The SCholastic Art & Writing AwardS PReSents The Best TeeN writing of 2013 The scHoLastic art & Writing Awards presents The Best teen Writing Edited by Loretta López of 2010 Scholastic Awards 2013 Gold Medal Portfolio Recipient Foreword by terrance Hayes 2010 National Book Award Recipient in Poetry dedication The Best Teen Writing of 2013 is dedicated to the extraordi- nary team at Scholastic Inc. Corporate Communications and Media Relations: Kyle Good, Cathy Lasiewicz, Morgan Baden, Anne Sparkman, and Lia Zneimer. Their genuine dedication to the students and appreciation for the students’ work shines For information or permission, contact: through in everything they do for the Awards and the Alliance Alliance for Young Artists & Writers for Young Artists & Writers. By raising awareness of the pro- 557 Broadway gram in national and local media, the team is instrumental New York, NY 10012 in both giving students access to scholarships and helping the www.artandwriting.org Scholastic Art & Writing Awards fulfill its mission. This committed team works tirelessly to promote the Scho- No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or lastic Art & Writing Awards. Its many contributions include in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in highlighting students in their hometown newspapers and other any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, local media outlets, approaching national media with trends photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without and themes among Award winners for feature articles, high- written permission from the publisher. lighting the National Student Poet Program, spreading the word about Scholastic Awards ceremonies and exhibitions on Editor: Loretta López events pages in print and online, and promoting the visibility Senior Manager, Programs: Scott Larner of the Awards through social media. Managing Editor: Lisa Feder-Feitel In this 90th Anniversary year, the team’s outreach efforts Graphic Designer: Meg Callery on behalf of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards proved inte- Copy Editor: Ingrid Accardi gral in bringing the program to thousands of new students and Production Assistant: Michael Vinereanu teachers. Behind the scenes, Kyle, Cathy, Morgan, Anne, and Lia Cover art: Bird Man, Guannan Liu, Grade 11, Age 16, bring us ever closer to our goal of ensuring that every creative Chatham, IL. 2013 Gold Medal and American Visions Medal. student has the opportunity to submit and be celebrated for their work. Year after year, this amazing group of professionals © 2013 Alliance for Young Artists & Writers adds tremendous value to what it means to receive a Scholastic All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Art & Writing Award. Anthology printing, September 2013 ISBN: 978-1492337317 ISBN: 1492337315 Table of contents Science Fiction / Fantasy 94 Wedding Feast, Holly Rice III Dedication 101 Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Gloria Martinez VII About The Best Teen Writing of 2013 109 The Fortune Teller, Robyn Matthews VIII About the Scholastic Awards 116 The Lions’ Den, Mary Elizabeth Dubois X The Best Teen Writing 2013 Jurors XII Foreword by Terrance Hayes Persuasive Writing XV Editor’s Introduction 125 Dear Mr. Wal-Mart, Sola Park 128 Planned Parenthood: An Organization at the Mercy Portfolio Gold of Politics, Nicholas Teague 3 Unraveling, Kathleen Radigan 133 The Asian Misrepresentation: How the Portrayal of Asians 4 Thin Ice, Isabella Giovannini in the Media Harms America, Miranda Cashman 8 Two Pillars of Salt, Anthony DeSantis 13 Prostitute Appeals to the Pope, Janay Alexandrea Crane Flash Fiction 20 Cycles, Anna Xie 140 Save the Chicken Grease, Alexis Payne 25 Habibi, Samantha West 142 Jump the Shark, Marley Townsend 27 Brasília, Luisa Banchoff 145 Reform, Jackson Trice 148 Tattoo, Celeste Barnaby Personal Essay / Memoir 152 Skipping Rocks, Serina Chang 31 Reflections, Rebecca Scurlock 156 Voices in the Sand, Benjamin Haidt 39 The Pink Sari, Pooja Chandrashekar 160 Gulf of Mexico, Jacqueline Knight 43 Fish Skin, Elizabeth Heym 162 Who You Are, India Nabarro 46 That Girl a Table to My Right, Alexander Nguyen 166 What She Learned, Melanie Abrams 49 As I Hear It, Emma Hathaway 170 Cowboys vs. Bear, Elizabeth Miller 53 Honorifics, Michael Sun 56 Dip Into Happiness, Hana Zeric Journalism 59 A Passenger to the Infinite, Richa Bijlani 174 Holy Cow!, Jake Kuhn 63 Arresting Development, Nachiketa Baru 182 The Mammoth, No Longer a Thing of the Past, Bailey Hwa 66 Kitchen Lights, Anisha Datta 70 When the Gods Leave, Akshan Dealwis Dramatic Script 75 Magnolias, Lydia Suttle 185 Binary Switch, Hana Lee Humor Poetry 79 Stock of the Season, Luke Haas 195 Bronx Rooftop Song, Gabriella Gonzales 87 Creative Napping 101, Katelyn Davis 196 Expanding, Haley Lee 90 #InternetProbz, Dylan Magruder 197 daughter one, Aline Dolinh 198 pulp, Stefania Gomez About The Best teen Writing of 2013 199 Haiku for an Extravagant & Wheeling Stranger, The works featured in The Best Teen Writing of 2013 were Lucy Wainger selected from National Award–winning written work in this 200 Halidom, Mckayla Conahan 202 In the Summer, Kira Pelowitz year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Awards is a na- 204 The Coming of the End, Caleb Rak tional program presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & 205 Timelord’s Burden, Rachel Hargrave Writers, which recognizes talented teenagers in the visual and 207 Wolf in the Desert, Robert Bedell literary arts. Founded in 1923, the program celebrates the ac- 209 steeplechase rd., Alison Liu complishments of creative students and extends opportunities 210 Survival Is a Roast You Have to Keep on Carving, for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. Meggie Royer This year, 543 teens earned National Scholastic Awards in 212 Destination, Parker Elkins writing categories. The works selected for this publication rep- 213 The Heroic Actions of a Girl Stuck in the Middle, resent the diversity of the National Award winners, including Mary Rose Weber age and grade, gender, genre, geography, and subject matter. 215 A Crane-ian Homage, Katherine Fang They also present a spectrum of the insight and creative intel- 217 Judgment Day, Francesca Sedlacek lect that inform many award-winning pieces. 218 Ate My House for Dinner, Ashley Crutcher A complete listing of National Award winners and online gal- 219 The Cleaner, Brianna Breaux 220 Origin, Olivia Linn leries of winning works of art and writing can be found on our website, www.artandwriting.org. Information about how Short Story to enter the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a list of our 221 The Human Condition, John Lhota scholarship partners, and ways that you can partner with the 230 Dreaming of Stars, Helen Copp Alliance to support young artists and writers in your commu- 237 The Shortest Short Story in the History of Short Stories nity are also available. of All Time Ever, Adam Schorin 250 I Am All That Is, Garrison Asma 254 The 2-Hour Clock, Niklas Theorin Some of the writing selections have been excerpted. Go to 259 Luke and the Moon, Aaron Cooper-Lob www.artandwriting.org/galleries to read all of the work as it 269 Windigo, Ursula Grunwald was submitted. 272 The Doormen, Nathan Meyer 277 About the Authors 289 A Teacher’s Guide 293 Acknowledgements 294 Regional Affiliates VIII The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards | IX aBOUT tHe SCHoLASTIC aWARDS Pittsburgh, PA. The U.S. Department of Education and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities will Started in 1923 by Scholastic founder Maurice R. Robinson, the also host a yearlong exhibition in Washington, D.C. Awards have grown to become the nation’s highest honor and largest source of scholarships for creative teenagers. All stu- publication This anthology, The Best Teen Writing of 2013, dents in grades 7–12, whether public, private, or home schooled, features a collection of our students’ most exemplary works are encouraged to apply. Through a nationwide network of more of writing. The Alliance also features National Award–win- than 115 partnering organizations, the 2013 Awards received ning work in our National Catalog and on our website. These more than 230,000 submissions in 28 categories. publications are distributed free of charge to schools, students, Notable Scholastic Awards alumni include Andy Warhol, teachers, museums, libraries, and arts organizations. Richard Avedon, Ken Burns, Truman Capote, Lena Dunham, John Updike, Sylvia Plath, and many more. scHoLarsHips The Alliance distributes nearly $250,000 in direct scholarships annually to National Award–winning stu- recognition The Alliance and our partners provided regional dents. Seniors also leverage their success in the Awards for and national recognition to more than 60,000 teens in 2013. funds from a network of 60 partnering universities, colleges, Students earned iconic Gold Key and Silver Key awards, as well and art schools, which collectively earmark more than $8 mil- as Honorable Mention certificates at the regional level. lion in financial aid and additional scholarships. The top 15,000 regional winners competed in the national competition—1,700 of whom earned national medals and were nationaL student poets program In 2011, the President’s celebrated at the annual Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Institute in New York City. Thousands of fellow students, families, and for Museum and Library Services partnered with the Alliance friends celebrated along with those in New York City by tuning to create the National Student Poets Program (NSPP), the in to our 90th Anniversary National Awards Ceremony web- country’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original cast (www.artandwriting.org/carnegiewebcast2013). work. Annually, five high school poets who demonstrate excep- tional creativity, dedication to craft, and promise serve for a exHiBition One thousand works were displayed at the ART. year as national poetry ambassadors. WRITE.NOW. National Exhibition at Parsons The New School National Student Poets are chosen from national medalists in for Design’s Sheila C.