death

Story·Phoebe Donovan — A man traveling with his critical mother to his grandfather's funeral confronts their conflicting views on success and happiness when a flight delay forces them to share a hotel room.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 10 — A disembodied perspective from a ditch observes the world above—sun, sky, ladybugs—while grass grows wild around what remains.

Personal Narrative·Maya Hooda, age 10 — A girl mourns her grandmother who ran a bookshop, remembering her generosity to a barefoot child and the patient way she taught her to bake.

Story·Ellie Wang, age 9 — A cat named Mayhem creates a magical name-guessing game in a water glass to find a new owner after her beloved human dies, testing each person's true character.

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·T. Max Crowe, age 12 — A lonely man in ancient Greece trades his dog to a god to resurrect his dead son, but Hades punishes him for breaking the laws of death.

Story·Chamonix Fernandes, age 11 — A World War II veteran visits his best friend's grave, triggering memories of the day Joseph died saving him in a jungle ambush.

Personal Narrative·Billie Brown, age 12 — A young aspiring animal rescuer brings home a worm that dies overnight, teaching her that wild creatures belong in their natural habitats, not bedrooms.

Story·Avital Sagan, age 12 — A sentient radio watches helplessly as carnivorous moonflowers take over the island city of Floracion, turning its inhabitants into mindless carriers of the infection.

Poetry·Emma Catherine Hoff, age 8 — A child imagines friends attending a funeral in Los Angeles, writes herself a letter from them, then greets their actual return with the comfort of her own fiction.