SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

Category: Youth Programs

“First Story” by Ileah Wright

I don’t quite know where I’m from who I was, or what I did, but now I am The One: The Kid The Mystery The Storm The Lightning The Clouds The Sun The Moon The Stars The Luck The Good The Bad The Sad The Happy The Tree I’m Me I don’t know who I […]

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“The American Dream” by Landen Scott

At 8 years old I sat in the corner Knees to my face not making a noise Sent there due to my “disorder” When I said I liked a boy That three-letter phrase Set my world ablaze For this is just the start Of a continuing story Matthew Shepard, a teen Was tied up, beaten, […]

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“Oh mother bring me home” by Eros Nelson

I stare up into the clouds and grieve the world that we have lost I plead with mother Earth to return to her warm and welcoming grasp as I lay there dirt rubbing against my skin I wish to be returned in the Harshest way possible I imagine all the ways she could reclaim what […]

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“The Olive Tree” by Leena al-Binni

The sun beats down, hot as fire, as hatred burns with a fierce desire. The olive trees weep, their branches low, as death and destruction continue to grow. They now stand as silent witnesses to this land, whose roots go deep, whose branches wide, yet they too have suffered and died. The land is a […]

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“A Red Bird’s Story” by Kingston Jackson

I like red, and I like birds, and I like red birds. So, I like flying. So do birds. I don’t like worms. Birds do. So, I will look for birds sometimes.   This poem was written by Kingston Jackson, a 4th grader at Leschi Elementary school with WITS Writer-In-Residence Brian Dang. Performed at the […]

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“Astrophilia” by Sarah Guo

On the other side of the door, I can hear you crying– and there is something so obscurely beautiful in watching a star collapse before my eyes. Erosion. Implosion. Explosion. I want to tell you that there is light on your fingertips, you only have to let it shine, and that if you wanted, you […]

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“Untitled” by Avery Brown

  This comic was made by Avery Brown, as a 6th grader at Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning with WITS Writer-in-Residence David Lasky, performed at our SAL Presents event with Oliver Jeffers on Thursday, October 5th, 2023, at Town Hall Seattle.

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“Ode to Hunger, Under the Guise That I Am an Ant” by Linus Elkins

I have a name, but not one representative in its nature. You humans refer to it with these multi-syllable menageries called pheromones, symbolic as inaccessible to most fine creatures on this earth, but I won’t take pride in knowing what I can’t share, so I will say it plainly: I have a name. My good […]

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“Four Square” by Charlotte Soliven

When did I start falling behind My life, a game of 4 square I must have not been paying attention When did they started adding all these new rules I was completely oblivious Everyone ran along the lines While another person with the ball chases us Like a weird version of Pac-Man I am tagged […]

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A Conversation with Mateo Acuña, 2023/24 Seattle Youth Poet Laureate

This month, we’re sharing stories woven with heart and light from our youth programs community. In the interview below, our 2023/24 Youth Poet Laureate Mateo Acuña shares the path to writing his first collection of poetry, where he finds inspiration, and what dedicated space and mentorship as part of the Youth Poetry Fellowship (YPF) program […]

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