Bloom: Best Arizona Teen Writing of 2014 (Volume 1)

Bloom features select portfolio, personal narrative, poetry, flash fiction, short story, journalism, persuasive, humor, dramatic script, and science fiction-fantasy compositions by grade 7-12 Arizona teens who received Silver and Gold Key recognition from the 2014 Scholastic Writing Awards. It’s the first of its kind in state history: earned publication through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards which is the country's largest, longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for teen artists and writers. This book was not only written by these young authors; it was co-designed and co-edited by them in collaboration with Young Authors of Arizona (YAA), a non-profit organization and the state of Arizona affiliate for the Awards. Bloom is for personal reading but also meant for classroom use in the state of Arizona: a student-synthesized anthology with exemplary works to study and to inspire grade 7-12 student participation in the Scholastic Writing Awards by December 17, 2014. Thank you for supporting YAA through this book purchase and enjoy the following description by the authors themselves. Awake and alive, raw and invincible. The pieces in this collection depict overcoming struggle and finding one’s identity in the midst of chaos. With our words as tools for survival, we have found a way to thrive in the Arizona desert. Thought the works of the 63 authors featured in this book, we address themes ranging from war and loss to love and triumph. We are young. We are aspiring. We art resilient. We are Bloom.