Meet the Winners
Journey Into the Light
Groundhog Day (February 2) is a tradition where a groundhog emerges to predict the end of winter. As spring of 2026 approached, SoulSketch Collective NYC and the Starling Press invited youth creatives to voice their own 'Journey Into the Light'. Our showcase aims to transform the challenges that has made youth who they are today, lighting the path for many more.
THE PROMPT
"Self-discovery is more than finding who you are; it's a celebration of human understanding, healing, and community connection. Through creative expression, we honor the personal stories, emotions, and tribulations that made us who we are today. Share your voice and transform the past into a collective light for the future."
"Books Can Keep Company"
Cynthia Su, 12 years old
"My piece is about finding company in books. Whenever you’re lonely or upset, reading can help you feel better. Books contain all kinds of stories that you can relate to or connect with, opening new worlds for you to explore whenever and wherever. Whether its writing in a journal or playing a game, this activity can act as a way to deal with stress, a coping mechanism, or just something to do when you feel bored. Having this is important, as it helps your emotions, and I highly value emotions in life. Your emotions affect how you talk to others and how much effort you put into your everyday life and work. The takeaway is to find the joy in your day and take some time to relax and do what you like to do. Maybe even read a book.”
"We Are Like Words"
Composed with the same twenty-six letters
Yet when arranged and
letters organized in an infinite amount of forms,
we are given different meaning
With a ‘s’ attached, you become more than one
With a ‘ly’ attached, you become an adverb
With an “ing” attached, you become the present
With an “ed” attached, you become the past
We have synonyms
Words that have similar meaning to another
For example, words like:
journey, trip, expedition, voyage
I took a journey into the light
I took a trip into the light
I took an expedition into the light
I took a voyage into the light
All alike but never the same
Used to emphasize different tones
Bring a different meaning to a sentence
Changing the message as a whole
But we also have antonyms
Words that have dissimilar meaning to another:
lightness and darkness
Oppositions to clash with a words meaning
We all took a path to form us
A combination of various letters we took
Consonants and vowels
Together, a word is produced
Connotative or denotative
We have the power to have meaning
A single word can change a whole sentence.
"Time-Traveler"
I am a time-traveler
I have been gifted the ability to move through time
Time is a concept we created:
A minute is sixty seconds
An hour is sixty minutes
A day is twenty-four hours
A week is seven days
A year is twelve months
A decade is ten years
A century is a hundred years
Yet I possess the ability to go back to the past
I can remember the sights, the scents, the sounds
The nostalgic memories that encapsulate me
I can feel the happiness I once felt
Like I am repeating the moment
But I also have the ability to transport myself to the future
Envisioning my life in a day from now, a year even
Like I am predicting my fate,
manifesting the life of success I created for myself
A dream, a goal that is barely out of reach
However, this time-traveling affects me
It gives me the challenge of staying in the present,
living in the moment
where happiness and success already lay
I need to stay here
Because the present is my past
and it will also be my future
"Memory Box"
As the Spring comes, a clean up is mandatory
Once you’ve found the box, you know that you’ve cleaned enough
The dust is removed from the lid with a quick blow
With the removal of the top, the inside of the box is revealed
Items inside that you can never attach a price too
because they are worth everything to you, yet nothing to someone else
A pamphlet for a performance you had when you were younger,
filled with names that you used to say everyday
A clay snowman you made in your fifth-grade art class,
matching with your childhood bestfriend
A pair of glasses that light up from a party you attended,
the day was filled with nonstop dancing and singing
A post-it note with a drawing of a cow,
an inside joke you made with your friend of the first day of school
These items bring back the biggest smile on your face,
resurfacing some of the greatest memories that created you
A box filled with things that no one get,
but it’s the memories that make you who you are
Poetry Portfolio
Amy Hyunh, 16 years old
"My work is centered around the thoughts that randomly occur to me at midnight. The thoughts keeping me awake and my constant overthinking. My message is important because as growing young adults, we are all looking forward to our future and constantly reminiscing our childhood. But I think it’s really important to remember to stay in the present and take in the moments you’re currently living in. I hope my work impacts people by reminding them to live in the moment and enjoy life the way it is!"