• Making Joy

  by Dani J.

  When I walk into the printmaking studio, the creaky wood-paneled floors give away my entrance. The studio appears dilapidated, with pipes exposed from an open ceiling, and I hear every other person’s footsteps and children screaming in the distance, but at this point it’s like a second home to me.

• Caught in the Middle of an Ugly Divorce

  by A.O.

  I was born and raised in East Harlem near 110th and Madison. Both my parents were well known on the block; for a time I felt like royalty. My mom told me stories about how my aunts and neighbors fought over who held me next.

• The Good in Grieving

  by Zainab Hamid

  When I was 5, I moved to Bangladesh from the U.S. This enabled me to spend more time with my grandparents: Abdur and Amena on my father’s side; Misbahul and Samsun on my mother’s. I loved and cherished my time with my grandparents.

• Breaking Ties With My Mom

  by E.O.

  I didn’t meet my parents until I was 9. I grew up in El Salvador with my grandmother and traveled alone to join my father, mother, and two new little sisters who were born in New York. When I first got here, my mom bought me new clothes, and showed me around the neighborhood.

• Taking My Life Back From My Abusers

  by E.O.

  Names have been changed. When I was 9, I moved to New York to be with my parents and sisters. Like many immigrants from Central America, I took a two-month journey north across Mexico and crossed the border illegally into the United States.

• Alone Then Not Alone

  by J.S.

  I was 12 when I first realized I was attracted to boys. I come from a strict, religious Sikh family, and I could not reveal these feelings to my parents. So I had a private notebook that I wrote and drew in.