home

Story·Ella Martinez Nocito, age 12 — A girl receives a cedar bracelet and a story about courage from her cousin before moving across the country, finding strength to face change.

Story·Oliver Giller, age 10 — A boy who counts his 2,476 hairs discovers one is missing and hires a suspicious detective who charges $100 to solve the case.

Poetry·William Chui, age 12 — A boy catalogs the sensory details of his family's playroom — chessmen, Legos, piano, moths on windows — revealing it as his sanctuary from the outside world.

Story·Vandana Ravi, age 12 — A girl's morning bike ride to school becomes a meditation on class differences and gratitude, finding beauty in her modest neighborhood despite glimpses of wealth.

Story·Daniel Shaw, age 11 — A boy reflects on the tree outside his old bedroom window—his silent companion through childhood frustrations—and its loss in a hurricane, while settling into a new room with a new...

Poetry·Genesis Lee, age 12 — A young person processes grief after a funeral, watching her sister's breakdown, feeling her heart chip away, and struggling to reconnect with life afterward.

Poetry·Layla Linnard, age 11 — A child reflects on life before a new baby arrived, using a mirror structure to express the loss of sleep, space, and being a family of three.

Story·Alina Samarasan, age 12 — During morning hair-braiding, Carlita reflects on her Cuban heritage, school discrimination, and her absent brother who's been arrested.

Story·Tristan Hui, age 12 — Thu loses his place as grandmother's favorite when his sickly sister is born, but journeys to save her life and learns what family truly means.

Story·Isabel Swain, age 12 — A girl awaits her mother's return for a crucial school interview, only to learn her mother is hospitalized and she'll enter foster care.