Mission Statement
The Hedgehog Literary Journal for Youth is a forum devoted to publishing poems, short fiction, articles, essays, photography, new media, interviews, and art by talented youth. It is sponsored by AHA! Academy, which is a global organization dedicated to teaching and youth education, run by experienced students at Harvard University.
Refer to our Submissions page for details on how to submit and publish your original work. Please send any questions, business inquiries, and creative submissions to submit.hedgehog@gmail.com
Namesake
The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Greeks once said that the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. In our collection, we aspire to be an underlying voice to youth, their struggles, their thoughts, their creative work—all different aspects of the same large question about their identity and upbringings.
Excerpt from “Hedgehog” by Paul Muldoon
The snail moves like a
Hovercraft, held up by a
Rubber cushion of itself,
Sharing its secret
With the hedgehog. The hedgehog
Shares its secret with no one.
We say, Hedgehog, come out
Of yourself and we will love you.
We mean no harm. We want
Only to listen to what
You have to say. We want
Your answers to our questions.
The hedgehog gives nothing
Away, keeping itself to itself…
