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Poetry·Cammie Keel, age 13 — A winter morning arrives through skeletal trees, a crow's shriek, silver air, and frost-cocooned grass until the last leaf falls on white ground.

Story·Alice Ford, age 9 — After a friendship ruptures over a science project, Jess discovers her late mother's journals and plans a camping sleepover to reconcile with Bailey under the stars.

Story·Shyla DeLand, age 11 — After a weasel kills her beloved rooster Cocky, a girl struggles with guilt over loving a new chick until her mother helps her understand that loving again doesn't betray the...

Poetry·Jeremy Long, age 13 — A homeless speaker finds beauty in rain-soaked streets while others hurry inside, seeing Picasso in puddles and mythological figures in storm clouds.

Story·Annnabel Chosy, age 11 — After a power outage during a grief support group, a girl searches for her missing classmate and discovers they share a deeper bond through loss.

Story·Ella Staats, age 12 — A young musician struggling with parental expectations discovers she can play beautifully when alone under the moonlight, free from pressure and performance anxiety.

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.

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...

Poetry·Astrid May Steiner-Manning, age 12 — Runners collapse together in winter snow, their bodies folding into each other like marionettes, transforming exhaustion into shared laughter and connection.

Story·Melissa Louie, age 12 — A nervous boy attempts his first solo skydive over California's Redwood Forest, facing equipment failure when his main parachute cord breaks, saved by the automatic backup.