The Writer's Workout

What the Body Refuses by Aneisha Gupta First Place The first time my throat tightened at the temple, I thought it was God. I was ten years old, standing barefoot on the cool stone floor of our local Hindu temple, waiting for my offerings, waiting for my prashad. As far back as I can remember, my birthdays always began with prayers at the temple alongside my family. Incense curled toward the ceiling, blurring the golden edges of the deities. The priest’s voice rose and fell

Nail Biter by Jade Josie Second Place My cheeks feel warm buried in the crook of my elbow. I am something dead to the world, bloated and still. My scrawny limbs bend and spread across my desk as my mind floats anywhere else but here. I feel more comfortable than I ever could be in my bed, even in all of the clattering noise before first period. A chirping voice and a tap to my shoulder drags me from my haze. “Hi!” A hand waves in front of my face, making the pale school li

She's Back by Claire Beaver Third Place 1. On her hands and knees, loose pieces of grout piercing her skin between tiles, Avery scrubbed. The sponge was chunky with bits of vomit and fingernails intended to land in the toilet, but she didn’t stop until the splattered bits were gone. Avery couldn’t remember the last time she had thrown up, really thrown up. Maybe in college after a night of binge drinking with her sister; May knew how to drink. Avery pulled herself up by the