Teen Writers

Top 10 Things To Do in Hyde Park

By Joelle R.

Most know Hyde Park as the home of  the renowned University of Chicago but there’s quite a bit more to do than study when you’re hanging out in this southside neighborhood. In honor of summer, and COVID restrictions lessening, here are my top 10 things to do if you happen to stop by my favorite Chicago neighborhood. 

1. Enjoy ice cream at the very same Baskin Robbins where Barack & Michelle Obama’s had their first date

The Obama’s spent much of their time in Chicago living in the Hyde Park / Kenwood area — in fact  There’s even a rock to commentate their first date and kiss with a sweet quote from president Obama. 

2.  Visit the Museum of Science & Industry

Probably the most well known Hyde Park attraction, this world class museum is still worth the visit. Currently they’ve got a cool Marvel exhibit open as well as the Black creativity Juried Art Exhibition alongside their usual wonders  (a submarine from world war 2, space artifacts, etc). For non members tickets are currently approximately $22. Since it’s a bit pricey, and there’s quite a few exhibits to explore, I’d recommend dedicating an entire afternoon just to checking out the place.

3. Explore the Japanese Garden on Wooded Island in Jackson park 

If you’re already at the Museum of Science and Industry then you might want to take a stroll behind the museum in Jackson Park and head to the Japanese Garden on Wooded Island, a tiny island in the middle of the park. The garden has  great views of the water, and is a popular place to take prom photos. I recommend going in the springtime to see the cherry blossom trees in bloom.

4. Get Jerk wings at Uncle Joe’s Jerk Chicken  

Everyone knows Chicago has world renowned cuisine, and Hyde Park is no exception. These caribbean style wings are to die for. 

5. Have a bonfire with friends at  Promontory Point

The park juts out into Lake Michigan and is surrounded by 270 degree views of the lake and awesome views of  the Chicago skyline. It’s one of the only places in the city with built in fire pits, making it an absolute must visit. It’s also a great place to people-watch and is rarely— if ever— as crowded as lakefront parks on the northside. 

6. Play Pac-Man at First Aid Comics  

There’s a lot of unique stores in Hyde Park  but First Aid Comics is my favorite.  It’s an old-school comic book store with a large collection of comics, games and candy.  They also have an OG Pac-Man arcade game that is very addicting. 

7.  Tour the Frederick C. Robie House designed by  Frank Lloyd Wright 

Wright was a famous Midwest architect and designer known for establishing the prairie style home. His designs can be seen across Chicago but the Robie house is considered one of the best examples of his work. The house is open to visitors on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. There’s a variety of tours to choose from and it’s best to book ahead of time due to Covid restrictions. The standard tour costs $20 a person. There’s also a cool cafe, popular with university students, in the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, right next door.   

8. Check out the Oriental Institute  

This  university museum is free to visit (although you currently have to register in advance) and has an expansive collection of artifacts from the Middle East.

9. See “Nuclear Energy”

The world’s first man-made, nuclear chain reaction— one that would be the basis for future atom bombs— occurred on the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field in 1942. Although you can’t actually view a nuclear reaction, you can check out a sculpture created to commemorate the historic event.

10. Get coffee and a macaroon at Bonjour Bakery on 55th street.

 This bakery is located in a quaint mall on 53rd street and has delicious French style sandwiches, croissants, and pastries. Plus, their coffee is really strong.

She Glides Like a Pegasus

By Leylah S.

She glides like a Pegasus 

Warm yet so cold

Colorful yet devoid of any color

Gentle yet so hostile 

So fast that all you can see is her gliding in slow motion 

When she dashed by you

You’re washed over by an intense feeling of euphoria 

And almost immediately a sense of dread

She’s ravishingly beautiful 

Yet she appears hideous when your get too close

She comes to you as you are 

The beautiful see her as they are, beautiful and mythical 

Where the dark see her as they are, dreadful, dark, and evil 

So if she comes to you as dreadful it’s not her you should fear, it is yourself

Drowning In A Pool Of Tears

By Claire S.

i’m drowning in a pool of tears

they fill my mouth, my nose, my ears

i can’t see a single thing

i don’t know what’s happening

silence surrounds me, oh so loud

it’s like i’m floating on a cloud

i can’t tell which way is up or down

i just see darkness all around

and if i try to scream or shout

the salty tears will fill my mouth

they taste like heartache, loss, and pain

they taste like the thoughts inside my brain

thoughts as dark as ravens wings

thoughts that are debilitating

despite all that, i’m not scared at all

even though i feel so small

this is easier than facing life

all that hardship, struggle, and strife

i feel myself begin to slip away

i know i’ll never see another day

but i have one more thought before i disappear:

how in the world did i get here?

i’m drowning in a pool of tears

they fill my mouth, my nose, my ears

then i realize it, just in time:

these tears i’m drowning in – they’re mine

We Only Lose If We Stop Fighting.

By Kindraya B.

We only lose if we stop fighting- You will not take away trans rights.

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

In recent weeks more than 20 states have introduced new anti-trans laws. Within these laws they allow parents and medical professionals to be prosecuted for providing gender-affirming medical care. In Alabama these actions would lead to a felony, the bill even allowing teachers to out students to family. And as I go down the list the bills and acts seem to get worse. States are banning/limiting health care for trans youth, banning them from school sports, making it harder for them to use restrooms, and in Arkansas, a bill allows school employees to misgender trans students. It should be clear that none of this is okay. Trans rights are human rights, this isn’t news and shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. 

      These politicians care more about regulating someone’s body than they care about regulating guns. This anti-trans bill is not about protecting kids from predators when in Florida they passed a bill allowing a child’s genitals to be “inspected” before allowing them to play a sport. They are so uncomfortable with someone being slightly different from them that they don’t want them to enjoy life. Is that really our concern right now? Is it so bad to let someone be happy in their own skin? Of all the shit that’s to come in 2021 so far our biggest issue is what’s between someone’s legs? In 2021, so far there have been 156 mass shootings according to the Gun Violence Archive. Read that again: 156. We aren’t even halfway through this year and instead of stepping back and addressing the real problems here, we decided,  hmm innocent lost lives can wait, let’s talk about what defines a “real woman” or a “real man.” 

    No one should ever have their rights voted against and I mean no one. These are children that want a normal life in this fucked-up world; it’s not fair. This is oppression. Transgender people are people and deserve to be treated as such. There are bigger things in the world right now than the gender someone identifies as or doesn’t; and the fact that through all the shit that’s happening they decide it is okay to act against trans-youth? So many teens and children wander through adolescents lost because they don’t feel accepted as themselves and when these children finally begin to accept themselves they have to face people that want nothing to do with them and would rather see them in pain than prosper in society. 

No one could ever understand the LGBTQ+ experience but members of the LGBTQ+ community. The best we allies can do is listen, offer support, and fight alongside members. We will not speak over members instead we will protect and amplify their voices because right now their voices are the ones that truly matter.

In the Spring

By Finley W.

In the spring, she stands akimbo at the palette-turned-planter. It is on the west side of the house where, in deep summer, the canopy of trees traps the sun before it reaches the seeds entombed in the planter’s dark earth.

Here, in the spring, she pours linseed oil on a paintbrush and brings it against the plywood. She brightens it that it will soak in and turn to amber the sun that now tumbles in waves to the box.

Let her do her magic, give this anointment, coax the seeds forward into spring.

Love?

By Aderemi A.

Love: A word thrown around but not so easily defined. The dictionary does my feelings no justice. “Attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers.” But the indescribable tranquility that envelopes me when I hear her voice: Is that love? The insecurities that fill my head when she stares too long: Is that love? As I struggled to define my feelings, I stumbled upon the realization that when someone affects you so positively that you can’t answer the question  “What is Love?” You’ve found it. You’ve found love.

Next Gen.

By Sonaya J.

A problem I’d like to solve would be providing opportunities for those who don’t have access to them. For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in helping children. There are so many children throughout this world that need a place to go if they want to talk or a place to sleep, and there is no assistance available.  I want to aid kids who share my background and come from the same areas that I grew up in; creating a space that eliminates the statistics that are already placed on African American adolescents.  As a result, I want to open a resource center that encompasses the problems that numerous adolescents face on a daily basis such as, medical/mental health support, shelter, food, and educational assistance.

Every time I watch the news or scroll through social media, there is a child who is hurt by the people they trust. Children should feel safe wherever they are and shouldn’t be punished for simply being born. I want to help the forgotten who don’t have anyone to depend on but themselves. Children who have their innocence taken away at a young age are destined to become another statistic; which can lead to the percentage of adolescents entering violent paths increasing or filling up prison cells.

Children are the future of our world, they are the next doctors, lawyers, or engineers yet so many are overlooked. The ones who are most at-risk are people of color and financially disadvantaged; if we continue to do so, society continues the rotating cycle of putting children into the world who are not prepared. Minority adolescents go through this cycle most often than their counterparts; the system that is set in place to assist does the exact opposite.

I want to eventually work with teenagers because they are the last to get adopted in foster care and mainly forced to provide for themselves in certain situations. I want to be a mentor, in developing their persona and guidance towards putting them on the right path. Specifically, African American teenagers, like myself, are at a substantial disadvantage compared to our white counterparts, for example, predominantly white schools or neighborhoods receive more government funding than minorities.

Creating my resource center would provide a space where they can express themselves and receive the best educational opportunities and support.  A way to understand them is by conquering my future plans, to become a child advocate lawyer and open a resource center for at-risk youth. While completing law school, I want to be a social worker to try to make sure those kids who think they are forgotten are not.

My love for children and being an influence during the early developmental stages of life is another essential concept in solving this systemic problem.   I have been volunteering at my local daycare center since the eighth grade; it originally started as a requirement for graduation, but I learned how much I enjoy working with children, thus finding my passion. Through my volunteering experiences of reading books and teaching kids; I have learned that the toddler stage is the most developmental age.  I love working with children at this age because their imagination guides them through life.

Overall, I have found my passion for mentoring the youth through my personal journeys of spending time with young children, and because of the opportunities and direct experiences, I have faced as a teenager of color.   I plan to become a child advocate lawyer and eventually open up a resource center for at-risk youth. During law school, I want to be a social worker to try to make sure those kids who think they are forgotten are not.  I know that I can’t fix all the problems within the world, but with the space, I want to build; I can start the conversation about solving these systematic problems that society faces.

The Oxymoronic Proposition of a Full Circle

By Annaliese B.

I couldn’t stand still anymore. I couldn’t stand in the small private waiting room any longer. It felt like the grey walls were trapping me, the silence between my notoriously loud family making me anxious. I had to get out. 

I went to find my mother, fully aware that my father had far too much on his plate to deal with me at that moment. I found her at the end of the ICU hallway. She looked out the large window, which viewed the parking deck. I stood quietly behind her, looking at the outdoors. When we left that morning, it was sunny. When I went out to lunch, it was sunny. 

But the minute my mother called me that afternoon, the world suddenly turned grey. It began raining and the sky was dark. I could feel my legs shake with every step I took. It was almost like the world knew what was going to happen.

I quietly asked my mother if I could go for a walk. I told her I needed to get some fresh air. I couldn’t breathe in the stuffy hospital air for any longer. She told me that would be fine; we always understood each other in a rather reserved way.

I took my earbuds and walked out of the hospital.

It was October in Chicago, so the air was chilly. I wrapped myself in my yellow sweater and closed my eyes as the rain hit my face. I stood in the grass across the lawn and took a deep breath. I plugged my earbuds in and began to walk across the wet hospital lawn until someone called my name.

I turned and saw my cousin driving a beige station wagon I didn’t recognize towards the parking deck I found my mother staring at just moments ago. He’d driven up from West Lafayette in less than two and a half hours when the drive was usually three hours.

Before he could open his mouth, I answered the question he was going to ask. “They’re upstairs. Third floor. You’ll see them,” I told him. 

He gave me a quick nod. “Where are you going?” He asked me. I shrugged, but I knew exactly where I was going. I just didn’t want him to know. “Be safe, okay?” He said to me. 

He and I stared at each other for a moment. I don’t want to lose someone else today, his eyes seemed to say. 

I gave him a small nod and swallowed hard. Neither one of us wanted to talk about what was going to happen until we had to. “I will,” I told him. “I promise.” He rolled up the window and drove into the parking deck. I left the hospital grounds and began walking down the street.

I blasted music through my earbuds as I walked. I remembered expressing to my father that no one would talk to me on the first day of school so I put earbuds in, and he suggested that maybe no one would talk to me on the first day of school because I had earbuds in. It was the universal sign that someone didn’t want to be bothered, and that day I didn’t want to be bothered.

I shook my head at the memory. I’d been a junior in high school for hardly a month, and my absences were piling up. My absences were never anything serious, for example I once missed class due to being attacked by a bee hive and I missed class on another more-normal occasion because of a doctor’s appointment. I knew this would add more absences, but this time I didn’t care about the work I would have to catch up. 

My pace quickened as I continued down the street. I wanted to get away from that hospital as fast as I could. 

I was always confused as to why people wouldn’t be allowed to see a loved one in their last moments. I thought you should be able to see them until their last breath- to be with them as long as you can. 

But that day, I finally realized why people wouldn’t want to do that. I couldn’t get the image of her out of my head. She laid still. Her hands were cold. Her chest rose and fell but her eyes stayed shut. The vital monitor was the only noise in the room. It’s sounds slowed with each rise and fall of her chest. I knew what would happen when the room would go silent.

My father tried to get me to talk to her, but I couldn’t find the words to say. I just held her hand in mine. Her nails were done the way she liked; I remembered her getting them done right before the surgery. I suppose she was preparing for the worst. I thought about how cold her hand was against my skin. I thought about how when I looked back at my father I could see tears in his eyes. 

I continued walking down the street, away from the hospital. It was beginning to rain, and all I had on was a measly yellow cardigan with black combat boots to protect me from the rain. I kept walking. The rain wasn’t terrible. It felt refreshing against my face.

My feet led me around the corner of the street. I twisted the cord from my earbuds around my index finger; it was a nervous tick of mine. I continued walking until I reached it.

I could feel my anxious heartbeat beginning to slow down once my eyes landed on the beige building. I looked up and felt the tension leave my shoulders. I was home.

I hadn’t lived in that apartment for very long. I was too young to remember it too, but I always felt like I was at home there. Fleeting thoughts of my early childhood ran through my brain as I stared up at the bay window that belonged to the apartment where I first lived.

Suddenly my legs were giving out. I felt weak.

I took a seat on the curb and began to cry. I held my head in my hands, my tears soaking the sleeves of my cardigan. The thought of that apartment being the first place I lived broke me. I was born in that hospital- the same one I’d been running from- and came back to the first place I went after being in that hospital years ago.

I continued to cry on the curb. My tears fell from my eyes the same way the rain was falling from the sky. The very place I had been given life was the very place my grandmother’s life was being taken. And that was too much to handle.

Whenever it was just my grandmother and I walking somewhere together, she would tell me the story of how she walked through the hospital with me when my mother went into labor with the person who would become my younger brother. He was born in the same hospital that I was born in. We were both born in the same hospital where my grandmother would pass away.

Eventually I found the strength to get up and go back to the hospital. When I returned, I went back into the room where my grandmother was. I held her hand and found the words I couldn’t earlier.

I told my grandmother that I never saw this happening. I never thought the very place where my life began would be the very place where hers ended. I thought it was unfair how oxymoronic it was that life and death were opposites but resided on the same linear line. 

I told her how I always figured she’d be around to remind me about my lack of a boyfriend or how lucky I was that my eyelashes were so long or how she walked down those very hallways almost fifteen years ago when my brother was brought into the world. I supposed life carried on, but I had no clue how to carry on without her. 

I thanked her for supporting all my artistic endeavors even when it seemed like no one else did. I thanked her for pushing me to pursue my passions, my hopes, and my dreams, even in the face of adversity. 

I recalled the time she told me that I reminded her of her younger self. I remembered how she said she was ambitious and passionate about all that she did. I remembered how she said she didn’t want me to make the same mistakes she had, and I told her that I wished I could have told her that it was okay to make those mistakes.

I told her I admired her. She was nothing but authentic. Even then, lying in that hospital bed, she was nothing but herself. I told her that I wanted to be just like her in that way: unapologetically myself.

I promised her that I would be more open. I promised her that I wouldn’t live in fear. I promised her that I would do everything in my power to make my dreams a reality.

I promised her that I wouldn’t give up, because she never did.

The Youth of Chicago, A Snapshot

by Leyah Swayzer

Living in Chicago as a teen can warrant many different experiences. Our experiences can be nostalgic, chaotic, and much more. It can feel like we’re riding a big wave a lot of times. Living in the city has shaped us into the people we are today. Since we all have so many different experiences, living in Chicago has allowed many teens to have a broader outlook on life.

I’ve interviewed a few teens from Chicago and here’s what they had to say, let’s start off with some questions to get a deeper understanding of their experiences. What is the most significant experience you’ve had growing up in Chicago, how has it shaped you? and What advice would you give to young people to deal with these types of challenges?

Eric: I was enrolled in a good school with helpful, and constructive teachers, along with good opportunities. This was so significant for me because it started me on where I am now. My teacher started me on social activism. I learned from that teacher that my voice matters in the world. And it opened my mind, and perspective. In return it started me on the work I’m doing now. If it weren’t for that start,I probably wouldn’t be where I am today. What I would say to young people is always move forward, it may suck now but whatever it is will eventually be over.

Winter: People at my school were ruthless and got into several fights over trivial things. Being a black teen in Englewood it can be a challenge remaining different and safe. It was significant because it was surprising for others to see me standing out as different, and not falling in with my surroundings and stereotypes. It gave me confidence to know that I could stay the person I’ve always been, and go against those stereotypes of how one’s “should be” in my neighborhood. To young people I would say “try not to let your surroundings or environment affect who you are or change who you are, instead of becoming the stereotype try to be better than the stereotype.” 

Jasper: Since I live in Chicago and it’s so racially diverse, while figuring out what it means to be a person of color, I was also being exposed to different cultures. I’ve been fortunate in that sense. The internet has also exposed me to different cultures. What it means to be black is an enormous question, and having to sort it out for yourself, having people similar to you can be really helpful. It helped me feel like I wasn’t as much of an outsider as I could have felt. I’m a lot more comfortable in my skin. I’m Muslim and it helped me be more open about it. It was difficult to explain my religion to one’s of different religions. It also took me a while to find my identity, and to be more comfortable with myself and my race/culture. I would say to young ones, realizing there are more people like you, and you’re not alone. It just takes some time to find them and to find the right people. 

Summer: I’ve gotten many opportunities from Chicago, and the libraries here that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere. It’s allowed me to to gain experience and work ethic, and options in the secular world. It has helped me to learn good communication, professionalism, and definitely how to be a team player. I’d say to young ones, It’s okay to ask others for help, and relying on others a bit. Expand your social circles, and contacts. Having mentors helps a bunch.

Emily:  School was a big part of my experience growing up, my peers were really kind to me. And since I lived with my grandparents they had a big impact on my coming up and development. Living with my grandparents helped strengthen my connection with my roots and culture, and my relationship with my grandparents. It shaped my identity with how I am right now and the person I am currently. I say to young ones “Don’t trust just anyone, know who your closest friends are, and who’ll be there in your closest times and who’ll be there to stick around.”

Angelo: My first school was my most life changing experience, it formed my habits and confidence. It helped with communication, and helped me with being myself and being more comfortable around ones I didn’t really know. I was a pretty shy kid so it helped me get out of my shell. It’s significant because it helped shape the person I am today, it helped me learn from my mistakes and to listen to my conscience, and that gut feeling. Some advice I’d give to younger ones is: “Follow your gut and use common sense. If you know you’re in a situation that you know you shouldn’t be in, listen to your gut and leave. Be clear about what you want, try to use the mindset of an alpha and do you. Don’t worry about what others will think about you and just do what you know is right.”

My Take: Growing up in Chicago is a journey that will help you find yourself and your identity. I’m still on that journey. So I suppose I don’t truly know what shaped me because I can’t truly say I’m shaped completely. I know my friends are a big contributor to the person I am today. Although it’s always shifting, I always tend to see a bit of them in me. One place that is helping me to find who I am and what I want to do is YOUmedia.

What I would say to my peers is be kind, and don’t trust everyone you meet. Always keep to yourself,  when it’s not anything you should be concerned about. Due to us all undergoing such independent lives, events and/or trials, it has expanded our maturity.  We’ve had to grow up a bit faster than anticipated. But we got through it, and we’ll continue to get through the rest of this game of life. Remember to be true to yourself and don’t let others change who you are. You’re beautiful just the way you are.

2 Poems

By Azariah B. – (School: George Westinghouse College Prep)

Explaining my depression

Explaining my depression to whoever will listen, a panic attack

My depression is the sun. Some days it’s tucked neatly away by a mist of clouds and other days it shines through my window and leaves me with a slight sunburn 

These days I try my best to hide from the sun. 

It taughts me from behind my curtains so I stay under the covers 

Though as the oxygen shortens in the large duvet I’ve concealed my body under, I lose my breath

My hands begin to shake and I’m gasping for air, the restriction of oxygen on my tired lungs makes me dizzy. 

Still I hide under my cover struggling for one more breath even though there’s a world of oxygen beyond my sheets

This reminds me of a time in the fourth grade where I began to drown at a water park. 

As my body accelerates to a nauseatingly uncomfortable speed I’m plunged into the water

As I peer through the water up into the sky, the sun burns my eyes

I’m sure that this is the end. 

I began to pray

I didn’t ask god to save me but to instead make it painless

I wondered who would tell my mother the news 

I’d seen her take many of these phone calls

She would break down for a few minutes then phone and tell someone else the news

And as I sat there, waiting patiently for the departure of myself from this plain, I heard it

Stand up! Stand up!

It was then I realized the depth of my situation

The water I was in 3 and a half  feet, and coming in a whopping 4’11 at the time, all I had to do was stand up

The line between life and death rested in my ability to stand up. 

That’s depression.

To be so close to life but have your mind make your meeting beyond the bounds of possibility 

To make standing up the longest journey and to accept that it’s one you cannot make

And the journeys only get longer 

First it’s standing up, next it’s the walk from your bed to the light switch, and finally it’s the space between you and your phone which has rung for the 7th time today. 

New message from best friend

“You wanna hang out today! We’re going to the movies around 6. I miss u, and I’m here if you need anything.”

New message from best friend

“Are you coming? The movie’s about to start”

New message from best friend

“Hey so obviously you decided not to come today, but why? We haven’t hung out in weeks, anyway I love you”

Typing

It’s, it’s like my car’s broken

The first day I can manage the sputters and the shrieking of the tires as long as the car gets me to where I need to go. 

The second day the car breaks down in the middle of the road. I was stuck there for a while but it was fine after I gave it a jump

The third day the engine didn’t start at all 

The fourth day I couldn’t even find the keys 

And on the fifth somebody stole the fucking tires

I’m so tired 

Do you want to send this message

No

Deleting message 

Typing 

Hey I’m so so sorry, I’m just really busy. I love you too

Sending message

I mean what’s the point in going to the movies any way

I’ve spent the last 2 days watching my ceiling fan collect dust

Fun fact, dust is made primarily of dead skin cells

And suddenly watching the ceiling fan make me dizzy isn’t so appealing anymore

It reminds me that with every rotation I am dying 

That the seconds I waste here only bring about the inevitable

That I will someday die and some will mourn me even before then

How selfish am I 

To worry about my own transcending when death is a worry for the living

That’s how I know I’m alive, because some days I’m not 

I’ve always been afraid of the dark 

I used to turn on every light in the house to make my way to the kitchen

On the bad days I don’t bother 

I let the darkness surround me 

For on these days there is no room left for worries

My mind can’t muster the possibility of the things that lurk in the shadows because on the days I am dead I am one 

So here I am trying to be alive 

Trying to explain my depression to whoever will listen 

What it feels like to love you

What it feels like to love you 

Loving you is like being lactose intolerant and still eating ice cream 

I know that no matter what I do this won’t end well but I’ll do it anyway 

Loving you