Bridges to hope

By Iron Bridge Publishing

This collection of 17 uplifting short stories and poems by 13-18-year old writers from 10 countries is a short read that will give you hope for the future.

In April 2020, the publishers set an open challenge to young people aged 8-18 to craft messages of hope for the COVID era. The task asked them to imagine life thirty years i

• Language: English
• Publisher: Iron Bridge Publishing
• Release date: Jul 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9780648651352

Book preview

About this anthology

In March 2020, as people around the world began to understand the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people aged 13-18 were invited to submit creative responses to a HOPE PUNK writing challenge asking for their visions of a kinder future.

Entries came in from all over the world, with most young authors coming from homes where a language other than English is spoken.

This is a collection of those messages of hope from the young people who will shape and inherit the post-COVID future. They reflect the aspirations of a generation that has always been globally connected.

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SHORT STORIES OF

UNITY & HOPE

FOR THE COVID ERA

BY YOUNG ADULTS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

EDITED BY ROBYN EVANS

First published July 2020 by Iron Bridge Publishing

140 Gilliver St, Mt Gravatt East Q. 4122 Australia.

ironbridgepublishing.com

[e-mail]

Copyright in this collection © Iron Bridge Publishing

Copyright in individual works remains with the authors.

The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.

Cover design by Charlotte Tobin.

This book is copyright. Except for private study, research, criticism or reviews as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

A catalogue record for this book has been lodged with the National Library of Australia.

ISBN 978-0-6486513-2-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-0-6486513-5-2 (ePub)

ISBN 978-0-6486513-6-9 (KDP paperback)

Australian English spellings have been used throughout.

For dreamers and bridge builders

Contents by region

Africa

MY STRUGGLE OF 2020 & dream of 2050

Asia

A LETTER FOR THE LOCKED

A loss that empowered us

An email of hope

A wake-up call: dawning of a new age

Better present for the best future

Everything will be restored

Horizon

The hidden flame

The little glimpse of a dream

The unbeatable soul

Europe

NOT ALL IS LOST

South America

BE A CATERPILLAR TODAY and

tomorrow you will be a butterfly

You

Oceania

A WRINKLED NOTE FROM 2050

For every lost ‘if only’

The worst days of our lives

A map showing continental regions

Continental regions via Our World In Data

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The challenge

Hopepunk Youth Writing Challenge April 2020

HOPEPUNK IS CHARACTERISED by a belief that humans can create a better future for all. Stories can be any genre.

In April 2020 Iron Bridge Publishing invited young writers aged 13-18 to imagine life in 2050, and to craft a message of hope to people still in lockdown. This is a selection of the responses. The authors come from 10 different countries. More than half of them speak a language other than English at home. They share a dream of a future where people celebrate our shared humanity and collaborate to make everyone’s lives better.

A wake-up call:

the dawning of a new age

Lowlwa Alshamekh

SAUDI ARABIA

‘Hey you! Move out the way!’ screamed the continuously honking taxi driver in his glaring yellow cab on a busy rainy day in the city of Boston. The boy crossing the street was unaware of the disturbance he had caused, as he was busy thinking about the unknown secrets of the universe. The honking jerked him from the deep ocean of high tides and salty waters of his head like a fish on a hook.

The boy was only 17 and named Vinnie, which he knew meant conqueror and elf or magical being, but he never thought much of it. His life was not all sparkly and he did not have any magical powers or an interest spirituality to begin with, little did he know. Vinnie apologised and swiftly crossed the street to get to the other side, literally and spiritually.

He rushed to the store to grab some groceries. For some odd reason, he had intense emotions and a hunch of something big bestowing upon the world, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He attempted to dismiss the thoughts into the overflowing discard bin of his mind as he approached the cashier to purchase his items. The cashier was watching TV. Vinnie paused and leaned forward to watch. There it was: the clarity he needed.

The news anchor reported that a purposely mutated virus Trion-30 had accidentally been released from a biohazard lab in New Jersey, and a pandemic was on the rise. Hearing the news, other customers rushed to grab their items and fought over toilet paper and milk as fear devoured them like this was a zombie apocalypse but not Vinnie, he was not afraid whatsoever.  He saw a golden opportunity and set his mind to take it.

He went home