Joseph's Inkwell is a Jewish, student-run writing competition.

Our mission is to amplify Jewish teen voices and provide a platform for creative expression.

Summer 2024

  • My Mom Told Me

    A winning essay by Jessica Elkin, 17 (Savannah, GA)

  • The Waves Are Calling Me Down

    A winning poem by Eli Val, 16 (Sewanee, TN)

  • Rantings of a Gourmet Girl in a Kosher Household

    Honorable Mention: essay by Hannah Rubin, 19 (New Hampshire)

  • Pretend

    Honorable Mention - Fiction

    by Hannah Gumpert, 15

  • Garba and Gaza: A Celebration of Life

    Selected essay by Gabrielle Siegel, 17 (Atlanta, Georgia)

  • Mishkan T’Filah for Children

    Selected essay by Gabrielle Siegel, 17 (Atlanta, Georgia)

  • Bits and Pieces: The Evolution of my Jewish Identity

    Selected Essay by Madison Saltz, 16 (California)

  • Image by Jessica Tamar Deutsch

    I Can’t Speak Spanish

    Selected essay by Hannah Gumpert, 15

    after Elizabeth Hsu

  • The Value of Intellectualism Throughout a Life of Persecution

    Selected essay by Tzur Shalit, 15 (Texas)

  • Bubbe’s Spoon

    Selected Poem by Blair Berenson, 18 (Georgia)

  • Le Sacrifice d' Isaac by Marc Chagall

    Abraham’s Epic: The Akedah (Binding of Issac)

    Selected Poem by Ian Maman (Georgia)

  • It’s So Quiet Here

    Selected Poem by Hannah Rubin, 19 (New Hampshire)

  • A Ghazal Written after October 7th

    Selected Poem by Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, 16 (Massachusetts)

  • The Strongest Ribbon

    Selected short story by Casey Nyvall, 18 (New York)

  • Good Jewish Girl

    Selected poem by Eshkar Kaidar-Heafetz, 19 (Georgia)