Grade 9
InformationalWritingYashawa Fluker is stuck in a liminal space. Help!
Liminal spaces can be pictures that make us feel off without any explanation, things that make us feel like we’ve been there before, or places that we feel shouldn’t exist.
So what is a liminal space? Is it a picture? A feeling?
Well, it will be my job today to explain what a liminal space is. Liminal spaces recently started to show back up on the Internet. It has taken the Internet by storm. So let’s start from the beginning.
Liminal spaces normally are portrayed as pictures or paintings. Most liminal spaces make you feel like you’ve been there before but you haven’t. Or they also can be presented as the space between your start and your destination, like hallways that are desolate and look like they could go on forever. An office with no one in there. Or a store with the aisles going on forever.
Now you’re freaked out because you weren’t supposed to be trapped in the in-between.
It seems you are forever stuck in a place without time, without purpose. I feel like an image can say a lot with no words at all. In this photograph I took, the viewer can see the ever-closing shadow and darkness. When you see the dwindling amount of light you’re given in a field of shadows, it makes you feel small inside. You’re hungry for the light to help your understanding of what’s around you. The sign attracts your main focus. The sign is quiet yet screams so loud in your face.
In life, the sign says the sidewalk ends which means the sidewalk is ending. But in liminal spaces, it can mean so much more. Something is ending, and that can strike fear into most people. The lack of context can make them horrified. It could mean the journey you had is closing. And so you’re left alone with no one in sight in an endless void.
by Elizabeth W, 826 Valencia
Even though we may look different, we remain united with one another.
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by Soraya, 826NYC
This student’s powerful piece reveals the essence of racial injustice.
by Johnny Vasquez, 826 MSP
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Two students across one city bond by writing letters to each other about the people they love most.
by Kalyn Jackson, 826 New Orleans
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by Navayah, 826 MSP
Through redefining a label, a student reclaims a piece of their identity.
by Reuben & Giselle, 826CHI
Two students write to each other about where they came from, what they love, and a few mishaps along the way in an exchange of letters.
by Steysi Hailee, 826LA
A student reflects on a small moment and single sacrifice that transformed her outlook on giving.
by Jazlyn Moses, 826 National
One student explores their online persona and the lasting importance of conscientious social media practices.
by Sabrin, Grade 9, 826 MSP
In this letter from the Essential Words lesson, 9th grader Sabrin discusses how she feels both happy and sad, and thanks nurses nationwide for bringing her peace through their work.
by Salma Khalif, 826 MSP
A powerful poem that lifts up Black women.
by Jason, 826michigan
Making bottle flipping look like child's play, this piece outlines rules for the new, competitive Fantasy Sport "Pencils".
by Fahima Dahir, 826 MSP
A poem about the strength and limitations of language and shared culture.
Amara, 826 New Orleans
An ode celebrating an important figure in this student’s life.
by Aniah, 826 MSP
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by Pia, 826NYC
A student reimagines food justice: Fruit Woman must convince Junk Food Man and Cheesecake Boy to eat their fruits and vegetables.
by Jonas K., 826 National
A student explores the paradox of how technology is used amongst teenagers.
by Chris O., Age 15, 826 Valencia
A freshman describes their first day of school on their own.
by Sian Laing
When Instagram becomes an unsightly battlefield.
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by Charles, 826 MSP
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A poem about the complexity of love exchanged during the holidays.
by Calvin, 826michigan
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by Christopher, Bryan, & Jahir, 826CHI
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by David & Daniel, 826CHI
In this heartfelt exchange of letters, two students bond over food, videos games, and some scary adventures.
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by Anonymous, Grade 8, 826 Boston
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by Caroline, 826 Valencia
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by Lucas Hu, 826 Boston
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by Pretty S, 826 Valencia
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by Mariah Valenzuela, Minneapolis, MN
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by Henry, Matthew, & Santiago, 826CHI
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by Christian Z., Age 14, 826 Valencia
A poet recounts his day out at the Yerba Buena Gardens.
by Kevin G, 826 Valencia
This narrative calls us to see the world through the perspectives of others.
by Maggie Munday Odom, Kailua, HI
This poem personifies Earth as a mother coping with the brutalities of climate change.
by Kyla Edwards, 826 New Orleans
This creative short story explores a snapshot of what a future New Orleans might look like amid climate change.
by Ryker, 826michigan
Liner notes that showcase the meaning and musicality of the Jimmy Ruffin song “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.”
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