lyrical prose

Story·Megan M. Gannett, age 13 — A girl climbs her favorite tree at dawn to witness spring's arrival, reflecting on nature's renewal and the wisdom found in stillness versus society's constant rush.

Poetry·Max Mendelsohn, age 12 — A celebration of marbles through their sounds, colors, and textures, comparing them to children playing and stars lighting up the world.

Poetry·Natalie Fine, age 12 — A night in a vibrant city comes alive through sensory details — dancing on cobblestones, lights on water, sleeping on doorsteps under a diamond-filled sky.

Story·Marian Homans-Turnbull, age 13 — A girl's last morning on a Nova Scotia island turns into a fog-bound adventure when their boat gets lost, leading to an unexpected sail on a schooner.

Poetry·Nicole Guenther, age 12 — A young poet confronts mortality by imagining flight beyond Earth's gravity, transforming the fear of nothingness into an invitation to soar through unnamed universes.

Story·Sophia Stid, age 11 — A girl escapes to a secret clearing in the woods where she experiences brief moments of becoming the creatures around her—squirrel, robin, blade of grass.

Poetry·Nicole Guenther, age 13 — At dusk, a writer sits on a cold rock sketching the last light while frogs sing, watching her huge shadow wave across the page as darkness falls.

Story·Brittany Newell, age 10 — A girl finds escape and identity through playing her dusty family piano, culminating in a Christmas Eve performance where she becomes one with the instrument.

Story·Emma King, age 11 — A girl travels from New York to South Africa, experiencing the ocean's power and beauty, finding a magical shell that her young cousin takes, teaching her about letting go.

Story·Veronica Engler, age 13 — A girl visiting an island for the first time encounters the legendary Storm Dancer during a fierce storm and learns to dance with the ocean's rhythm.