Drive to the Airport: Creative Writing by Caroline Chieh-Mei Pai

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When I was younger, he visited often; I saw him often. But now health conditions keep him on the other side of the world, where he needs to get dialysis three times a week. His dialysis keeps him alive, but it also keeps him from us. Now, I only see him once a year. A taxi inevitably draws nearer and nearer then slows to a stop. The taxi driver gets out and my dad helps him pile the luggage into the trunk while I stand there awkwardly, a stone stuck in my throat. The last suitcase is hauled…

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The Inevitable Goodbye: Fiction by Charis Chu

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2025 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize - Finalist, High School Category Remember when you traced your fingers down my spine? The touch was feather-light and I was embarrassed by the rotten violence of my craving, you cradled me that night like I was a baby. We’d kicked the blankets to the floor—Taipei is too humid and the fan wasn’t working—but you refused me their luxury even as I sweltered. I would say that you preferred me vulnerable, but that would be petulant and untrue:…

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Wǒ De: Fiction by Alice Kuok

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2025 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize – Grand Prize Winner, Middle Grade Category From the judges: “‘Wo de’ is a story about two school boys in Taiwan and their growing friendship. It is observant, subtle and evocative, full of sensory detail that make the world feel rich and alive. For a young writer, this story is remarkable for its tone and sense of longing and nostalgia. We look forward to hearing more from this impressive young voice.” There was nothing left to…

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Jaded Girls: Fiction by Davina Jou

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2025 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize – Grand Prize Winner, High School Category From the judges: "‘Jaded Girls’ is a ghost story which deftly weaves past and present together to tell a compact, complete narrative that also hints at more. There is much to admire in its originality and moments of humor and surprise. A polished piece of writing.” Vivian’s wedding ring was featherlight against her wet skin—the cheapest thing at the market near where a ghost clawed her…

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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken: Creative Nonfiction by Kelly Chu

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2025 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize – Grand Prize Winner, College Category From the judges: “Playful and poignant, this submission infuses simple family recipes with deep emotional resonance. A bold and original take on themes of food, family, and inheritance.” Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken  Ingredients:  2 lbs of boneless childhood (preferably thigh meat, for tenderness)  1 cup of cultural ambiguity (1 part Taiwanese brown sugar, 1 part American corn syrup)…

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How Far We Stray: Fiction by Angelica Lai

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2025 Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize - Grand Prize Winner, Adult Category From the judges: “Combining vivid physical descriptions with nostalgic reflections, this tale of an adult daughter returning to her deceased mother’s homeland is simultaneously tender and unsentimental. Intelligent and polished… a clear standout.” I sit by my mother’s death bed and read about caecilians, worm-like creatures that survive by tearing off their mothers’ milky blue skin. The mother…

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Change in Atmosphere: Creative Non-Fiction by Evelyn Wu

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  It was someone else dressed in this striped red uniform, someone else who slung the same red backpack everyone was required to use on her shoulder, hiding the real reason she was trembling by the weight of the backpack. It wasn’t me who smiled a watery smile with a pounding heart, social anxiety kicking in stronger than before. It was my first day of sixth grade, back to school after abruptly leaving my 5th grade class back in America. When Covid hit, I refused the masks and social…

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In the Name of Scientific Progress: Fiction by Susan L. Lin

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The Present  Two years ago today, The Present saw its first Runaway. Soon after, the second followed suit. Then a third, a fourth, and a fifth. By now, they numbered in the tens of thousands. The tech had been a long time coming, but Sunny still felt nothing but dread when she first heard news of a device that boasted the ability to transport living things back into The Past. Phoenix Industries, a private research and experimental laboratory with locations all over the world, had reportedly been…

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Soon Enough, Later: Fiction by Naomi Gage

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It had been six weeks, but the memory lay in her like the pit of a stone fruit. Lila hunched over in the passenger seat, leaning her head against the cold, greasy glass of the window. Rain drummed the glass with a wild, hammersome kind of fury that seemed fatally separate from the precise, measured conversation inside the car. Lila fantasized punching the window open, breaking it like a flower splitting into bloom, fractals spiraling everywhere— how the bone would brutalize the skin, nerves lighting…

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sunlight in a bottle: Fiction by Davina Jou

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There was dirt on my knees and the floor of the car. There was a wine bottle in the front seat that burned to the touch. I’d wrapped it in a cobbled-together bundle of magazines, half-burnt newspapers from the incense sticks we’ve put out on them, long-lost sweaters, and food wrappers. My head thunked against the steering wheel. Once. Twice.  See, the thing is, most people’s grandparents leave behind some sort of heirloom. A pearl necklace. Or a silk dress. Or, even a bottle of scotch.…

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