sensory richness

Poetry·Stella White, age 11 — A girl lies in her father's childhood bed in London, watching trains pass and imagining his life decades earlier in the same room.

Story·Sadie Robb, age 13 — A girl recounts the night her beloved family country home burned down, leaving her with physical and emotional scars that teach her about loss and memory.

Poetry·Sarah Welch, age 11 — A child lies awake in a too-big bed at grandma's house, noticing the dripping faucet and crack of light until sleep finally comes.

Story·Elise Arancio, age 11 — A tomboy navigates her first softball practice, struggling between her natural hitting ability and a coach's instructions that don't feel right to her.

Story·Kira Householder, age 11 — A girl secretly cares for a wolf in the woods, sneaking out at night to bring him food, until a forest fire takes his life and she discovers he left...

Story·Melissa Birchfield, age 13 — A girl obsessed with reading 200 books to become a novelist discovers through her younger cousin that living life provides better inspiration than hiding in stories.

Story·Anika Joshi, age 10 — A young birder enters a contest at Sunset Park, using patience and birdseed to attract thirty-seven birds while competitors rush around, winning the grand prize.

Story·Greta Kvittem, age 12 — An 11-year-old girl attends her first professional ballet performance for her grandmother's birthday and discovers her calling to become a ballerina.

Poetry·Sam Laskin, age 10 — A boy battles nighttime fears as ordinary sounds transform into terrifying threats, until controlled breathing finally brings sleep.

Poetry·Ava Persinger, age 12 — A young observer discovers the ocean's hidden music — from crashing waves to a tiny crab's clicking claws to shells clinking in the depths.