The (Parenthetical) is an online magazine that was founded in 2010 by Writopia Lab and that publishes and celebrates the completed, polished works of Writopia Lab writers from across the country. We expanded in 2015 with the launch of our online magazine, THE ELLIPSIS for writers ages 12-19 and by re-launching The (Parenthetical), which is now a platform for writers ages 6-11. We seek to nurture the next generation of writers by creating a forum where they can not only see and share their published work, but also track their growth and encourage conversation and feedback.
Check out writopialab.org/snow for snow-poetry, snow-stories, snow-horror, and snow-snark for all ages, all written on January 4th, 2018 during the “Bomb Cyclone” that hit the Eastern Seaboard! Congratulations to the writers, ages 3-20, who spent their day developing these especially reflective, poetic, and sometimes quite dramatic and hysterical wintry pieces. Please note that we do not censor content; instead we mention on top of each piece if we feel there is violent or mature scenes or language.
—Writopia Lab
Rolly and Mouse
"Mouse was a slightly chewed up and dirty bone. One day, Rolly went on a trip with his owner. He took Mouse with him because he loved Mouse. His trip was a road trip,…
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The Hungry Lion
"I am so hungry. Oh, hi, I am a nice lion. I love to sleep. I have to go now. Oh no! My tail feels loose! I have to find something to eat! Oh,…
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The Escapists
I LOOK OUT AT THE CITY from my prison window, sighing unhappily. Yes, I did mean prison. I am currently stuck in the basement of my Uncle’s Dad’s wife’s brother’s son’s mansion, along with…
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I Am Gratitude
As I look down, as I look up I see the whole world around me I see how special it is
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JOLIE’S ADVENTURE: THE SUPERPOWERS BEHIND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
One day in Vermont, a girl named Dianna was walking in the forest to chop down some trees for wood. She wanted to build a treehouse. Dianna was tall as a tree with a…
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Sweet Murder
We were playing tag. My friend was chasing me. There was nowhere to go and then I thought of something: the forest! I ran as fast as I could towards the forest. We went…
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Awkward Barn
Thinking back, I can hardly believe how such a peaceful trip ended up in a scandal that ruined our family.
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Escape From the Mall
Once, there was a lipstick whose name was Magenta. She lived in the makeup store in the mall. People were smothering her guts on their lips! That was how her parents died. One day,…
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Kate and Olivia's Adventure
Kate is a cat. One morning as usual she was eating pizza for breakfast with her BFF Olivia the lion while telling each other jokes. "What did the door say to the other door?"…
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The World of Powers
Once upon a time, there lived a boy who had a friend. Their names were Carl and Merissa. When they were going to school, they saw posters of Pusheen, a cat who has bagel…
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All My Imagination
“Bedtime, girls!” Dad called after my twin sister and I washed up and ate dinner and changed into pajamas.
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The Finale
So Cherry, the new tiger, is just running around with her trainer in the beautiful jungle. The sun is reflecting on the leaves. Cherry is seven and when she gets older she is going…
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The Fairytale Portal
"I looked into the deep lake. I s’pose you could call it a pond. That pond had been there for years, and when a drought occurred, we were afraid it would dry up."
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LOST
Here I was. The last place ANYBODY would ever imagine. Here, I'll give you 1,000,000 dollars if you can guess it. See, I told you so.
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Leo's Story
The tiger, Marshmello, didn't go at full speed because he wanted to see how fast he could go and then learn what he needed to do to beat the cheetah. When the cheetah, Jayce,…
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A Bedtime Story
“Misty!” Cathy called. “I need you to read me a bedtime story!” As soon as she heard this, 13-year-old Misty came racing up the stairs.
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The Creature
There used to be a woman, and she worked late nights. While coming home, her car fuel ran out. She was stuck in this atrocious place. It was dark, and it had lots of…
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Lucy the Teacup
Lucy is sitting on the table, just waiting to be filled with tea. She sees the maid walking towards her with a steaming hot kettle in one hand and a bowl of little sugar…
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Bobby and Milly
Once upon a time, there was a puppy named Bobby. And Bobby Was so cute. Bobby had an owner. The owner’s name was Milly. Milly loved puppies. That's why Milly had a puppy. Milly…
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From the U.S. to Japan
“What time is it?” is the question I have been asking myself as I sit in the backseat of a Tesla. I bet you are wondering how I got into this situation, right? Well,…
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Audrey and the Guardians of the Wall
Once upon a time there lived a unicorn Audry. She was trapped in a land and the name of it was Earth. Her home was in Unicornland which was in the clouds. She wanted…
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Jenny's Candy World
Once upon a time, there was a teenage girl named Jenny who always wanted to be a princess. Jenny lived in a candy town with her mom and dad. Jenny knew her dreams would…
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Katenga
To whom it may concern: I am Delyonïah Blue, Captain of the Fortuna 3 Spacecraft which has Landed on Neptune’s 10th moon, Proteus, on Lapis 24th, 29121. However, today is the last day I…
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Seymour & a Piece of Cheese
I, Seymor, am a little hamster who just really wanted a piece of cheese. Every night, I would sit eating disgusting sunflower seeds. I would daydream about cheese. But one day, a little girl…
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Ms. Frizz
Ms. Frizz was an old woman who wore many sweaters, she had white, frizzy hair, and was a great math teacher, with greater students. They were all strangely smart. They would come in with…
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Don't Take the Best of Me
Once upon a time, there were these three best friends named Abby, Amy, and Abigail. They were the best of friends and did everything together. But what two of the friends didn't know was…
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The Story of Sunglass Dude & Pengu the Penguin
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Sunglass Dude and a penguin named Pengu. The penguin and Sunglass Dude were best buds. Anyway, they were about to go on an adventure to…
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The Count's Letter
Snowflake, a bunny, lived in the town of Meenlam. She was a postbunny, meaning she ran around the town delivering letters to her fellow townspeople. Snowflake also went to some of the nearby towns,…
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Robbery
Alex had a normal life until he was eight. His parents went out to get food while he stayed at home. That’s when he put on the TV. There was a sudden news flash.…
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Why School Should be Shorter
Ever since Covid-19, this is what my online school day looks like. We have a few online classes, and then we work on a couple of assignments. This ends up being only three to…
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2045
It is the year 2045, and global warming is at its worst. Temperatures are high and civilians aren't helping. Tons of plastic waste is being released into the ocean. Beaches have trash on the…
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Dragon Fire
In the moist, slippery cave at the darkest night, one blue and yellow egg sits at a crater in the cave. Two serpents slip into the cave and wrap around the egg. “Dinner!” the…
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Black Magic
"Hi, my name is Anthea. I’m also a furry. I’ve always wanted to go to school, but because of my powers, I cannot. My parents say my powers are dangerous. My powers are teleportation,…
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Being a Gumball
CELIA Hello, my name is Celia Ballington… and I am a gum ball. But I am not any gum ball; I was 2 when I fell out of the gumball dispenser onto the floor.…
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A Kid Can Face War
The Holocaust was a war that broke out, and at that time, our mother found out that children were going to be taken. She was told by one of her closest friends, whose name…
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The Adventures of Krony Faulty: A Masher Basher
One day, at a school called Frendus Elementary, two kids named Gary and Bob loved to giggle, laugh, and best of all, they loved putting pranks. Gary and Bob always went to the basement.…
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Black Magic
Hi, my name is Anthea. I’m also a furry. I’ve always wanted to go to school, but because of my powers, I cannot. My parents say my powers are dangerous. My powers are teleportation,…
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City in the Sky
Dale and Artemis walked through the entrance. They were here in Steam City for Dale and Art’s work as journalists. A quote from one of his co-workers rang in his head: “Once they go…
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Three Anaconda Araffe
Hi, my name is Besa, and today we are going to meet three anacondas and a giraffe. And this story takes place in the far, far future on the planet, Clone. Once upon a…
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City of the Forgotten People
I'm in a forest, a canopy of trees covers me from the pelting rain. The wind whistles in my ears and tousles my hair. I feel calm and free, yet there's something unsettling about…
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Hair to Fire, Fire to Hair
Hair to fire, fire to hair, Is that truly, really fair? Look at those fancy candles at the restaurant, I better bend over, ‘cause I think I see a croissant. Now it’s hair to…
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Mercy's New Place
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mercy. She wanted to go to a different place. She wanted to go to England, where her mom and dad lived. Before she took the…
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Crazy About Computers
“A new computer!?” shouted Veronica. When she found a new computer had been delivered to her dad, she got really excited, even if it wasn't her computer. Her dad had worked from home, because…
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Finding the Banana Tree
There once was a monkey who wanted a banana so he went on an adventure. On his search for his banana, he discovered an obstacle course. He had to swing vine to vine to…
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The Little Mushroom
One day, there was a little mushroom. This mushroom wasn't like any other mushroom. At night, on every full moon, it would turn into a person that was neither black nor white, it was…
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The Isolation Experiment
The Isolation Experiment was a famous scientific test in which 5 humans were placed in large, white boxes with a chair, a bed, and a slot in which they would receive food. The goal…
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The Robot Who Met a Person
In another world, there was a robot named Emily who really wanted to meet a person but herio mom said she couldn’t. Emily went to her room and started crying, and then she said,…
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Vacations Everywhere!
Peggy was at home, very sad. She was grounded by her parents because she did not do her homework and couldn’t go out with her friends. She wanted to be at her grandma’s house,…
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WWI
I am listening to the radio. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia because Austria-Hungary thinks the Serbian government has killed their heir with assassins waiting along the way. But since Serbia and Russia are friends,…
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Friendzy the Dragon
Hi, I am Friendzy. I am red with wings. I love to do flips, somersaults, and handstands. I really want to learn how to fly like my mom and my dad. My dad always…
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