February 2021

Story·Ever Sun, age 10 — A city girl discovers a magical forest where animals talk and time moves differently, spending what she thinks is a year but is actually ten years researching nature.

Artwork·Aerial Chen

Artwork·Joey Vasaturo

Poetry·Amber Zhao, age 10 — A young poet describes the moment of completing a poem, exploring the paradox of creation—how words become both fragile and eternal, personal and universal.

Poetry·Amber Zhao, age 10 — A girl contemplates a memorial tree in a park, questioning whether the deceased would have wanted this tribute, then waters the drought-stricken willow and later finds it transformed.

Poetry·Amber Zhao, age 10 — A meditation on Antarctic exploration becomes a reflection on distance between friends, memory's persistence, and how shared experiences diverge in recollection.

Poetry·Amber Zhao, age 10 — A young visitor transforms an aquarium trip into a meditation on humanity's relationship with nature, moving from wonder to environmental critique and back to artistic creation.

Artwork·Freyja Land

Poetry·Ethan Chen, age 10 — Explorers ride metal lions on wheels down a black tongue into a mountain giant's mouth, where teeth drip saliva before darkness engulfs them.

Personal Narrative·Arielle Kouyoumdjian, age 13 — A 13-year-old visits an indigenous village in Ecuador's jungle and confronts the stark contrasts between their sustainable lifestyle and American consumption.