"The Star-Spangled Banner

Is more than just a national anthem, it's the sanctified song millions of immigrants sing under their breath as their brittle backbones bend over strawberry fields slick with dew to convince themselves that America can still see their silhouettes even when their sandpaper skin isn't drenched in the dawn's early light..."

Luna Vallejo is a 17-year-old writer who hails from Staten Island, New York with Mexican and Honduran roots. Luna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Neverland Lit, an international youth literary magazine that strives to amplify the voices of marginalized and emerging writers. When she’s not writing, you can find her listening to Lorde, stargazing, and re-reading Anthony Doerr novels.