Books, Food, Dance and Travel
We all sing America,
The future dancers, teachers, and musicians.
We all sing America,
We are here to protect and defend our culture,
no matter where we came from, because
We all sing America
the Indians, Japanese, and Australians
We all sing America
the land which keeps us free
We all sing America
everyone who lives here
We all sing America
and we stand together for everyone to see
I wrote this poem as a part of my WITS writing camp. Happy July 4th to everyone!❤🤍💙
As a part of my WITS writing camp, I wrote a science fiction story. Using the Namibia desert as inspiration, I wrote a story about a 10 year old girl from Saturn.
“All buckled in?” my dad called from the front of the ship. I rolled my eyes. “I’m ten. I know when to buckle in” I replied. He sighed. “Just making sure. Saturn’s atmosphere might give us a bit of trouble.” “Then why are we even going? What’s so great on Earth that we need to leave Bao Mi and Sila and Moila behind?” “We know that you’ll feel more at peace there,” Mom reminded gently,”and we have decided to go to a little island near the- hmmm, what was it called? Oh that’s right!- the Bahamas! You’ll love it there!” “Ok, let me get my facts straight. We’re going to an island which you barely know the name of, where you think I’ll be happy, we’re leaving behind my greatest supporter, my sister and best friend, and my pet, and you didn’t even ask my opinion? Well thanks, I know I’ll be really happy there.” I said sarcastically. I grabbed my headphones and cranked up the volume. It had started as a normal Saturday. Mom, Dad, and I had gone to get ice cream at Burgle burg’s , but instead of going there they took me to the spaceship. I didn’t know we were going to Earth until we got to the landing dock. Dad proudly looked back, only to see my horrified expression. That’s when we had started this whole argument. We took off, flying at an incredible rate. As we were flying over Earth, our system suddenly malfunctioned and we started to fall. We fell at an alarming rate until we fell into a pile of sand. “I told you this wasn’t a good idea” I told my parents. They sighed. “Let’s go explore for some time,” I suggested. We explored the dry and barren plains. As we reached the end, I drew out a crystal ball. They gasped. “Where did you get that from?” my mom asked. She couldn’t contain her shock. I grinned. “Moila,” I replied as casually as I could. “Arnan, what was the name of that island again?” Mom asked Dad. “Mmm, I think it was Lofu,” he replied. Mom turned excitedly to me. “Beam us to Lofu!” I ignored her. “If it’s my ball, shouldn’t I choose?” I asked. “Fine” Mom couldn’t hide her frustration with me. “Beam me back to Saturn” I whispered. “No!” Dad yelled and ran for me. Mom grabbed him back, “No Arnan. If that’s what she wants, then she can have it.””But Frugi,” Dad protested. Suddenly a beam of light hit us and we started to rise up. I felt the pressure, but I knew that I could handle it. Suddenly, we were in Saturn! I ran home and hugged everyone. My mom and dad watched silently from the doorway. I didn’t care. I was happy and glad to be home and I knew that I would never try to go back to Earth.
This is my first attempt in writing science fiction. I really enjoyed it. I hope you like it too!
In my WITS writing camp, we had to write a 5-10 line author biography about ourselves. Here is mine!
The Mint Girl is an acclaimed author and TV host. She is most famous for her books Say it Like it is and its sister, Say it Like You Mean it. She hosts the game show What Do you Mean?. She has 3 cats and a hedgehog. She lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and has dreamt about going to live in Japan. Her next book, The Best Place to Live?, is coming out in September and is highly anticipated.
When she’s not writing, you can find the Mint Girl reading, dancing, and ziplining. You can connect with her on Instagram.
What will your dream author bio look like?
Courage is trying something new
Courage is following your heart even when you’re not sure
Courage is knowing when to stop, but still being able to step out,
just a little bit,
out of your comfort zone
Courage is helping,
Courage is doing,
Courage is being kind.
We are made of courage
and we are here because of courage.
We need to be brave for ourselves and others.
In this world, we need to be courageous and share our voices. We need to be kind and open-minded. Be brave and kind! We can do this
I recently attended my second WITS writing workshop with Omer Ahmed. In this workshop, we thought about the small things we did and how we can exaggerate them. I learned about some great tools to improve my writing skills. This is what I wrote during the session.
Arriving in Chennai feels like stepping into a desert. There are no ACs and everyone waits outside. When I round the corner, I see monkeys, jumping up and down, all wanting to get their customers first. Suddenly, I spot my grandparents, though one needs a telescope to see them. I rush through the crowds like a cheetah, anxious to get to them. They laugh and put their arms around me and we hurry off to the car before we melt into a puddle of nothing. I turn on the AC and the change from desert to polar vortex is very welcome. The suitcases and bags my grandparents bought are laden with gifts and I long to peek inside. I try to be sneaky like a snake, but the unwrapping of the gifts sounds as loud as a chainsaw. My grandmother glances back at me and her eyes pierce through me. After what seems like a million years, she smiles and I happily start to unwrap it again. I am joyful as I ride down the streets. I lean back, ready to make the most of this vacation.
If everything had gone by plan, I would be packing my suitcases and getting ready to see my grandparents this year. Instead, I’m at home, face-timing and messaging them, but at least I can still have fun with them!
This week, I attended the WITS poetry workshop, which Joshua Nguyen taught. We learned about haibuns (poems which have a paragraph in the beginning and a haiku at the end) and got a chance to write our own. I had so much fun with this and this is my haibun.
I wrote my haibun about a longing to be at the beach.
There is a longing inside of me to see a beautiful blue-green sea, slowly fading into dark blue. I wish to have my feet buried into the warm sand while a book captures my attention. I wish to be where trees line the background and I can sit peacefully with an ice-cream cone. I want to hear the shouts and joy of kids, but still live in my own world of tranquility. I want to relax in the shade of a tree while still staying warm, courtesy of the sun peeping through the branches. I wish to be as relaxed as I was there and never care for anything in the world.
I want to see the
wondrous ocean again
and relax, happy
What are you longing for during social distancing?
This MLK Day, I read a poem about Martin Luther King. Then I thought about how the world could be a better place.
The world would be a better place if we could all just sit down to talk instead of fighting. The country’s leader and a few representatives of his or her choice should go.
If we only fight, we’ll lose many of our citizens. Those citizens can be very useful in our nation and their families. If we lose too many volunteers a nation can fall. Families shouldn’t have to lose one of their members just because of war
Millions of people flee their homes and native land to get away from war. Families separate and lose their precious belongings. I don’t think anyone should have to lose any item that they loved and start over in a place they don’t know.
Countries can waste a lot of money on war. Stocking up enough weapons to fight back strongly takes a lot of money. If we could talk it out , it won’t cost anywhere near that amount of money.
This is my idea of a better world. Please tell me how you think the world would be a better place in the comments. Just like MLK, I have a dream.
