The time has come again. Our submission period for ThePoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition is now open!
The PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition is a yearly publication that gives a voice to the young people whose stories seek to nurture hope and optimism. So far, we have published two incredible volumes. We cannot wait to see what the third edition brings!
Submission deadline for Volume 3: December 31, 2023
Ages: To be able to submit to the anthology, you have to be at least 13 when you send us your work; and no older than 16 on December 31, 2023.
Language: English only.
What we accept: poetry, short stories, flash fiction, essays, and six-word stories.
Fee: $0
Limit: One story or poem per participant.
For more information and to find our complete guidelines, please click here.
We are delighted to announce the release of the PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2)!
The PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition is a yearly publication that celebrates inspirational / uplifting young writers from around the world. Participants are between 13 and 16 years old.
Volume 2 features contributions from 24 creatives. Their names are included below:
Please note that we only release digital copies (ebooks) of our anthologies. This allows us to keep our costs and book prices low, and to avoid charging young participants for submitting to us.
We also do not distribute our anthologies to Amazon, because the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards non-original content. If something is available on the Internet (and social media), we cannot use it in a paid ebook. Why? Answers here and here.
Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology (Youth Edition) Series, which celebrates the talented young creatives featured in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2).
Today, Anna Kuang and Makili Matty are telling us what inspired the pieces they sent us.
Anna Kuang
Anna Kuang (Beavercreek, U.S.) loves cross-country running, playing quizbowl, singing, reading, and writing. She plans to study biochemical engineering because of her interest in using science to save the environment. “My role model is my mother because she has an amazing way of staying positive every single day. She is so selfless, generous, and strong. She has been through so much adversity, and has never given up or lost her ability to see the bright side of things. I can only hope that one day I can be as awesome as she is.”
Anna sent us the poem titled The Sun and Us:
The idea for this poem came to me during a point in my life when I felt stuck — like I was doing the same things over and over, day after day, without going anywhere. Things never changed. It was life on repeat, and I was sick and tired of it.
However, as time went on, I came to realize that though each day seemed like the same old day, there was still beauty in living, if only I opened my eyes to see it. And not only were there small joys in everyday living, there were opportunities to make life better for others. The sun takes the same path day after day, and yet through the process, it shines light onto the whole world. I learned that, just like the sun, I can take each day as a new opportunity to illuminate the world around me, and in doing so, illuminate my own life. And through this poem, I hope I can inspire others to believe that as well.
Makili Matty
Makili Matty (Kittery Point, U.S.) enjoys writing, playing soccer and hockey, math, and science, and wants to become a professor of theoretical physics. “My role model is my grandmother. She is always kind to everyone, and trying to help or feed them lunch.”
Makili sent us the poem titled Cranberry Bundt Cake:
The first time I ate raw cranberries, I spit them out. It was at this small farm, and I remember watching as the old ladies that owned the bog sorted through the fruit, throwing out the unripe ones. Every now and then, one of them would pop a berry into their mouth. They called them “candy”.
Raw cranberries are not sweet. They taste like someone took the sour part of a lemon and the tart part of a grapefruit, and added the faintest dash of honey. They are not sweet, yet when you cook them with sugar and flour and butter, they make the most basic cake that much better.
Cranberry Bundt Cake is a reflection of how tart and sour can make something the slightest bit sweeter. Of how a bit of pain and sorrow can sometimes make a memory just a little bit more meaningful, and of how small things can sometimes be the difference between a cake and a bowl of cranberries.
Anna and Makili, thank you for sharing what inspired your pieces. We know that people will love your work as much as we do!
This instalment ends our PoArtMo Anthology (Youth Edition) Series for this year. We hope that you enjoyed reading the words of our wonderful contributors, and will support them by buying a copy of The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2).
The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2) will be released on March 23, 2023. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy for 50% off the regular price. Offer ends on March 23, 2023.
Please note that Auroras & Blossoms only releases digital copies (ebooks) of its anthologies. This allows us to keep our costs and book prices low, and avoid charging young participants for submitting to us.
Welcome to our PoArtMo Anthology (Youth Edition) Series, which celebrates the talented young creatives featured in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2).
Today, Shailey Bellamkonda and Saara Parijaat are telling us what inspired the pieces they sent us.
Shailey Bellamkonda
Shailey Bellamkonda (Hyderabad, India) likes writing, reading, sketching, and listening to music. Her stories are published in various online literary journals. She is also a winner of the Himalayan Writing Retreat Fiction Contest.
Shailey is currently working on her first poetry and prose chapbook. She wants to become a data analyst and writer. “My role model is JK Rowling. The way she interweaves mystery, leaving intriguing clues within the sphere of drama is fascinating.”
Shailey sent us the poem titled Have You Looked Within?:
“AHAM BRAHMASMI! — as written in the Upanishad (Hindu Vedic Philosophical treatise to well living) is what inspired me to write this poem — ‘Have You Looked Within’. Aham Brahmasmi(I am the God/ I am the Brahman) urges us to understand and realise the cosmic energy that lies within us. Later date thinkers also resonated with the same — Search where you are Lost. Our body and mind encapsulate the unbound spirit of nature. Everything originates and is caused by the reflexes of our mind, body, actions, and words. The solution lies within the origin of the problem. This is my understanding and I wanted to express it in simple, yet well meaning, well intended lines. That is how the poem came out.
I am happy that Auroras & Blossoms provided me with the right platform to share my work resonating with the same spirit as my poem. I thank Cendrine and David for giving this work the deserving outreach. I hope this poem will instill positivity and inspiration amongst its readers.
Saara Parijaat
Saara Parijaat (Dehli, India) likes writing poetry, dancing, sketching, and animal welfare. She wants to commit her life to being an Earth Protector and work towards the prevention of the current Ecocide. “My role model is Malala Yousafzai. In an extremely adverse, life-threatening and hostile environment, she had the gumption to fight not just for herself, but also for the rights of other girls in her country. I resonate deeply with her ethos of Integrity, Bravery, Justice and Inclusion for all. Her commitment to realizing her mission of access to education for all, through the Malala Foundation, has transformed several young lives. Her story is an inspiration, her story has a purpose. I strongly believe that nobody is perfect, but that we all have a purpose. If we all fulfill it to make this world a better place, it will be much better.”
Saara sent us the poem titled Kindle My Kindness:
The poem was created to serve as an affirmation to the cyclical philosophy of Karma: where one’s actions boomerang to become one’s fate in a later bout.
To a guilty conscience, it induces fear. Paranoia. Though, it is a much needed affirmation for the altruists in the world to pursue the path of their heart. Knowing that every gesture of kindness they show, every tick of a clock they spend, every joule of energy they give away; will all eventually come back to nourish their own life.
This poem, I hold very close to my heart as I am reminded to play my role, and leave it at that. Our role is to be kind, and we must leave it at that. Only that. The poem doesn’t specify who will ‘return’ our kindness, it just illustrates a picture of it being showered back on us, through some force elected by the universe. Perhaps you’ll receive your share from not the one you gave it to. I want you all to know: your altruism, your benevolence, your compassion, are always acknowledged. I pray that the beautiful hymns of kindness you sing, echo back into your ears someday.
Shailey and Saara, thank you for sharing what inspired your pieces. We know that people will love your work as much as we do!
The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2) will be released on March 23, 2023. In the meantime, you can pre-order your copy for 50% off the regular price. Offer ends on March 23, 2023.
Please note that Auroras & Blossoms only releases digital copies (ebooks) of its anthologies. This allows us to keep our costs and book prices low, and avoid charging young participants for submitting to us.
We are delighted to announce a release date for the PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2)!
The PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition is a yearly publication that celebrates inspirational / uplifting young writers from around the world. Participants are between 13 and 16 years old.
Volume 2 will feature contributions from 24 creatives. Their names are included below:
The PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition (Volume 2) will be released on March 23, 2023. Right now, you can pre-order your copy for 50% off the original price. So, $1.99 instead of $3.99!
Don’t delay though, as the offer will end on release day!
Before we go, we would like to remind you of two things:
Auroras & Blossoms only releases digital copies (ebooks) of its anthologies. This allows us to keep our costs and book prices low, and to avoid charging young participants for submitting to us.
We do not distribute our anthologies to Amazon, because the company has a zero-tolerance policy towards non-original content. If something is available on the Internet (and social media), you cannot use it in a paid ebook. Why? Answers here and here.
