Welcome to the Winter 2012 Edition of Speak Up Online. This issue includes fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We hope you will enjoy this amazing writing by teens from around the world. Also, just a reminder...to see the works … Continue reading →

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which states that "Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the freedom of speech," was implemented to ensure that all Americans retained their civil liberties. Since its creation, the First Amendment has … Continue reading →

I don’t drink coffee anymore. I woke up this morning with your arms and legs and tired voice under my covers and I think my first real smile of the year might have been when you stirred and I remembered … Continue reading →

The edge of the tent flew open with the wind. A bright stream of light shone in with the breeze. I rolled over. I could still hear the beat of the drums. Must escape. These two words were the same … Continue reading →

And you dictated to yourself. You were only ever the secretary, so you pounded your life into ink on the typewriter, into memos and letters. You wished you had someone to dictate to, But there was no one: so you … Continue reading →

I knew her as Isabella--that girl in the River of Dreams. At one time in the innocent smiles of childhood, I truly believed that she lived down in those watery depths and had existed unbeknownst to all until I discovered … Continue reading →

“Suck in! More!” The metal fingers interlocked along my spine.  A grunt of effort and a great heave and all the air in my lungs raced out of me. A click let me know the corset was closed. A sigh … Continue reading →

Jigsaw puzzles composed What was seen and what was hidden since time first sprouted among those we call living Words prance upon nothingness Trample across eyelashes Form the edges of crackling fire Messages are neither gray in color nor wispy … Continue reading →

Chaos lands quietly Echoed by falling. Glue’s promise of forever keeps them in place Others eagerly listen to the emptiness of forgetting.   Doubters believe turmoil is Smog-molded by blurred dreams and thoughts Punctured easily by safety pins of reality … Continue reading →

As she walks, thirty eyes follow her movement. I stare down at the floor, trying to distract myself and attempting to reach a center of serenity. *Deep breathing, beautiful beaches, gentle waves. These images should lead to inner peace, I … Continue reading →