Milk Candy Review, the Bureau Dispatch, and others. Category: Prose - Short story Feedback from Ava: A thoughtful, metaphorical piece. The idea that people move through life so differently, react to their situations with such variation, but can still be friends is interesting. The image the author paints of her friend swimming free in the sea while she feels stuck and abandoned on land is really powerful. This story really carries across the concept of finding renewed life and peace somewhere new after difficulty. The reader can feel the excitement of the best friend but also the pain and longing of the narrator. Complex and intriguing. Follow us on instagram @rewritethestarsreview and these remarkable writers for more!