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Poetry·Elizabeth R. Herndon, age 10 — A child lies in cold grass on an autumn night, imagining herself as a falling leaf among bare trees and scattered leaves.

Story·Natalie Bettendorf, age 13 — A family's annual August trip to Mission Beach in San Diego brings together two close families for a day of racing to the ocean, splashing, and summer traditions.

Poetry·Ruhi Sah, age 11 — A pomegranate transforms from fruit to jewel case as the speaker cuts it open, revealing seeds like drops of blood that taste of heavenliness.

Story·Ruby Dietz, age 12 — A girl panics when her younger brother doesn't board the school bus, only to discover he had permission to go to a friend's house instead.

Poetry·Matthew Brailsford, age 11 — A child at the beach reaches out to touch the sunset and wraps it around their shoulders like a coat, transforming sensory experience into wearable joy.

Poetry·Sarah Wood, age 12 — A poem captures the last night before a friend moves to Ireland, from joyful evening to tearful goodbye as she disappears in the rain.

Poetry·Ethan Vranic, age 12 — In a dreary autumn meadow between two oaks, once-flourishing roses now lie shriveled and colorless, their sharp thorns the only remnant of former vitality.

Poetry·Nastassja Carusetta, age 13 — A daughter anxiously awaits her mother's return from a road trip, memories of their last night together mixing with dark fears about what might happen.

Poetry·Danielle Eagle, age 12 — A young writer celebrates the power of imagination through metaphors of flight, electricity, and natural forces, declaring herself a dreamer whose pen brings visions to life.

Story·Lucy Lu, age 12 — A young boy searches a war-torn battlefield for his father after his mother's death, crossing a freezing river to finally find him through their matching blue eyes.