lyrical prose

Poetry·Tara Prakash, age 12 — Time's passage traced through family moments — a brother's kite, grandfather's lined face, babies' bright eyes — questioning permanence while accepting change's necessity.

Poetry·Sabrina Guo, age 13 — A meditation on cultural superstitions connects Greek pomegranate-smashing with Chinese number symbolism, finding meaning in how misfortune creates possibility for renewal.

Poetry·Devon Mann, age 11 — A young writer captures the physical act of writing as thoughts race faster than the hand can move, with words floating like clouds toward San Francisco.

Poetry·Poppy Lowenthal Walsh, age 12 — A night walk under stars becomes a meditation on darkness, cricket songs, and the paradox of the sky's brightest blue appearing as day fades.

Poetry·Rhône Galchen, age 11 — A solitary figure contemplates a metaphorical mountain that blocks their path, yearning for waves of change while trapped between states of black and white.

Story·Carmen Flax, age 10 — A ghostly lilac figure wanders through pine forests and black rivers on an October night, crying out in sorrow before retreating into shadows.

Poetry·Grace Jiang, age 11 — A year cycles through the seasons as Little Deer grows from playful fawn to father, echoing his own father's words about preparing for winter.

Story·Vandana Ravi, age 12 — A girl who struggles to speak finds solace in a book about a unicorn and a friend, escaping into its world during lunch before returning to face school.

Story·Sabrina Guo, age 12 — A young violinist tours China with the Joyous String Ensemble, performing alongside master musicians while discovering how music can literally save lives and connect memories across time and place.

Story·Clare McDermott, age 12 — A forest walk becomes a moment of wonder when a hummingbird appears, transforming the atmosphere with its iridescent presence before vanishing.