fear

Story·Anushka Trivedi — A child locked in a room with a menacing broom confronts grief after his mother's death, while his father and sister struggle to reach him.

Poetry·Maya Ruben — A speaker flees with something precious that transforms from innocent to dangerous, until pursuers take it away, leaving emptiness.

Story·Charles J. Ferraro — A boy wakes in a dusty attic, discovers he's been replaced in his family's life, falls through reality, and awakens to find he has become his replacement.

Poetry·Marilena Korahais — A student's school bag becomes impossibly heavy with metaphorical weight until they decide their health matters more than attendance.

Personal Narrative·Aleen Watson — A young runner battles self-doubt and physical exhaustion while competing against 349 other girls at the cross-country Junior Olympics in Texas.

Poetry·Stella Lewin — A speaker stands alone in a thunderstorm, experiencing its fury through all senses, until sudden silence brings no relief from inner turmoil.

Poetry·Lillian Power — A speaker finds freedom in the ocean, leaving behind the defensive armor worn on land, preferring the vulnerability of water to the safety of shore.

Personal Narrative·Micki Mermelstein — A girl with a fear of heights jumps off a cliff at her cousins' urging, nearly drowns in panic underwater, then immediately agrees to do it again for a video.

Poetry·Jordan Sung — A surreal journey through a dreamscape where light whispers, fireflies form paths, and a door handle transforms into an octopus, culminating in 'blue fear.'

Story·Alice Pak — In war-torn Avdiivka, two best friends navigate the chaos of Russian-Ukrainian conflict as buildings collapse, threatening letters arrive, and families prepare to flee their homeland.