For 19 Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) students, the power of words is opening a new chapter: becoming published authors.
Eighteen students from Spring Branch Academic Institute and one from Memorial High School earned international recognition in the 2026 iWRITE Publishing Contest. Their winning poems and short stories will be published in the 17th volume of the I Write Short Stories by Kids for Kids Anthology.
Now, our community has an opportunity to celebrate their success.
Join our student authors at iWRITE’s Annual Book Signing and Literacy Festival on Nov. 7, 2026, from noon to 4 p.m. at Evelyn’s Park, 4400 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire, TX 77401. The event is free and open to the public, thanks to publishing contest sponsor H-E-B.
Winning authors and illustrators will be recognized and autograph copies of the newly released anthology. Families, teachers, classmates and neighbors are invited to attend and show these students that their voices and their accomplishments matter.
#SBISDProud
The students’ work demonstrates creativity, curiosity and the ability to communicate ideas through writing. Their stories explore the lives of scientists, athletes and historical figures, while their poetry offers perspectives on friendship, memory and making a difference. Publication gives these young writers an audience beyond the classroom and an opportunity to see themselves as authors.
Congratulations to SBISD’s winning writers:
Spring Branch Academic Institute
Alex Alapat: “IWright” — Short story
Anika Roy: “The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword” — Poem
Kathryn Fargason: “A Friend on Tape” — Poem
Mary Clare Le: “It’s Biles by Miles!” — Short story
Lyla Sterbanz: “Small but Mighty” — Short story
Michael Zhang: “From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Albert Einstein” — Short story
Graham Martin: “Dear Diary (The Tale of Stephen Hawking)” — Short story
Asher Hsieh: “Jackie Robinson: The Trailblazer Who Succeeded Against All Odds” — Short story
Katherine Turilli: “An Unknown Plan” — Short story
Rhea Roy: “forget and forget and forget” — Poem
Lyana Yu: “Billie Jean King: The Young, Lean, (Not Mean) Fighting Machine” — Short story
Aria Allen: “We, the Ordinary, Will Change the World” — Poem
Neer Patel: “Freedom from the Tyranny” — Short story
Luke Wolfe: “Neil Armstrong: A Biography about an Aerospace Pioneer” — Short story
Sawyer Stephens: “The Infinity Sequence” — Short story
Kevin He: “The Invisible Needle: How a Curious Boy Found the North” — Short story
Josephine Honner: “Walt’s World” — Short story
Shaun Cooper: “Story Re-Worked” — Short story
Memorial High School
Daniel Villanueva: “George Washington’s Christmas Gift” — Short story
iWRITE’s mission is to build student confidence through writing. Help us bring that mission to life by cheering on these young authors, recognizing their hard work and celebrating what they have achieved.
Make plans to join us Nov. 7 at Evelyn’s Park. Let’s show our student authors how proud SBISD is of them!