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 writers aged 8-18 to craft messages of hope for the COVID era. The task asked them to imagine life thirty years into the future, then send a message back through time to 2020. This anthology is a collection of the creative responses received for the 13-18 age category.

The diversity of the authors-eleven of whom speak a language other than English at home-is matched by their creativity. From the action-packed fiction of magical Vinnie in Boston, from a writer in Saudi Arabia to the moving true story of a Chinese academic caught up in the Cultural Revolution, from his grand-daughter in Hong Kong, the stories reflect a generation who have been globally connected since birth, and have witnessed the suffering that divisiveness and hate cause. The stories call for compassion, understanding and love for our fellow humans. Weep, laugh and feel uplifted by the hopeful visions of tomorrow's leaders.

Contributors A-Z

Lowlwa Alshamekh

Beatriz Cordeiro

Ife Danso

Vivian Estequi

Muskan Fatima

Harshita

Sumit Imran

Raisa Karim

C.S. Kim

Solomane M. Kromah

Jemma Paton

Raegeane

Abbas Raza

Rishika Shinde

Bryzlyn Sin

Ritika Singhal

Coco Wu