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Poetry·Woody Szydlik, age 12 — A meditation on escaping into TV shows versus facing the messy reality of life, ending with the speaker choosing to walk into 'fresh, impure air.'

Poetry·Lily Kasius, age 10 — A poem guides readers through a forest meditation where soil grasps, moss chains, and nature's spirits reveal themselves through sensory immersion.

Personal Narrative·Lila Carpenter, age 11 — A girl struggles with anger and sadness as she helps her sister move into a college apartment in Bar Harbor, finding clarity by the ocean.

Story·Lydia Young, age 11 — Four friends venture through Star Forest to save the Tree of Life from the Eternal Cloud of Doom, discovering Mother Nature needs help protecting the environment.

Poetry·Grace Zhuang, age 6 — A young poet captures summer through garden flowers, beach dresses, and ocean waves, ending with a wish for the season to stay.

Poetry·Grace Zhuang, age 6 — A lotus flower announces summer's arrival through flying petals, not knowing she herself embodies the season she proclaims.

Personal Narrative·Kelly Chan, age 11 — During a science class discussion, Kelly's fear of speaking up becomes overwhelming when asked to explain her answer about a frozen water bottle.

Story·Myiesha Jain, age 11 — A girl climbs a hill at sunset to throw a pebble into the sky for her dead mother, then returns to an empty house and her absent father's note.

Story·Scarlet He, age 10 — A child races through a darkening Ontario forest, heart pounding with fear, until their sister jumps out playing peekaboo and the world returns to normal.

Poetry·Pei-Ying Olsen, age 9 — A young musician experiences how playing music transforms perception, turning static moments into flowing streams and city streets into moon-lit landscapes.