Vigil, Orlando

Ludella Awad, 15, is an American high school student at Albuquerque School of Excellence. Behind The Covers, a collection of poetry, is Ms. Awad's first publication. Ms. Awad, who is fluent in Arabic and is studying Turkish, has been writing poetry since age seven. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 26 August 1999 to Syrian-born parents. She is inspired to write through her use of images. She says she "writes from the heart" and sees images in everything when she writes. In her own words, "Writing is imagination, creativity and emotions. Every writer should have emotions and the imagi...