Hello there!

You have stumbled across Our Own Words, a trove of creative writing by high school writers who need readers like you.

We exist because our favorite part of writing (most of the time…) is the process that comes after the mad first draft, that process of emerging from your room after a long night, empty tea cups in hand, and letting your writing see the light of day. Our regular crew of contributors and editors consists of a group of friends who find joy in reading and discussing each other’s work and making it the best it possibly can be, while still getting lost in the stories we tell. Our Own Words is here to spread that joy, by posting teenagers’ work that is the product of our brand of love. And you can be a part of it!

We’re thrilled to accept all genres, and if your work defies categorization, that’s even better. Here, you will find short stories, long stories, found poetry, slam poetry, memoirs, and murder mysteries, among other things. If you’re a high schooler who has just written something you’re proud of, please submit it, with or without your name, on our contact page! Our team will look it over and email it back within a week, with edits for content and style. We ask you to send us back a final draft, whenever you are ready, and we will post it on the blog so that people everywhere can read it, and maybe even be inspired to write something amazing of their own.

Meet the Crew

A.J.

18, she/her
editor-in-chief & contributor

The angsty teen, organizational wizard, jazz drummer, and Our Own Words founder who uses her talents to inflict peace, love, and poetry on the world. She has always loved writing because it gives her the ability to make messy things make a little bit more sense, and relies on imagery to capture fleeting emotional moments.

C.H.

18, they/them
contributor

An enthusiast of cats and books whose raw and lyrical language gives them an outlet for their desires and emotions, often touching on themes of queer pride and different forms of love.

C.G.

17, he/him
contributor

This makeup artist extraordinaire thrives on a bit of chaos and a lot of love, and the array of larger-than-life characters that populate his writing reflect that.