The 20 remarkable teen writers below have been selected as GrubStreet’s 2026 Teen Writing Fellows! With their dazzling play on language and dedication to literary citizenship, this cohort of teen writers demonstrates the power of stories to embolden us to welcome authenticity, growth, and each other.
This year’s Teen Writing Fellows were selected from an impressive pool of more than 100 applicants in a blind judging process by 4 panelists. The 20 Fellows will be supported as working writers in a three-week intensive program where they will gain the skills, pathways, and relationships to bring their voices into the world.
From left to right: Vivian Shi, Connie Cuo, Avelina Fabbo Barrasso, and Roger Gu.
Vivian Shi: My name is Vivian Shi, and I’m a rising freshman from Belmont, MA. I am passionate about creating inclusive literature and accessible education. When I’m not writing poetry or flash fiction, I tutor, paint, and rewatch Ghibli movies. I look forward to meeting everyone else at the YAWP Teen Summer Fellowship!
Connie Cuo: My name is Connie and I’m a rising 9th grader in Lexington. I’ve loved reading and writing ever since I was little, and I especially enjoy writing short stories and poetry. During the fellowship, I'm looking forward to collaborating with other writers and experimenting with new writing genres. I’m also a cellist and enjoy reading dystopian novels.
Avelina Fabbo Barrasso: My name is Avelina. I love experimenting with the horror genre, along with realistic fiction, or occasionally dabbling in coming-of-age. I’m a huge fan of Stephen King’s works. I’ve loved to write since elementary school, though I grew a really strong passion for it at the very beginning of middle school. I find myself fascinated with psychology, studying it so it can be incorporated into my young children/teen characters, as I want to spread awareness on how certain events or environments affect the youth. I’m currently planning a piece that focuses on friendship, substance abuse, and wasted potential. I hope to publish someday. Excited would be an understatement for how I feel about joining this fellowship – I can’t wait to expand my writing abilities and meet others with the same passion I have!
Roger Gu: Hi, my name is Roger Gu and I'm a rising 9th grader from Hopkinton. I've enjoyed writing, but it was only recently that I started loving it. I mostly create poetry, but I'm always open to other forms of writing. I am constantly playing tennis and practicing the piano and oboe. I am excited to go to GrubStreet not just to grow as a writer, but also meet new people!
From left to right: Julianna Shi, Ryan Imperato, Nikita Mugundu, and Isabella Castillo.
Julianna Shi: I’m Julianna, a rising sophomore in Boston. Since elementary school, writing has always been one of my passions. Some of my favorite genres include flash fiction and poetry, and I’m particularly drawn to the art of figurative language and surrealism. This year, I’m excited to explore other forms and learn new skills with my peers at GrubStreet. When I’m not writing, I can be found playing volleyball, baking brownies, or immersing myself in a good TV show.
Ryan Imperato: My name is Ryan, and I’m a rising sophomore from Brookline. I mostly write prose poetry and love exploring emotion, memory, and vivid imagery through my work. I’m especially excited to expand into new genres and styles this summer while learning alongside other passionate teen writers. Outside of writing, I love cooking and experimenting with different flavors and techniques.
Nikita Mugundu: My name is Nikita. I am a rising sophomore, and have a strong adoration for poetry, as I use it to get out my thoughts. My purpose for writing is to make people feel and to capture moments, so I tend to write on spontaneous observations and with vivid imagery. I can’t wait to read everyone else’s writing styles!
Isabella Castillo: My name is Isabella—preferably Isa—and I am an aspiring author and poet. I am an avid reader, and can typically be found with my nose spine deep in a book's pages, or concentratedly planning out the next chapter of one of my many novel drafts (or maybe I’ll be in your ear, asking for something that rhymes with a word I swear I didn’t invent). I like to take the elements I read in books and syncretize them into my own style of writing as a way of experimentation, and continuously grow and learn on my path to greatness. GrubStreet is just another step towards where I want to be, and I cannot express with enough words how grateful I am to have received this opportunity.
From left to right: Helen Huang, Isabella Kim, and Tallulah Dolan.
Helen Huang: I'm Helen, a rising sophomore in Brookline. I'm so excited to join GrubStreet this year! My favorite genres of writing are personal memoir and poetry. I can't wait to share my writing experiences with others while also learning from other teen writers this summer. My favorite book is Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand, and my favorite movie is The Devil Wears Prada. Outside of writing, I love meeting and talking to new people, trying new foods, playing field hockey, and shopping. I am so excited to be a part of such an amazing writing community and meet everyone during this program.
Isabella Kim: My name is Isabella Kim, and I'm a rising sophomore. I love creative writing, including personal essays, poetry, journalism, and especially short stories. I'm excited to meet everyone at the fellowship this summer and learn about new perspectives! When I'm not reading or writing, you can usually find me enjoying music.
Tallulah Dolan: I'm Tallulah! I write historical fiction about love tangled up in politics, and weird poetry full of rage, grief, and class consciousness. My favorite books are Giovanni's Room, Martyr!, How Long 'til Black Future Month?, and One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. I've been known to build constructed languages from scratch when English and Spanish don't have what I need. I'm so excited to be enveloped in a community of writers who care as fiercely about this as I do.
Soha Shiffas: My name is Soha. I am sixteen years old and a rising junior from Hyde Park. I enjoy writing free-verse poetry and short stories, often inspired by spontaneous bursts of creativity from observing my surroundings. I can't wait to meet other authors with their own unique perspectives and talents at GrubStreet to learn about their own writing processes.
From left to right: Duncan Flad, Romy Obbard, Rory Burton, and Marc T Jarvis.
Duncan Flad: I’m Duncan and I’m an incoming senior. Besides writing, I love drawing, playing Magic the Gathering, and making beats on my computer. Writing short stories is definitely a hobby of mine but being able to surround myself with new people focused on their own artistic passions is the one aspect of this program that I’m the most excited about. Thrilled to meet everyone and I can’t wait to have a great time together this summer!
Romy Obbard: I’m Romy, a rising Junior from Andover. I’ve loved writing ever since I was little, reimagining the endings of my favorite novels. What interests me most is character creation, making my characters as complex and as human as possible. I am so thrilled to be a GrubStreet fellow and can’t wait for the summer to begin!
Rory Burton: I’m Rory, a rising senior from Jamaica Plain and Lexington. I like to dabble in a lot of different genres, but specifically enjoy writing speculative fiction and introspective fiction. I also spend a lot of my free time reading and work in my local bookstore. I can’t wait to connect with other writers and challenge myself this summer!
Marc T Jarvis: My name is Marc, and I am a student from Belmont. This summer, I am eager to work alongside other writers and artists and to continue developing my skills. Recently, I’ve focused on both poetry and fiction, but I’m always ready to take on new challenges, explore different forms, and contribute wherever I’m needed.
From left to right: Ellis Wee, Grace Yang, and Katherine Tae.
Ellis Wee: I'm Ellis and I am a rising senior. I enjoy writing poetry, usually about my family and personal life. In my free time, I am involved in my school's theater program. I am so excited to learn from and connect with other writers this summer!
Grace Yang: Grace Yang is a writer, editor, and journalist whose work spans literary storytelling and community reporting, with contributions to Fig City News and The Stanford Daily. An alum of the 2025 Iowa Young Writers' Workshop, her creative writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Digging Press, 1455 Literary Arts, and PETAL Magazine, among others. Yang's writing has been internationally recognized for its exploration of memory, identity, and intergenerational connection. She also publishes creative nonfiction on her Substack Sliced & Pitted. Whether reporting on local communities or crafting reflective narratives, Yang seeks to capture stories with nuance and empathy.
Katherine Tae: I’m Katherine, a rising senior. I love writing creative nonfiction and poetry, and recently I’ve also been exploring mixed-media work. I hope to keep experimenting across genres and forms. Some of my favorite books are All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and The White Book by Han Kang. In my free time, I love watching films, thrifting, and trying new food combinations. I’m excited to meet everyone and learn from the other teen fellows this summer!
Daniel Booth: Bio coming soon