The Garden’s Secret Choir
Beneath the slow breath of morning soil,
the onion hums and its layered heart asleep,
a pale globe guarding tears untold.
Nearby, garlic dreams in clustered cloves,
its scent a fierce devotion to the earth.
Young Writers Project
The Daily Read
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questions for the tiny bird
Tiny ceramic bird, frozen in midair. Are you doomed to spend eternity seeking a flower you will never see? Spiderwebs cover your body as you dangle from a wire, staring at a pole of wood, cracks forming with time.
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March 20th, 2026
DN24. R6. The metal numbers are still there. Clinging faithfully to the wooden electric post, tacked down with more fervor, probably by someone tired of the defeated, dangling look of them, rather than the city. My gas station cup of Dr.
Gallery
Challenges
Visual Art
Deadline
Self Portrait
Create a self portrait that you feel best represents who you are, using collage. This collage can look like anything and does not necessarily have to resemble a face; it could be a collection of things you like to do or foods you like, etc.
Writing
Deadline
Pastoral
Describe a calm place (a river valley, a mountain path, a beach) where you feel at peace. Do you go there often? Why does this place speak to you?
Writing
Deadline
Windsparks
Need a poem starter? Try windspark poems – five-line, often nature-related poems that follow this format:
"I dreamed"
"I was ______" (something or someone - a noun)
Location (where)
An action (-ing verb)
How (adverb)
Writing
Deadline
Spring 2026 Writing Contest
Throw open the windows, poet Billy Collins urges in "Today," his joyful poem about spring. Let the "warm intermittent breeze" lift you up and carry you off. In poetry or prose, explore the sense of freedom and celebration of spring.
Visual Art
Deadline
Spring 2026 Visual Art Contest
When spring takes over from winter, there is a sense of new beginnings, rebirth, hopefulness. Share your discoveries through photography, painting, or another artistic medium of your choice.
Visual Art
Djabril Boukhenaïssi
How do you paint a memory?
News & Events
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Summer Program in the Craft of Fiction Writing
High school writers: Here's a two-week virtual program in fiction writing, led by editors of Amherst College's literary magazine. Scholarships are available. Find out more.
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YWP's Spring Writing and Art Contest!
YWP's Spring Writing and Visual Art Contest is on! In writing or art, explore the sense of freedom, renewal, and celebration as winter turns to spring.
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Tomorrow Project Writing Featured in Series of Talks
Poetry from YWP's Tomorrow Project is being featured around the state this spring as part of a Vermont Humanities' series.
