city

Story·Stella Keaveny Haapala, age 12 — After her mother's death, a girl trapped in a cramped NYC apartment with her distant father dreams of their old farm until a vision helps her begin to let go.

Story·Jem Burch, age 13 — A family drives through Los Angeles on the Fourth of July, discovering multiple firework shows from the freeway and finally seeing the entire city lit up with distant explosions.

Poetry·Celie Kreilkamp, age 12 — Rain transforms a city into a sanctuary, wrapping it in gray blankets of mist while thunder and lightning create a world apart from complications.

Poetry·Celie Kreilkamp, age 12 — Rain transforms a small city into a sanctuary, wrapping it in gray blankets of mist while revealing simple beauties in puddles and lightning.

Story·Cooper Oznowicz, age 12 — A boy from a small Connecticut town experiences his first Yankees game, leaves early during a blowout, then listens to a dramatic comeback attempt on the car radio.

Story·Zhang He, age 11 — A girl selling oranges at a Chinese market warns customers her fruit is sour, then runs after them to return their change, teaching a lesson about honesty.

Story·Katrina Sondermann, age 12 — A daughter and father bond over an Avalanche-Blues playoff game in enemy territory, their first real connection after twelve years of distance.

Story·Lia Regal, age 12 — A Brooklyn girl finds refuge in basketball as her parents' marriage dissolves, then moves to a coastal farmhouse after the divorce, starting fresh with a new team.

Story·Devin McKissic, age 11 — During the Russian Revolution, a young aristocrat works in a hospital while worrying about her brother at war and witnessing her family's changing views on the Tsar.

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.