Where Am I? Sitka Story Lab Student Anthology
The Island Institute's Sitka Story Lab program released this new book of Southeast Alaskan student writing in May 2016. Called Where Am I?: Stories of Strange Landscapes, Wrong Turns, and New Worlds, the anthology features fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and zany creative experiments that convey the disorientation and the discovery that young people experience, from being in the wilderness to simply growing up. The young writers come from Sitka, Hoonah, Haines, Wrangell, and Skagway, and are as young as nine years old and as old as eighteen. "The writing ranges from fantastic and playful to emotionally moving and dark," said Story Lab Coordinator Sarah Swong. "I'm impressed at how creative and varied these writings are, and at how open students were to feedback and improving their work." The project offered students the chance to write a piece for publication and to hone their writing with an editor.
The Island Institute's Sitka Story Lab program released this new book of Southeast Alaskan student writing in May 2016.
Called Where Am I?: Stories of Strange Landscapes, Wrong Turns, and New Worlds, the anthology features fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and zany creative experiments that convey the disorientation and the discovery that young people experience, from being in the wilderness to simply growing up. The young writers come from Sitka, Hoonah, Haines, Wrangell, and Skagway, and are as young as nine years old and as old as eighteen.
"The writing ranges from fantastic and playful to emotionally moving and dark," said Story Lab Coordinator Sarah Swong. "I'm impressed at how creative and varied these writings are, and at how open students were to feedback and improving their work."
The project offered students the chance to write a piece for publication and to hone their writing with an editor.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
A LITTLE BIT BLUE<br />
Chapter Two: Blue-Haired Girl<br />
I rushed to the door and pulled it open. A girl stepped ingratefully,<br />
followed by a blast of cold wind that made the fire hiss and pop.<br />
The girl removed her hood and a small pile of snow tumbled<br />
down on to the floor. She pulled off her hat and face mask reveal<br />
ing shoulder length hair. I stared. Her hair was blue.“Sorry,” she<br />
mumbled, “I’ll sweep that up.”<br />
She gestured at the pile of snow on the floor.<br />
“That’s okay, it will melt,” I smiled. “Sit by the fire, you look cold.”<br />
“Thanks!” She removed her coat and hung it on the empty hook<br />
by the door. Then she made her way across the wooden floor to<br />
the couch. When she sat down her blue hair swayed smoothly. I<br />
glanced down at my caramel colored hair and then at hers. Maybe<br />
it was normal to have blue hair these days, but the last time I had<br />
been in town was one year ago and this girl looked a lot older than<br />
one.<br />
“I know, I have blue hair.”<br />
“Yeah.”<br />
“My name is Blue too,” she clarified.<br />
“Why did your mother name you after your appearance?”<br />
“She didn’t. I was found wrapped in a bundle by Hawk Lake by a<br />
group of men with a lack of imagination.”<br />
“I see,” I said. I set another pot of tea on to boil and sat down again.<br />
28 <strong>Where</strong> <strong>Am</strong> I?
Change language