Being split, Korean and Taiwanese, I can’t process two different cultures, It’s hard for me.
On Korean New Year, I bow to elders and eat Duk Bok Ki (rice cakes). On Chinese New Year, I get red envelopes and eat dim sum with herbal tea. I call my Korean grandparents Halmoni and Haraboji; Ah ma, I call to my grandma who is Taiwanese.
The Taiwanese flag has red, white and blue. The South Korean flag has those colors too. The American flag has them too, oooh!
Being split, Korean and Taiwanese, Sometimes people don’t understand me. When my friends talk about their one culture, I want one of my other cultures to be unseen.
I try to tell my friends over and over; I scream and I shout and whisper over their shoulder. They never understand when I say, I am both Korean and Taiwanese! They look confused and annoyed like fleas.
Sometimes I wonder if being Korean and Taiwanese is right for me. I sit there and think until I can finally see, I am special with being multicultural, Being Korean, Taiwanese, and American, Can all fit in my soul.
Being split, Korean, Taiwanese, and American is hard. But the three cultures, Are forever in my heart!
By Preston Young, age 10, New York. Preston adds: “My mom is Korean and my dad is Taiwanese. I was born in the USA. I speak English but I am learning how to write, read and speak Korean because my friends at school can speak fluently, and I want to be able to communicate with them. My dream is to become an author and entertain kids. I was inspired to write this poem because when I am in school people always assume that I am full Korean or full Taiwanese. Sometimes people think I’m Chinese but I always correct them. I wanted to express how I feel and what that makes me feel like. I made a collage out of construction paper and some magazine clippings with markers to show my feelings about being split in three different cultures.”
By Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, grade 6, Mumbai, India
A strategic game with swift moves that is played between ones or twos. To compete in singles or doubles, is what you need to choose.
Played atop on a mini-playground, with net across the middle. Holding a racquet in hand, you simply hit the ball or fiddle.
There is no room for foul let the game be fair, Otherwise, you will be warned by the referee in chair.
Quite popular by the name ping pong, It is every boyhood dream to play as good as Ma Long.
A long way to learn Lebrun’s signature style of pen-hold, If one follows a right technique, am sure you’ll win a gold.
It is rather difficult to play on Bobrow’s snake serve, Be as wise as not to hit hard, just roll and maintain pure nerve.
Some learn forehand while others backhand faster, But you have to be competent in both to be a game master.
Improved footwork and drill enhances agility, Rigorous practice improves overall ability.
With more and more matches, you learn to tackle your opponent, And for a game of table tennis this forms an essential component.
Advancing from an amateur to professional level drills, Day by day you learn better and better skills.
The ranking of the players time to time switches up-and-down, You never know one fine day, you will receive the winner’s crown.
The game demands focus, patience and cool temperament, To play in the event to the spectator’s amazement.
With hours of daily practice and a stroke of luck you may find a place in the finals Rejoicing the moments of triumph by winning glistening medals!
By Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, grade 6, Mumbai, India. He adds: ”Being a sports-enthusiast and an intermediate level table tennis player, I have tried to pen down the nitty-gritty of this racquet game in this poem using ‘simile’ as one of the figures of speech while comparing the playing surface with a mini-playground! I also like to share the experiences that I have had while playing in different level tournaments and the essential requisites with the special mention of the ‘GOATS’ (Greatest player of all times—China’s Ma Long, France’s Alex Lebrun, and Adam Bobrow, American table tennis commentator whom I greatly adore) through this poem. As a matter of fact, I do have a strong bonding, a feeling of camaraderie with my duo (my racquet-ping pong balls) and one can’t deny the fact that a sport teaches you significant skills and life values even at a very early age! “I like to venture into varied activities and learn associated skills, which I feel is a life-long process. I envision myself to be a world-class table tennis player and grow up to be a sports coach or may pursue sports medicine! I wish to transform my passion into an initiative that would strengthen the feeling of ‘Love Sports’ in the minds of youngsters or rather every common individual. ”I also do a lot of sketching of famous personalities and exhibit interest in playing musical instruments like tabla and keyboard. I have drawn a sketch of Neymar da Silva santos Jr, a Brazilian professional soccer player as he is a great role model for young athletes. He is humble and gives 100% on the field. He posts funny videos of himself on social media and I relate myself to him as he is hyperactive and playful.”
Neymar da Silva Santos Jr, a Brazilian professional soccer player. Sketch by Viraj Ajgaonkar, age 10, India.
Art in the Time of War: The Children of Zaporizhzhia
By Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, President, Sister’s Sister, Inc.
“Zaporizhzhia” by Yuriy Martynov, age 13, Ukraine.
The unprovoked, brutal war against Ukraine sadly has entered its third year. It has brought much destruction and sorrow to the people of Ukraine. Millions were displaced internally. Millions became refugees elsewhere in the world. Countless Ukrainian children have lost their homes, have difficulties in accessing education, health care and even basic necessities such as drinking water. Bomb shelters and cellars have replaced their rooms, metro benches have become their beds, and air raid sirens on a daily basis drone instead of school bells. While many Ukrainian men and women actively fight on the battlefield for their country, culture and independence, others stay dedicated to the children who remain in Ukraine.
The Central Southern city of Zaporizhzhia is under constant artillery shelling and aerial bombing. But the Center for Children’s and Youth Creativity in the city continues to operate, and attempts to create a safe space to safeguard the children’s childhood. The Gradient creative Computer Design Circle at the Center has not closed its doors even when its teacher Ms. Nadiya Chepiga was forced to flee Ukraine to Poland in the first months of heavy enemy assaults on the city. Ms. Chepiga then continued to work with her students online for the entire year before returning back to her home city and to her students.
The Gradient Circle is now in its thirteenth year of operation. Hundreds of children between the ages of 6 and 17 have learned to create beautiful art there and connect with their inner spirit, bringing them one step closer to becoming professional graphic designers and artists. The Circle creates a comfortable environment for shaping children’s creative abilities, meeting their individual needs for intellectual, moral, aesthetic, and creative development, shaping a culture that includes a healthy lifestyle and organizing their free time. The children learn the principles of drawing art objects, creating drawings and 3D images, acquiring skills in making artwork in various media and styles, learning the basics of graphic design, creating postcards, posters, calendars, and memorabilia. The children search for their individual style of work and aesthetic preferences, develop their creative imagination and fantasy, learn to take creative initiative, and develop their independence.
The Circle’s founding director and teacher Nadiya Chepiga is a creative artist herself, who has implemented numerous creative projects with her students, has helped them realize their creative vision and brought them to life, and trained hundreds of creative individuals. Despite the ongoing war, the students and their teacher continue participating in various nationwide Ukrainian and International competitions as well as in art exhibitions.
Life goes on even in the extremely challenging circumstances created by the war. The students and their teacher continue meeting twice per week. Frequently, instruction needs to be done online because of constant air raid warnings. But on Sundays, the students try to meet with their teacher in person in the Center. And if an air raid siren goes off, they seek cover in the basement (see below) or in corridors where they continue their lessons. Since the enemy missiles and bombs focus on destroying power plants, there is usually no heat, and the students wear winter coats and jackets during their lessons. Yet they enjoy their meetings and continue creating beautiful, original works of art.
Gradient Students Continue with their Art Classes in the Institute’s Basement.
Fifteen of their art creations were exhibited by the humanitarian aid organization Sister’s Sister (www.SistersSister.org) in State College, Pennsylvania on March 23, 2024 during a benefit concert for Ukraine. Sister’s Sister provides humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people, particularly to children, hospitals, orphanages, and the disabled in Ukraine, including State College’s sister city, Nizhyn, located in the Chernihiv region. The artwork exhibited at the concert was created by the students and enhanced with computer graphics under the supervision and guidance of their teacher. Their work draws, in part, on Ukrainian art, famous for its folk traditions and exquisite embroidery, the red and black threads of which represent happiness and sorrow. Sadly, there is too much of the black threads of sorrow in these difficult times for the children of Ukraine, while Nadiya Chepiga, whose first name means “hope,” brings hope to the children of Zaporizhzhia through art. For more information, please visit the websites linked to the QR codes below:
The children’s creativity will continue to be realized despite the nearly impossible conditions and their spirit will remain indominable!
By Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, Ph.D., President, Sister’s Sister, Inc. (www.SistersSister.org)
Hummingbird by Artem Lopatyn, age 10.
“Mystery” by Yeva Pavrianidis, age 10
“Free” by Zlata Khalayim, age 10.
“Music Inspires” by Vyacheslav Sukhanov, age 14.
“Autumn” by Oleksandra Patoka, age 9.
“Thoughts” by Danylo Yerokhin, age 16.
“I Am Ukraine”by Danylo Yerokhin, age 15. The central figure in color is represented by a traditional Ukrainian embroidery against a large city background. The Ukrainian text above says: CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (left corner), and in the right corner, Article 30. A child has the right to enjoy his or her own culture.”
“Zaporizhzhian Oak Tree” by Edik Boitsev, age 13.
“Lord of the Forest” by Danylo Yerokhin, age 16.
“Ukraine, the Bountiful” by Kateryna Yuhayeva, age 14.
“Ukraine Right Now” by Polina Pustovit, age 17.
“The City in Your Head” by Danylo Yerokhin, age 16.
“Unity”by Polina Zakharova, age 12. The poster says: “The Responsibility Starts with Me.”
By Priya Elizabeth Kapur DeWinter, Grade 5, Massachusetts.
What’s your favorite food? Mine is ice cream. Have you ever wondered if ice cream could be a dress? Well, I wondered that, and it started many thoughts in my mind about designing clothes.
On the day I came up with the idea, I was sitting in Kindergarten wondering as I looked out the window. I saw a big apple tree and in that apple tree was a family of birds. “How beautiful,” I thought. I just love nature so I pulled out a piece of paper and started to draw a dress.
It had a black skirt with a red top. Across it was a green sash that reminded me of nature and the apple tree. It was a beautiful dress, it reminded me of my mom, and the beautiful things she wears. Only, she would prefer purple! The dress was beautiful and I showed it to my mom. She took a picture of it. As I got older, I looked at that picture and really started to focus on it.
Now that I’m older and going into 5th grade, I talk about my drawings. I never got to really do anything with my design after kindergarten. But, the summer before 5th grade, I finally got the opportunity to make the dress. My mom found me a sewing teacher for the summer and we started making MY dress. It was a little bit harder than I thought, but I realized nothing is impossible.
“Nothing is impossible,” I thought when I was little. Drawing is drawing but I never realized it could come to life! Drawing is easy for me but seeing the final outcome is not. You have to put thought into it and believe in yourself. I realized that no one is too young or old to start something new. And, not just for sewing, anything new, you can do! I started sewing classes and the first step was to practice. It took some learning before I could start sewing my own design. I loved learning new things and was so excited to sew the dress!
You’ve learned what I wanted to do from a young age. Now, you should go and find what you want to do. The world is full of stuff and different things to learn everyday. My dress was one dream that I never knew could become real. I really never thought this would actually happen and I loved learning how to sew and my new dress!
“My name is Priya Elizabeth Kapur DeWinter. I share my full name because it tells you about my family. My mother is 100% Indian—which is where the Kapur comes from—and my father is half Irish and half Belgian. DeWinter is a Belgian name.
“My maternal grandparents are from India. I’ve never been and hope to go one day. I speak Hindi and English. I’m an older sister. I hope I can be an author or fashion designer when I’m older. I got inspired one day to ask my mom if I could sew the dress that I designed when I was 5 so I did and made it happen, which is what my story is about along with pictures of my original design as well as the dress.”
By Janelle Tang, High School Senior, England, United Kingdom.
Horse Sketch: This was originally the planning sketch for a painted piece following a photo shoot (capturing the vitality and movement of horses). But while sketching it from a picture, I realised that there was much more to the muscles and twitches in the musculature of the horse than I had initially thought. Hoping to learn more about the facial structure and how the animal uses each muscle, I started sketching it out in more detail, finding tiny veins in the photograph that I had looked past originally. Eventually, the pencil sketch turned into a detailed pencil drawing of the horse. This not only allowed me to finesse my pencil skills, but also it led to a more detailed understanding of a horse’s musculature, which was later applied to another painting.
Horse Painting:
This painting was created after a photo shoot to capture horses’ vitality and movement and my curiosity to explore digital tools like Photoshop. I layered multiple pictures of horses, saddles and reigns together, and juggled with the formats, colouring and opacity of each image, and used different filters on each to highlight multiple areas on each image. This allowed me to focus on fine details I was interested in each image, treating each of them differently and associating colours and tone with each image, while still capturing the likeness of the horse. The medium of oil paint allowed me to create details in the image, changing the opacity as well through thinning the paint down in different areas, finally creating a cohesive painting that blends and flows throughout using optical mixing.
About the Artist:
Janelle Tang is a rising senior at Wycombe Abbey School in England. With a passion for art that ignited during her early years, Janelle has been painting since she was a young girl. As she grew, her curiosity led her to explore the captivating worlds of ceramics and textiles. With an adventurous spirit, Janelle delved into the realms of oil painting and hand-building pottery, and her artistic horizons expanded exponentially.
Janelle’s artistic interests encompass a deep fascination with the Romanticism period of art, as well as the captivating allure of Oriental styles, such as Ukiyo-e prints. Diving into these subjects, she has written essays and conducted extensive research, delving into the techniques and styles of these art forms. This process has not only enriched her knowledge but has also ignited an even greater passion for the world of art.
As the Head of History of Art Society at her school, Janelle strives to inspire her peers and create a thriving artistic community. Her artistic journey has been one of growth, exploration, and unwavering dedication to the arts. With her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and her desire to generate unique ideas and solutions, Janelle hopes to leave an indelible mark on the canvas of artistic expression and beyond.
The 2022 Young Poet Awards was organized by Camille S. Campbell in partnership with us. A teen author herself, Camille knows the importance of encouraging young writers through showcasing their work. The contest encouraged youth to write poems and empowered them to express themselves through the visual arts. After seeing the impact of her book, Her Poems: Women Poets Who Changed the World, Camille felt inspired to give back to her local community and throughout the country by hosting the Young Poet Awards contest.
We’re very grateful to all students (and also their teachers and parents) who entered their creative works. Our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the contest this year: Carina Araujo (4th grade winner) and Nova Macknik-Conde (5th grade winner). The two Young Poets will receive a cash prize, Skipping Stones Magazine subscription and recent issues, signed copies of Camille’s book, and four books donated by Skipping Stones Magazine.
4th Grade Winner:Carina Araujo, Maryland.
My Love for my Mom
Art and poem by Carina Araujo, grade 4, Maryland.
My love for you is bigger than the sky
You and me in this beautiful warm night
Staring at the moonlight
Together, you and me
Looking at the big blue bright sky
There are infinite stars above us
Shining in the sky
Holding hands together we stand
Peace all around
In our land
Carina Araujo, grade 4, Maryland (above).
5th Grade Winner:Nova Macknik-Conde, New York.
Winter In My Bed
Glittering white powder covers my home like a frosted cake
The silent fall of snow lulls me to sleep
Icicles lining the roof
The chance of snowmen when I wake up
Cold harsh weather surrounds my home
But it cannot penetrate the warm soft blankets that cover me
Like a hatchling in her nest
Winter in my bed
A full moon glows lighting up my face
My family sleeping warm
Through the frosty night
Me, listening to the sounds of night and family
Slowly drifting to sleep
In my snuggly, lovely, cuddly bed
By Nova Macknik-Conde, grade 5, New York.
Writer’s Block
My pen lingers over the page,
Cobalt ink waiting in the depths,
I imagine, and I ponder, and I muse.
But still the thief steals my well of words,
Cheats me of my cascading thoughts,
And takes my waterfalls of compositions.
The vague scent of ink on a fresh sheet of paper,
The articulation of inspiration,
The quiet bliss of the flowing verse.
The thief deprives me of the joy of invention,
The dexterity of novels, poems, and short stories,
“After learning about the war in Ukraine, I was immediately worried about my grandfather and his wife, who live in Ukraine. At first, I felt that there was little I could do to help the Ukrainian people. But then I realized how art can be an important tool to show support for Ukraine during their fight to protect their land and homes from invaders. In my digital artwork ‘Kaleidoscope of Freedom,’ the center is the Ukrainian flag surrounded by the flags of countries that stand with Ukraine. It expresses the message that the people of Ukraine are not alone in the fight for their land and freedom.”
By Camille Campbell, Age 17, Arizona. Also see Camille’s poem COLORS OF UKRAINE and art published earlier on this website. She adds: “I’ve printed over 5,000 stickers with my art for rallies in Arizona, California and New York. The digital art is based on my silk art (the Ukrainian painting technique) and conveys the message that many countries of the world support Ukraine.” The donations that people make at these rallies support the Ukraine cause.
By Yarynka Yarosh, age 15, grade 9, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Standing near the window in her room, Christine cried quietly. She had long ago learned to wail silently so that no one would hear. Especially Mom. Or maybe she had just spent all her loud tears. Sometimes, after a series of such noiseless sobs, her pillow was too wet to sleep upon. Now those silent, salty streams were there once more, flowing down her cheeks, sprinkling her favorite violet raglan.
Down there, in the yard, her friends are playing volleyball. Olenka serves the ball to Max, he hurls it over the net at Slavko, but Slavko palms the ball back skillfully. Twins Marusya and Oles` back him up closely. The whole team was there, except Christine!
The last time, they had played together was at the start of November, before the first snow. Then came that long and cold winter when Christine fell ill. Now, all the danger was past her, but she still couldn’t play. So every single day she just stood at her window, hidden behind the curtain and watched the exciting game. Her friends shouted for her every time they went out, but she rejected all invitations. She had no difficulty running. No, there was another reason—she just couldn’t confide in them.
Christine sighed and sat on her bed, burying her head into her hands. Not a single hair under her fingers.
Last year had changed Christine’s life radically, ruining plans, dreams. The hospital room, IV`s, doctors, that awful laser lamp, endless chemos were again flickering before her eyes. Christine had no wish to replay all those dreadful months in her head, so she shook her head like she used to do before all that when she still had her beautiful hair. Oh, she was so proud of it! She had the longest hair in her year! And now she has nothing, but plenty of unpleasant thoughts scurrying in her head, like a scattered jigsaw puzzle. Christine was so full of self-pity that she started to cry again. After all this, she had learned to bear physical pain, but not the absence of her chestnut curls.
Oh, how she wanted to run with the “Volley Sixth” again, but…
Christine didn’t want her friends to see her without hair—anything but that! Her pals still had no idea that she was now bald—her parents bought her a wig so that no one would ever know.
Illustration by Yarynka Yarosh, age 15, grade 9, Kyiv, Ukraine
Christine got up and returned to the window. The field was now ringing with laughter—Slavko had just returned the ball in an unusual manner, locking his fingers in a weird knot. Christine poked her head out of her hidey-hole behind a curtain and imagined herself running over the field with her friends. There she is, taking a pass from Slavko, then feeding the ball out to Olenka and running for it just in time to catch a master shoot from Oles`, and then…
Everybody at the field was suddenly staring at her, at her window. Five confused faces. Absent-mindedly Christine scratched her head and suddenly the chills went up her spine… She had forgotten to put her wig on! She usually went about the flat without her fake hair and watched the game from behind the curtain. Today, however, she got so carried away she completely forgot to mind the “danger zone”.
Realizing that her friends saw her baldness the girl yelped and hid her face in her hands. Then she darted away from the window, fell on her bed, and burst into tears. Tomorrow’s her birthday and all the members of “Volley Sixth” were planning to visit—that was the most tragic thing of all!
Her Mom came into the room, alarmed.
“I`m the only bald person in my class! No, in the whole school, in the whole city!” cried Christine loudly, like the moment she was told about her diagnosis. “I don’t want any party on my birthday!”
Mom hugged her tenderly. “But your hair will grow back, for sure, my skylark,” she soothed.
“I can’t speak to them normally, knowing they saw me bald!”
“If they are really and truly your friends, that should mean nothing to them,” she responded.
But does she really have… true friends?
That night Christine had a beautiful dream.
“Come on, Christine, serve it! That’s my girl!” shouted Slavko.
“It’s so good to play volleyball with my friends!” Christine was rejoicing, serving the ball on the other half of the field. Suddenly, she saw it hurtling towards her. She wanted to break it, but her knees quaked and felt like cotton…
Somebody touched her shoulder very softly. Christine opened her eyes and instantly squeezed them tightly shut, hiding from the tickling morning light… Mom and Dad were standing near her bed, smiling and holding a present. So she had only dreamt about the game, how sad!
“Ding-dong,” rang the entry phone in a while. Christine quickly slipped her wig on.
And there they were! Olenka, Slavko, Maxim, Oles` and Marusya. They had come empty-handed, and for some reason, were all wearing hats.
“Well, as agreed! On the count of three,” cried Slavko. “One, two, three!”
“Happy birthday!” And they swept off their hats as one.
They all had clean-shaven their heads!
And they hugged the birthday girl, all at once.
That was the best birthday party Christine ever had!
After the birthday treats, “Volley Sixth,” now fully complete, went to the sports ground before Christine`s window. Now Christine had difficulty identifying her friends on the field, she still hadn’t got over their new hairstyles.
Then she remembered her dream. Now she couldn’t recall whether she had her curls there or not. Not that it had any importance now. She was quite happy without her hair now, for she had true friends.
By Yarynka Yarosh, age 15, studies in grade 9, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Yarynka writes, “I like painting, playing piano, reading, speaking with my family about anything, writing poetry, and stories, of course. I’m from Ukraine, and I want peace in the whole world, and for ourselves.
“On the 9th of March, we were forced to leave our home city, beautiful Kyiv (because of the Russian invasion)… Now my family and I are in a safe place, and I’m so thankful to God that we are still alive! But my grandparents are still in Kyiv. Please, pray for them!
“I was really surprised, when I read your email (of acceptance). I’m thankful for your positive response. You made me happy and gave me more confidence and hope 🙂 Ukraine needs your prayers, we feel your emotional support.”
