emotional restraint

Story·Erik Dinardo, age 13 — A grieving man revisits places he shared with a lost child, finding each location abandoned or changed, until a ray of light breaks through.

Poetry·Riley Grace Carlson, age 9 — A child walks to a tree swing in a pasture, falls asleep, and wakes to find autumn has arrived while they slept.

Story·Isabel Folger — A grieving man revisits places he once shared with a child, finding them empty and changed, until a ray of light breaks through.

Poetry·Nicholas Bonavolonta, age 12 — A tree by a river watches leaves swept away, fish jumping, and birds flying, longing to explore the world beyond while rooted in place.

Story·Abbie Brubaker, age 13 — A girl recounts the life and death of her beloved white cat Moon, from finding her as a kitten at a yard sale to her tragic death under a car's...

Poetry·Ashok Kaul, age 11 — A five-year-old's fragmented memories of September 11th capture confusion through misheard words and the sudden absence of the towers.

Poetry·Kym Goodsell, age 13 — A child chases a butterfly through morning grass, stumbling but persisting until one finger brushes its wing before it flies away.

Story·Rebecca Vanneman, age 11 — A girl savors her last day at a beloved Massachusetts beach before moving away, swimming in cold waves and watching sunset with her younger brother.

Story·Mae Hardman-Hill, age 10 — When Leo announces he's moving to New York City, his best friend Anabeth gives him a drawing of them biking by Seneca Lake, which he keeps for nine years.

Story·Claudia Ross, age 13 — Walking a valley trail after elementary school graduation, a girl finds a broken eggshell and realizes the hawks circling her are searching for it.