2026 Submissions
An Open Letter to Maria Lvova- Belova
An Open Letter to Maria Lvova-Belova is a work shaped by memory, urgency, and moral witness.
Asteroid 2024 YR4, My Room Is Tired
For “Asteroid 2024 YR4,” when I first discovered the news about this asteroid, I felt scared by its prospect of hitting Earth, but as I found out more about it, I felt better.
Absurdists. / BuckBirdShot / child as adult impressionist
I have a deep-seated and fundamental fear of being traditional.
Everything Born Is Foreign / Exit Scenes in Three Parts
In these two poems, I wanted to explore conception and the definition of a baby.
I've Gathered Here A List of Doors That Creak
This piece is a non-fiction about beginnings, endings, or anything that feels abrupt and uncomfortable.
Kiss of Finality
When writing this piece, my intention was to create a comforting poem for those who have lost someone close to them.
Basketball Pandemic (Fox Elementary)
I wrote "Basketball Pandemic" while reflecting on my love for basketball and its lasting effect on my identity.
A Tabled Passion
I grew up an avid crafter and writer, and my parents have always supported art as an outlet for self expression.
Notes Out of Body
This work was written in response to the Museum of Modern Art exhibit of "The Visitors."
first light
"first light" is a poem where I didn't set out with a specific theme or topic in mind, but kind of let it reveal itself as I was writing line by line.
Words of Remembrance
Words of Remembrance is inspired by recent life events of my two grandfathers’ passing.
By Xia, For the World
By Xia, For the World, is an autobiography in the making, this is special because the was my very first piece I wrote about this book.
Beneath New Skies
My poem Beneath New Skies explores the quiet, unseen hopes carried by immigrants, specifically my parents.
A Thousand Cranes Between Us: A Tribute to Sadako Sasaki
This poem is deeply personal to me because as a Japanese-American, although I grew up far from Hiroshima, her cranes have always symbolized a part of my identity, and I wanted to honor not only the tragedy she endured, but the quiet strength she embodied as she folded her thousand paper cranes.