A Well Penned and Equally Well Deserved Letter to my Genius, Idiot, Self
This is staff writer Emily Diaz here, back with a letter to all those men and women out there who doubt themselves, myself included! Hello. I am something of an intellectual. Well, I’d like to think. You see I’ve read Macbeth and I’ve taken AP Literature and AP US History and well, I work damn hard in my academics. I work so hard sometimes I forget. Sometimes I forget that on top of being someone who is considered by some (here’s me hoping) to know quite a few things and have good insights and yada yada yada… I am profoundly lost in life. When I say lost, I mean that…
A Splash of Color
Hi, I’m Maria Perez and welcome to the Colors Project! I believe that dress is an unspoken language that many of us are unaware of. The idea of what people choose to wear and the different colors they pick, coincide with certain personality traits they may have. With the help of my friends, I have collected a series of photographs depicting the colors of the rainbow through different fits. Join me and learn more about the inspiration behind my project! Yellow is bright and eye-catching. Those who wear yellow are known to be creative. Wearing yellow helps us get a boost on those extra hard days and it sparks cheerful…
Mi Calle – Joven, donde vives?
It’s me, Emily Diaz, back again with another story! Below is a creative piece I have written called, “My Street – Young, where do you live?”, which depicts my childhood struggle to identify my home. I was constantly asking myself the question: Do I belong in the Dominican Republic or in New York? Join me in my journey to find the answer. Motocicletas zoom up and down the streets as I travel down the block to my cousin’s home. Anthony Santos’ finest record is flowing through the streets from the Volvos parked along the block, and my neighborhood is filled with sabrosura. I am greeted by the staccato bangs of…
Pride
What’s up APC? My name is Jos and I’m from New Jersey! Below is a personal essay I wrote about growing up lesbian in my hometown. Growing up in a homophobic city and going to a school in which the teachers, disciplinarians, and principals were all homophobic made my life pretty difficult. The year I came out was 2013. 2013 was a year of pride, loneliness, awareness, and personal growth. The city that I was raised in was a city full of crime and violence. If you were not what society deemed “normal,” you had to hide who you were. I came to terms with my sexual orientation when I…
The Lives I See
Hello APC! My name is Amy and I live in Shanghai, China. I have loved taking photographs since I was very young. Photography allows me to record the authentic moments of life. Photography is about creatively revealing my values through my use of different subjects in my photographs as well as in the finished product as a whole. I believe that photography can harness the emotions of an audience and spur a deeply resonating impact. Follow my Instagram, @smokeshell, for more awesome photos!
The Story Within
Meet Grace Rivera, musical enthuiast and acting powerhouse. I was simply blown away hearing Grace’s music; read her story below to be awed by her talent too! Music has and forever will be my favorite form of storytelling. We are constantly surrounded by it. The day I discovered theatre, my perspective on sharing stories changed. Not only can you use music and dance, but you can also use acting to tell your story. The first musical I ever saw was The Lion King. To me, it wasn’t just the famous animated Disney movie we all know and love, but it was about discovering your true potential and immersing yourself in…
Looking Back on 2018
In honor of the new year, staff writer Jasmine Simmons decided to pay tribute to all the women of 2018 that made her year special. Serena Williams ¨I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right. You owe me an apology.¨ Serena Williams is known as a world renowned tennis player and one of the most dominant athletes of all time. She is known for her grace, power, and resilience. However, this past September at the US Open during the finals the referee made some calls that she felt questioned her integrity. He gave her multiple penalties, one for receiving coaching, another for smashing her racket, and then a…
Making the Connection: Brunch
Afro Puff Chronicles really is the gift that keeps on giving. Through conducting interviews with dozens of fabulous women, (more interviews to come soon) I was able to meet one of my high school alums, Mrs. April Bauknight. We immediately connected, and while chatting, I asked her, “Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome if there was an alumni/student mentor-mentee program at Kent Place?” From that simple question, the Making the Connection program was formed. We are a mentorship service that provides middle and high school girls of color at Kent Place School with alumni mentors as well as host biannual events such as our greatly anticipated brunches. Last weekend, we had our…
The Afro Puff Chronicles Shoot
Hey, Afro Puff Fam! It is with great excitement that I am releasing the pictures from Afro Puff Chronicles’ first photoshoot! I want to thank Annie Li, Dan Hu, all my lovely friends, and last but not least, my AMAZING parents, who helped me pull off this massive undertaking. My vision for this shoot was a dream-like and colorful set that really evoked the happiness and community that I saw afropuffchronicles.com as. (You might recognize the background from our opening video; we both filmed and took photos here!) So, without further ado, here is the final product! Yours, Tyler Newman
This is Me
Vanessa Handy is a rising senior at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Anyone who knows Vanessa would describe her as a performer, but it wasn’t always this way. “My “performance career” started in 4th grade I’d say”, explains Vanessa. “It’s one of my clearest memories actually. I had a solo in the song “Lean on Me”. It was my first ever solo performance and unfortunately both of my parents had to work that night, so they couldn’t attend the concert. Long story short I thought that my parents didn’t come because I wasn’t good enough for them.” While this wasn’t true, Vanessa’s doubt stuck with her and to limited her performance growth for…
