Brilliant Stories

826 believes in amplifying and publishing youth voices. Celebrate and honor their stories with us. Find inspiration with hundreds of student writing pieces in our Writing Gallery, and share your students’ writing on 826 Digital. Our students’ words will make you smile, think, sigh, cry so hard you laugh, and laugh so much you cry.

Students

YOU could become a Published Author.

Your piece could be published in a beautiful 826 book, right here on our Writing Gallery, and beyond.

upload

Featured Student Writing

Where I Am From

I am from Chaconia / An ornamental tree / I'm from reunions and strong cheekbones / From Mama Delé and Cecilia / I'm from the endless laughter and tears of joy

by Rockelle Rodd, Grade 11, 826NYC

Alemeny

My home, these dirty projects. I remember being young and playing outside, constant water fights, and flashlight tag. It often smells like lighter fluid when it first starts burning. It smells like whatever your neighbor is cooking, and if it’s love, they’ll bring you a plate.

by Izzy T., Grade 11, 826 Valencia

Jalapeño + Love

But the real love of my life is a batch of fresh, organic jalapeños. Why? Because they’re spicy. They’re rebellious. They don’t play by your rules. If you double-cross a jalapeño, you get the seeds.

by Calvin, Grade 7, 826michigan

Generations

The rope has tied our hands / Together bonded by the same / Realization that we have no father / I am my mother’s daughter

by Jizelle Villegas, Grade 12, 826 Dallas Project

Joy

Power

Confidence

Pride

Honor

their words

Reimagine

this world

Raise

your voice

Write

the future

Find Student Writing

Read student writing on diverse topics from diverse authors. Find inspiration for yourself as a reader and as a writer. And let your students be inspired by mentor texts from their peers.

Girls and Women of the Future

Writing

Dandelion

by Elizabeth W., 826 Valencia

A student owns her strength through the fragility of a flower.

"A white dandelion in a field of flowers. The pale glow that stands out and without a doubt,"

view

Writing

Woman

by Jahruwach Hamilton, 826NYC

In this rousing poem, a student asserts her strength and worth as a woman.

"I am more than a small waistline and an hourglass figure I am powerful and wise I am they that gave birth to a thousand generations And forged the way for others like me to be free of oppression I am many lifetimes of wisdom"

view

Writing

Women United: Stand Together Against Being Critiqued

by Elizabeth W., 826 Valencia

A persuasive piece for women and girls to unite and cultivate a culture of body image positivity.

“You might look at yourself and think, ‘How can I be prettier? How can I be more desirable to the people of whatever gender I’m after?’ How can I get noticed?’ Women today are struggling with the ideal body image."

view

Writing

The Rez Girls Are Powerful!

by Navayah, 826 MSP

A look at what's possible for all girls.

"At my last school we had to have a partner. So this girl, her skin was way lighter than me. She had to work with me but she didn’t want to. Then she said out loud, “I don’t wanna sit by some rezzy girl.”

view

Writing

Nosey Much

by Kayla, 826 Boston

This poem offers a very-real answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?

"When someone says, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I answer, “alive."

view

Writing

The Future is a Reflection of Yourself

by Angel Flores Vazquez, age 10, 826 Valencia

This poem illustrates the effectiveness of descriptive language.

"The door is made of carbon fiber and it is gray with lights. It Opens using hinges. It’s in a frost and to get to it you have to find"

view

Poetry in the Wild 🦁

Writing

Animal Poem

by Mohamed F., 826 MSP

This poem uses descriptive language to leave the reader clues about the animal it is depicting.

"I live in different places, like the tundra or forest I look soft and white, with curly fur"

View

Writing

Eastern Gray Squirrel

by Reyes, 826NYC

A creative field guide to the eastern gray squirrel.

"Lives with: Ginko tree & Penicillium Latin name: Sciurus carolinesis Description They weigh around a pound and are just under a foot tall. They have gray, sometimes brown, fur with white bellies. Lifespan They live between two and six years."

View

Writing

Timber Rattle Snake

by Abdikabir, age 8, 826 MSP

This poem uses the 1st person point-of-view to show what life looks like for a timber rattlesnake.

"I look like a snake and I’m gray. I live in the mountains. In the morning I go to wait for a victim."

View

Writing

Tree Poem

by Simone, 826Michigan

A poem about appreciating trees and why we should study them.

"The oldest tree living is 3 or 4 thousand years old. Some grow as high as a 40-story skyscraper. Trees can be studied in every season, and they should be."

view

Writing

My Full Yard

by Marisol, 826michigan

A poem about the fleetingness of change.

"It smells like burned fire with wet dog and dirt. I can see my two German shepherds playing in the yard.”

View

Writing

Matricide: Addressing Climate Change

by Maggie Munday Odom

A poem about the devastation of climate change.

"i cry more than i used to but sometimes i can’t cry at all. i sweat myself to sleep"

View

Personal Narratives

Writing

I Took My First Steps...

by Maria, Grade 12, 826 Boston

In this public narrative, a student makes the case for creating community change by building youth centers in her neighborhood.

"I took my first steps in a small farming village in the northern part of Greece named Loudias."

View

Writing

I Cannot Be Defined

by Alexis G., Grade 11, Novato, CA

In this narrative, the author uses vibrant language to explore their identity, in all its complexity, through different landscapes.

"I cannot be defined as one place, one clear image in your mind."

View

Writing

Finding My Wings

by Camille, Grade 12, 826LA

A student finds her wings in unexpected places in this piece about the transition to college.

"The Lancaster evening was bitter cold by my Southern California girl standards..."

View

Writing

Retrospect

by Kevin G., Grade 10, 826 Valencia

This narrative calls us to see the world through the perspectives of others.

"It was like I was in a movie. A bad one. Moving slowly, hearing an echo of my dad’s voice, my body felt cold. My smile was gone."

View

Writing

History and Me

by Corazón, Grade 11, 826 New Orleans

In this essay, a student threads their identity across cultures, histories, and places, engaging with legacies of violence and the movement of people.

"They never think to ask if I’m Latina and they never guess I’m from Jamaica—speech lessons bleached out my accent long ago."

History and Me

Giving Thanks: Student Odes

Writing

Ode to My Grandfather

by Amara, 826 New Orleans

An ode celebrating an important figure in this student’s life.

"If my grandfather were A rainbow I would follow him Until I found a pot of gold"

VIEW

Writing

An Ode to Tacos

by Jonathan Rivera Navarro, 826 Valencia

This poem celebrates and mourns a taco.

"Oh, shiny, blue taco eyes, I lick the eyeballs like a lollipop. Blue taco eyes, like blue Airheads, you taste like my dream."

VIEW

Writing

Ode to Sonia Melara

by Jose Martin Gomez, 826 Valencia

This poem celebrates a special person in the writer's life.

"Dear brave Sonia Melara You are responsible for accomplishing goals as an executive director You make the world bright like the stars"

VIEW

Writing

Beans, Rice, and Chicken

by Victor, 826 Valencia

An ode to Beans, Rice, and Chicken.

"Oh Beans, Rice, and Chicken, you give people energy to control their bodies. You keep me alive."

VIEW

Writing

Shout-Out Poem

by Anjum, 826CHI

A shout-out poem to some things missed (Hyderabad) and celebrated (Mom).

"Here’s to my best friend Mahek, because when I am sad or bored she cracks jokes and makes me happy."

VIEW

“It feels good to have my voice out there and that I have left a mark on this world, even if it's small.”

- Brandon R.

Grade 11, 826LA

“I think the biggest impact it has had on me is the realization that other people see the writing I do. Other people can also refer to me as a writer, and it's not just me. It makes me want to improve and do better.”

- Bless A.

Grade 9, 826 Boston

“It always feels like an honor when someone shares their writing because writing is a physical form of somebody's vulnerability and it's special to see that when I get the chance.”

- Justis P.

Grade 9, 826 Boston

“[Being published is important] because our voices need to be forefronted if we want to reimagine this world.”

- Anton J.

Grade 12, 826 MSP

Fill Your Bookshelf

When we publish our students’ writing, something magical happens. Students see their ideas reflected in something tangible and begin to see themselves as authors with words worth reading. See the magic in action by checking out 826-published books that will feel right at home on any bookshelf.

visit the bookstore