MORE POEMS & STORIES ON IDENTITY & COMING OF AGE

1. I Am Kwakkoli Bisco Hill, Grade 7, Boulder, CO

It would be his tribal name, connecting him to generations of ancestors.
Genre Essay Topic Native American, Family, Cultures/Traditions, Farms/Rural Life, Identity

2. Words for My Sister Anjuli Dhindhwal, Grade 11, NJ

"'Be strong, love yourself.'"
Genre Poem Topic Identity, Coming of Age, Fitting In, Friendship, Love

3. Kitchen Women Ashley Nelson, Grade 12, IL

Where is a woman's place?
Genre Short Story Topic Family, Identity, Food, Feminism

4. School as a Theme Song Juliette Woronov, Grade 11, FL

Marching to the tune of an institutional drummer.
Genre Poem Topic School, Identity, Music, Conflict

5. A Child in Limbo: An Allegory Colleen Cooper, Grade 10, NH

Genre Short Story Topic Identity, Coming of Age, Dreams/Imagination, Childhood

6. What Is Fire? Alvin Carter, Grade 8, MI

Genre Personal Narrative Topic Identity, Anger, Fire

7. Your Desired Path Gabrielle Benadi, Grade 11, NY

Genre Poem Topic Identity, Body Image, Betrayal

8. Happy to Be Home Rachel Brokaw, Grade 8, KY

"All happy families are alike, wrote Leo Tolstoy. Obviously, he hadn't met hers..."
Genre Short Story Topic Family, Identity, Humor, Home, Abuse

9. Fear of Bears Aaron Edwards, Grade 12, ME

As we grow, so do our fears.
Genre Poem Topic Childhood, Identity, Coming of Age

10. As I Gaze Upon My Father Maren Stuart, Grade 8, FL

Genre Poem Topic Family, Identity, Love

11. We Hang Silently in a Floor Full of Laughter Nahanni Rous, Grade 9, NH

Genre Poem Topic Dance, Identity

12. I Used to Be a Gymnast Ester Bloom, Grade 10, MD

"White, smooth and solid--an emaciated ideal."
Genre Poem Topic Eating Disorders, Body Image, Identity

13. My Fourteenth Summer Denise Bickel, Grade 9, NJ

Genre Poem Topic Coming of Age, Search for Meaning, Identity, Teen