In this activity you will read winning works from the Narrative High School Writing Contest and respond to the same prompt.
The Prompt:
In an age swirling with misinformation and misunderstandings, it’s easy to wonder: What is true? And given all the multiple-choice exams you’ve taken, it’s just as easy to assume there are only two choices in life. But is that ever really the case?
In a poem of 10 to 50 lines, address the truths of your life, but make it complicated. The best writing shies away from easy conclusions and neatly packaged ideas, so while you’ll want to use crystal-clear images in your piece, try to leave room for ambivalence or ambiguity too.
Read the winners:
- “Aftermath” by Elane Kim
- “I Dye Her Hair on Saturdays” by Stella Wu
- “Reckoning with the Truths of My Falsehood” by Ali Nasir
Consider:
- What do you notice about the winning works?
- What do they have in common? How are they different?
- How do the authors draw their readers into questions about truth?
- How will you introduce uncertainty into your poems?
- How do binaries—especially false ones—play into your sense of identity?
