Dear Reader, 

My name is Anhui. I have loved the visual arts since grade school. I cannot think of a semester where I was not taking a form of art from spoken word, acting, writing and drawing to photography, painting and so forth. It took me until second grade to learn to read and love it. I participated in a reading competition and beat my rival in a friendly competition by one book, it was monumental. Today, my favorite genre to read is fantasy. 

I love writing poetry because I do not have to worry about grammar and other writing rules. It is fast and my creative rivers flow like ink on the page. All the same, writing is not always easy. For instance, my fifth-grade exhibition. At my International Baccalaureate (IB), school fifth-grade exhibition was a project that you worked on for the entire year. At the end of the school year, I displayed various aspects of education in relation to a stated question as the years final. We were told to write a paper and poem one Thursday night and be ready to share them in class on Friday morning. I wrote my paper, then proceeded to gripe about how I didn't want to write a poem about Tuberculosis. In the end, I cornered my mother in the laundry room and sat in front of the door so that she had to ask me questions as I wrote one of my best poems. Kicking and screaming, I wrote the poem and got an A on the project. For your reference, I have included this masterpiece in the poetry section of this portfolio. 

In high school, I had a teacher who taught me how to write a proper research paper with full supporting arguments and citations. I started college and many of my fellow students had no idea how to write a formal paper based on research. I am grateful for this experience as I use it daily. 

I have continued to grow as a writer. I have found new inspirations and ideas for how to start a piece. New writers and styles were brought to my attention. I have received useful feedback on my pieces from phrasing, structure, grammar and spelling to white space on the page. I am glad that I took several creative writing classes because you can never be a perfect writer. The more you write, the better you get, and I improved. 

This portfolio is a compilation of some of my best works. They stem from class assignments to personal interests. Please mind that these pieces were scripted over a generous span of time and, therefore, the authenticity of the language that is used, however medial, is genuine from the time of its originality. 

I must preface this portfolio by stating that parts are my truth, made up and based on others' truths. Take what meaning you will but be aware that sections may be troubling to some but are not directly related to myself. The Unopened Door, for example, is a fictional short story regarding death and deep feelings of depression. As proud as I am of this story, if it would trigger you in any serious way please feel free to pass over it.