Three Webutuck High School graduates – Lucia Hurn, Hope Shepard and Emma-Ann Coburn-Cappella – and three current students – Collin Hoover, Kathleen Reynolds and Alexis Heck – had their short stories published in Young Writers USA’s recently released book, “Trapped.”

“I thought it was pretty cool,” said Hoover about the book. “I was pretty happy. I showed it to my mom and she was happy.”

The three graduates and the three current students were former students of English teacher Jenna Garofalo. “Trapped” is the seventh Young Writers USA publication to include Garofalo’s students.

“I’m very excited for the six who were published,” said Garofalo. “I find they are really engaged in this writing. I definitely will keep this going and hopefully encourage students to become writers.”

Hoover and Heck were both eighth grade students of Garofalo when they wrote their 100-word short stories in class during the 2023-2024 school year.

“It seemed like a fun thing to do,” said Heck. “I like writing small stories. Writing 100 words was tough because I wasn’t able to fit exactly what I wanted so there wasn’t as much detail as I could have put in. But I think it still turned out well.”

Heck added, “I am thinking about being a writer when I get older so being published now, not only would look good on a resume to go to college, but also its nice to already kind of have my name out there. I’ve already written something people have seen.”

Heck’s story, “The Dark Room,” highlights someone being hit on the head in a dark forest and waking up screaming to see a person ready to deliver a second knockout blow. Before receiving the second blow, the person wakes up with a high heart rate, believing it was a dream, but the person woke up in a hospital bed.

Hoover’s story, “The Texas Pigsaw Massacre,” has a character waking up in a dark, foggy cornfield with flesh eating pigs.

Reynolds shares her story, “Mental Psychosis.”

“When you’re dealing with a mental illness, you’re trapped in your own mind,” the senior said. “All of these things are holding you back because you are trapping yourself in your mind.”

The three graduates contributed short stories titled “The Trapped Door” by Hurn, “The Grocery Store” by Shepard and “The Kidnapping” by Coburn-Cappella.

The three current students said they would write another Young Writers USA short story if they were offered the opportunity.

“I really liked being creative for the story and putting my ideas on paper,” said Reynolds.