This year’s “Wild Words: Adirondack Teen Writing Anthology,” edited by Adirondack Center for Writing (ACW) visiting writer Erin Dorney, was a fun read. Seventy teens, ages 13-19, from 45 towns in our region, published fantasy, science fiction, poems, short stories and excerpts of longer creative works. According to the AWC website, the anthology is “part of the Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment Program … a three-year, $125 million investment in the financial stability of New York state artists and the organizations that employ them.” There are so many interesting pieces, but there is only room enough to discuss a few.

Although the authors are teenagers, many of their pieces will resonate with adult readers. “Failure,” a poem by Olivia Broadbent from Newport, describes how dishonest the mind can be. The first line, “Failure and my brain are good friends,” hooks the reader. Then the all-too-familiar roller coaster of emotions vs. logic follows with lines like “I hate my brain / How dare it tell me I am not good enough” and “I know my brain lies / Sometimes it deceives me.” The last stanza ends the chaotic ride with “No brain– / I am strong / And I will succeed next time.” Broadbent accurately portrays the chaotic feeling of not measuring up to others in this poem.

Lillie Chamberlain, from Saranac Lake, details “How to be Perfect in 10 Easy Steps” in a makeup tutorial that could appear in a teen magazine, but it applies to adults too. For example, step one is to “Prime your face with a nice smoothing primer that will wash over all the mistakes you’ve made in life. Take your fingers and tuck the primer into every corner of your life even the corners you forgot about or think are already washed over and are blurred.” The author cleverly addresses metaphorical concealer, foundation, mascara, and lip gloss, highlighting the ineffective methods we use to cover up our faults.

“In A Tortured Mind is a Lonely Anchor,” the poet sits in a “vast and lonely field” with memories that range from comforting to painful. Melina Mitchell, from Plattsburgh, writes “Every day I dig a hole. / Every day I drop a seed. / But everyday as I move to bury it, / to finally move on, / my hand is grazed by ghosts.” The ghosts have “transparent hands,” they’re “old friends,” they “whisper to grow a meadow,” and they “claw at me, beckoning / to burn my field to ash.” This portrayal of haunting memories is so poignant.

Teenagers often receive a lot of bad press. Fortunately, in the pages of Wild Words, these young authors promote hope, optimism, thoughtfulness, and a little bit of well-earned cynicism. Erin Dorney writes in her introduction, “Please do not stop speaking out, speaking up, and using language for good. This world is better with you in it.” For more information about ACW, check out their programs at adirondackcenterforwriting.org.