Everything I Felt I Wrote

<p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Everything I Felt I Wrote the debut chapbook of youth poet Caitlin Austin</strong><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> is a brave honest look at what it feels like to grow heal and choose yourself. Caitlin writes about perfectionism and identity (my deep dark waters) anger and anxiety (my jailers) setting boundaries (where there are beasts) and learning to let go of old pain (tired of circles). With clear engaging language and memorable images like a stubborn pencil a poor bug and a cactus in the desert these poems show how naming hard feelings can lead to real change. There's fear here but also humor compassion and hope. By the end Caitlin moves from being at the bottom to standing steady reminding readers that it's okay to feel everything and that healing is possible.</span></p><p></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Developed through Youth Writers' Camp (Summer 2025)</strong><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> this initiative gives young people the tools to share their voices and experiences through creative writing. The program emphasizes social-emotional learning self-expression and community building making it valuable for both youth and adults. Suitable for middle-grade readers and up Youth Writers' Camp projects connect naturally to classroom and youth-program discussions about creativity resilience and the power of storytelling.</span></p><p></p>