What does it mean to out-beam the sun—to shine brighter, beam wider, than the brightest star seen from our planet? Our galaxy is full of stars bigger and brighter than the sun. The power of the sun is in its proximity, how close it is to us. As the distance of those other stars from us increases, their brightness and size only appears to be less.

In this anthology from the Telling Room’s Young Writers & Leaders, you’ll find stories and poems that radiate. Creative writing allows students to shine their brightest. As author Sunila says in her story, “Even now, I’ve only just realized how much writing really means to me. It’s about having another way to understand people and to think from different views and biases that aren’t mine.”

If by chance you have a deep emotional response to any of these stories, we urge you to bring the authors and who they represent closer, because their light is far more brilliant the nearer they are to you.

CHAPBOOK | Paperback | 148 pages | 2024