About the Authors
Grace Barie is in seventh grade. Her favorite subject is language arts. Grace is active in band, basketball, track and field, and piano. She enjoys doing art and reading books.
Joseph Biederman is in seventh grade. He plays the trumpet and piano and is a Boy Scout. Joseph enjoys reading, writing stories and comic books, and spending time with his family. His pastime of building and battling cardboard ships and planes inspired him to write “A Stuffed Empire.”
Thomas Biederman is in fifth grade. He plays percussion and piano and is a Boy Scout. Thomas enjoys writing stories and comics, building with LEGOs and cardboard, and spending time with his family. His love of superheroes and red pandas inspired him to write “Red Boy.”
Brendan Brookens is an eighth grader at Fairmont High School. He likes to spend time with his family and his pet dog, Shark. Brendan enjoys playing video games and his favorite class is Phy Ed.
Brielle Brown enjoys reading, dogs, drawing cartoon characters, baking, and sitting by a fire with a cup of tea and a good book. She is active in volleyball, softball, speech and drama during the school year and loves to swim, ski and fish in the summer. An interesting fact about Brielle is that she will travel to Washington D.C. in May to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee!
Chloe Brown enjoys spending time outside, being active in sports, riding her bike and playing games. She also likes to come up with creative activities to do with her little sister, Keirsten, and write cards to her friends. Chloe has a serious sweet tooth, too. An interesting fact about her is that she is the tallest fourth grader we know and has almost passed up both of her grandmas!
Stella Elaine Bublitz is a fifth grader from Saint Peter Schools. Born in Minneapolis, she moved when she was seven. Very talkative and social, COVID hit Stella like a lightning bolt, shaking her and her world. “Cursed by Thin Air” was a way for her to vent her feelings. Sadly, just a couple weeks later, Omicron hit. Luckily, St. Peter rebounded and the district is now out of masks, the wished for ending in her poem.
Elizabeth Castor is a lover of dogs.
Ian J Covarrubias is a ninth grader at Fairmont High School. He likes to play soccer and is on the spring league team. Ian likes to play video games and his favorite game is Fortnite. He also likes spending time with his friends.
Zariah DeBerry loves to read and write and wants to be an author when she grows up. Being legally blind has not held her back from her love of books. Zariah looks forward to the writing conference every year!
Caitlin Fuhr is 13 years old. She loves basketball, spending time with her friends and relaxing at home. Caitlin enjoys her studies and likes spending time at school.
Marcus Gamboa is a freshman at Fairmont Jr./Sr. High School. In his free time he likes to go outside and play football with friends. Marcus also enjoys building LEGOs and playing Xbox. His favorite movies are the Star Wars series. Marcus often spends time with his family.
Jack Gatton is in ninth grade at Fairmont High School. He enjoys playing with his cat, watching TV and playing video games when he has free time. Jack likes to be outside when it’s nice out. He works part-time at a restaurant and owns his own snow removal and lawn care business.
Brennan Gerstbauer is a fourth grader at Saint Peter Lutheran School. He plays soccer and loves to read. Brennan has a passion for LEGOs, including watching reviews of LEGO sets.
Oak Greyson has loved writing since a young age. He also really likes Star Trek which has inspired many of his stories.
Ella A. Haggerty is 13-years-old and is a seventh grader at Dakota Meadows Middle School. She likes band, sports and after-school activities. Ella also likes to take care of her pets and birds.
Maddie Heuss hopes to pursue a writing career and an art career.
Ora Anna Ihimbazwe Kirezi was born in Rwanda which is located in East Africa. She used to go to Rosa Parks Elementary School, but now attends Kennedy Elementary School. Ora Anna likes to read novels, write stories, draw and paint. On March 9, 2022, she and her brother, Amati went to the SCSC Young Writers and Artists Conference. They are very happy the scoring panel enjoyed reading their SCSC Writing Contest stories.
Amati Ishimo Migisha was born in central East Africa. He has two siblings: an older sister and a younger brother. During his free time, Amati likes writing comics and stories. He went to Rosa Parks Elementary, but now goes to Kennedy Elementary. Amati became interested in writing at the age of six.
Briea Jaeger is nine years old and in third grade. She is one of four siblings. Briea enjoys reading, writing, playing in her fort, jumping on the trampoline, playing softball and basketball, and bike rides. She lives on a farm and often helps with chores. Briea has always been quite creative and was inspired to write after attending the SCSC Young Writers & Artists Conference. What’s really impressive about her is her drive and motivation. Briea did all this on her own, without help, while her parents were at work!
Rishabh Jain is an energetic young boy. He enjoys reading books, watching TV and making movies. Rishabh participates in a lot of outdoor activities such as soccer, skiing and ice skating. In the future he aspires to be an author in creative writing.
Parker Jenson is an eighth grade student at Fairmont High School. He enjoys playing and watching football and is on a billiards pool league. Parker likes to go fishing, camping and do wood carving. He is an advocate for rescuing dogs and he owns a rescue dog named Titus.
Isabella Jentz is in fifth grade. She likes writing in her free time, mostly action, adventure, fiction or survival stories. Isabella mostly prefers to read graphic novels or quick-read chapter books. She likes to dance, write, draw, listen to loud music and has a daily routine of going outside. Isabella’s favorite subjects in school are English, health and art. She would like to become an author as her career.
Jaxson Kolstad is a transgender writer. He is really interested in expressing himself with writing and as well as painting and drawing. Jaxson has always loved trying new things and thus has many hobbies like knitting, reading, roller blading, fantasy games and everything in between.
Ella Krocak is 10 years old and a lover of all four-legged animals. She is an old soul with a huge heart who is always quick to help those around her, especially her three siblings. Ella can often be found spending time with her favorite horse Dixie or snuggled up with a good book.
Megan Lawver is in ninth grade at Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial Secondary. She enjoys writing, reading, making art and playing with her dog Koda.
Hailey Leach is a twelfth grade student from Fairmont Junior Senior High School. She enjoys reading books and listening to music. Hailey loves any form of art and animals. She works part-time in food service in an assisted living facility.
Sebastian Leon Lorenzo is a senior at Fairmont Jr/Sr High School. He really likes to hang out with his friends. During the summer Sebastian enjoys walking, running, swimming and he used to play soccer. He is a hard worker, managing school and a full-time job.
Katrin Loften enjoys drawing, art, reading, writing, and spending time with friends and family
Marty McBroom is in eighth grade at St. Wenceslaus Catholic School in New Prague. He enjoys playing basketball and baseball.
Vicki Nielsen is adventurous kid. She loves to travel and learn new things about Minnesota and other states. Also, Vicki is a middle child. She is growing up learning how to be both a little and big sister.
Eris Owen is a ninth grader and loves to hang out with their friends. They also based their story on a part of their life at home. Eris loves animals and loves their baby sister.
Freya Peterson is 10 years old. She is a fourth-grader at St. Peter North Elementary School. Freya loves reading, writing, art, skiing and playing piano. She draws a lot whenever she has time. Freya speaks two languages, English and Chinese. She has three pets: a cat, a fish and a hamster. Freya dreams of being a doctor, an artist and an entrepreneur someday.
Madelyn Rose Phillips is a beautiful young lady who loves to read, write and play music. She excels in academics and has a fondness for her brother, Isaac, and dog, Daisy.
Leila Pratt is a seventh grade student at Dakota Meadows Middle School. She stays busy year round with soccer, gymnastics, track, and playing piano and oboe. Leila enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with friends and family.
Abbigail Renaux is an eighth grade student at Alden-Conger High School. She has always loved writing stories and showing her work to people. Abbi loves to put her thoughts and imagination on paper.
Nityan Sharma A curious kid; always up to something!; Reading, writing, drawing, math and cooking; Jumping, running, soccer that’s his thing!; A good friend, an affectionate brother; Like him there is no other!
Rohan Sharma is a 12-year-old who loves to read and enjoys writing short stories. He likes to devise little science experiments to prove his imaginative theories!!
Chloe Smith is a senior in high school. This is the first writing contest she’s participated in. Chloe has always had a very creative mind, and has found writing to be the easiest way to express that creativity.
Addie Stenzel lives with her dad, mom and three sisters. She started playing hockey this year and loves it. Addie wants to be a scientist when she grows up.
Caleb Stibbe is a ninth grader at Fairmont Junior Senior High School. He enjoys watching YouTube and hanging out with his mom. Caleb also likes hanging out with his friends. His favorite classes are gym and social skills.
Isla Stock is 10 years old and lives in Lonsdale, Minnesota with her parents, sister and two little brothers. She likes to write, dance, run and paint. Isla also likes to hang out with her family and friends.
Amna Syeda is a fourth grader at Highland Elementary school in Edina. She is passionate about restorative justice and loves writing about ways to make the world inclusive and welcoming for everyone. Amna’s hobbies are swimming, baking, karate and writing. She loves to meet new people and visit new places.
Fatima Syeda is a first grader at Highland Elementary school in Edina. She loves gymnastics and swimming. Fatima is passionate about spreading peace in the world and writes about friendship, harmony and happiness. Her hobbies are reading, writing, baking and making crafts. Fatima loves to hike and explore new places.
Kiana Waasdorp is a fifth-grader at Saint Peter Middle School. She enjoys reading fiction books, drawing, rollerblading, four-wheeling, and hanging out with friends and family. Some of her favorite books series are The Hunger Games, Wings of Fire, Warriors and Fablehaven.
Carly Wenninger enjoys writing poems and going antique shopping.
Sophia Williams loves to create. She is a composer and a musician who enjoys writing stories and music. Sophia also enjoys dancing and taking art classes.