nature

Poetry·Sascha Deal-Lessin — A lament for lost beauty — stars replaced by planes, fish by empty oceans, trees by barren ground — asking where the world's wonder has gone.

Story·Chris Yihan Ye — During extreme seasons—windy spring, scorching summer, cool fall, freezing winter—various animals struggle with weather challenges while their companions offer practical solutions they refuse.

Poetry·Gemma Crimmins — A rhythmic poem cycles through the seasons, from winter's wind to spring's hum to summer's speed, ending where it began with winter returning.

Poetry·Beatrice Milasan — A train passenger watches the ocean transform from violent turquoise waves to peaceful sunset, remembering childhood drawings and contemplating permanence amid change.

Story·Roxy Pilcher, age 8 — The Moon asks forest animals to become stars to light the night sky; when the mountain lion finds no dots left, he transforms into the Northern Lights instead.

Poetry·Clark Liu, age 9 — A child captures autumn's arrival through sound patterns, describing wool sweaters, breezy sneezes, chattering trees, and red leaves flooding streets like a stream.

Poetry·Ava Luangkesorn — Birds endure a devastating storm that transforms their peaceful sea home, then witness the rainbow and crystalline water that follow.

Story·Adler Savikas — Three royal brothers shipwrecked on separate shores of the same island each journey inland through different terrains before reuniting in a dandelion field at the center.

Poetry·Lindsay Gale — Three distinct portraits of rain capture its varied moods: mystical mist, violent tempest, and bleak drizzle, each rendered through precise sensory language.

Personal Narrative·Xi Huang — After witnessing a powerful storm from her Florida deck, a young girl discovers the ocean's terrifying magnificence and gains new understanding of its dual nature.