Speaking Worlds 5 is born from the continued collaboration between the Student Press Initiative (SPI) at Teachers College, Columbia University and the District 79's GED Plus ESL programs in the New York City Department of Education. Most of the authors who share their stories in this collection are new immigrants to the USA. They are emerging English speakers and range in ages 17-21. This year the countries represented here are from the South Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa. The spectacular work you'll find in this collection stems from not only the students' determination to challenge themselves to tell their stories, but also to hone their written skills, to tell deeper and stronger stories in a new language, and to collaboratively revise, edit and transform their words into publishable narratives.