loneliness

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after crashing her boat, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an epiphany about life's beauty.

Story·Meg Bradley, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl, alone in an empty house after her father left, discovers that writing poetry can be its own form of comfort when traditional lullabies are gone.

Story·Erik Dinardo, age 13 — A grieving man revisits places he shared with a lost child, finding each location abandoned or changed, until a ray of light breaks through.

Story·Dressler Parsons, age 11 — A lonely girl rescues a kitten from a rattlesnake in the Arizona desert, and the small act of caring brings her disconnected family together for the first time in years.

Story·Isabel Folger — A grieving man revisits places he once shared with a child, finding them empty and changed, until a ray of light breaks through.

Story·Lyla Lawless, age 13 — A twelve-year-old girl devastated by moving from Rockville to Springfield finds hope in a letter left by the previous occupant of her new room.

Poetry·Cora W. Bucher, age 13 — A late-night meditation on isolation, watching an empty spotlight on gravel while longing to step into that illuminated space and receive nature's applause.

Poetry·Nicholas Bonavolonta, age 12 — A tree by a river watches leaves swept away, fish jumping, and birds flying, longing to explore the world beyond while rooted in place.

Story·Andrew Lee, age 13 — A new student struggles with bullying on the soccer field until a classmate teaches him moves that help him make the team and find acceptance.

Poetry·Caley Scheppegrell, age 13 — A girl escapes her unwanted birthday party to the woods where she encounters a wolf, recognizing their shared solitude before exchanging wordless farewells.