nature

Poetry·Amber Zhao, age 10 — A young visitor transforms an aquarium trip into a meditation on humanity's relationship with nature, moving from wonder to environmental critique and back to artistic creation.

Personal Narrative·Arielle Kouyoumdjian, age 13 — A 13-year-old visits an indigenous village in Ecuador's jungle and confronts the stark contrasts between their sustainable lifestyle and American consumption.

Poetry·Gabe Horowitz, age 10 — A swan gliding across a lake becomes a meditation on how serenity can expand from a single creature to transform an entire landscape.

Personal Narrative·Lydia Taylor, age 13 — A family camping trip to Yellowstone becomes a magical adventure as siblings explore forests, witness the Grand Prismatic Spring, and create their own riverside kingdom.

Poetry·Esther Hay, age 8 — A morning walk through a dewy forest becomes a sensory journey as cold droplets fall from flowers and trees, chilling the narrator.

Poetry·Evangeline Flynn, age 10 — A small boat drifts on crystal waters under a rainbow sky, its peaceful rocking motion mesmerizing the observer in this watercolor-inspired meditation.

Poetry·Chloe Ma, age 9 — The moon as a silver bead on the sky's necklace slides into view each night, casting reflected light before giving way to the golden sun.

Story·Aiden Chen, age 11 — A tree narrates its life from seed to death, surviving fire, drought, and bears, only to be felled when humans build too close to its trunk.

Poetry·Teddy Lykouretzos, age 13 — A young poet compares plastic's permanence to the pyramids, warning that our disposable creations outlast monuments while poisoning the earth we depend on.

Personal Narrative·Claire Jiang, age 12 — A girl contemplates the unnamed plants around her house, finding in their seasonal color changes a mirror for her own shifting moods.