Writers in the Schools (WITS) is the core of Literary Arts' Youth Programs. Every year, students from Portland and east Multnomah County participate in creative writing residencies in their own classrooms. During the 2018-2019 school year, more than 850 students worked with local professional writers to create short fiction, memoir, poetry, and comics, the final versions of which you will read in this chapbook. The creative breadth of Portland’s youth is sometimes comedic, sometimes heartbreaking, but always immense, relevant, and gripping. These pages illustrate the range of realities that face today’s youth. We are so grateful that they have chosen to share their truth with us.
