HOPE CAMPBELL GUNDLAH’s short play, “The Word”, has a very meaningful message: Elementary-school girls are not old enough to comprehend sexual assault. “Grape” is perhaps a metaphor for hiding, diverting, the sad truth: Too many girls are harassed, degraded by sexual assault, and they are left to ‘figure out on their own’ what to do if and when it happens to them.

Words are powerful things, and this dialogue between two young girls brilliantly conveys the power of a single word, along with the confusing messages that adults send children which suggest that honest conversations about unwanted actions on the part of boys are not encouraged or even allowed. So much is revealed in so few words here, and yet it is sure to spark meaningful discussion. Amazing work!