nature

Story·Mackenzie Hollister, age 12 — A girl recalls her last perfect day with her grandfather in Michigan, discovering a secret pond they called the Animal Kingdom, before he died of cancer months later.

Story·Annakai Hayakawa Geshlider, age 11 — A Japanese boy falls into a creek chasing his lost shoe and discovers from a wise turtle that he has the magical ability to breathe underwater.

Poetry·Wujun Ke, age 13 — Standing on glossy rocks, a young observer contemplates the boundary-less unity of sea and sky, where murky greens and shadows merge into one living whole.

Poetry·Emily Riippa, age 13 — A solitary climber battles altitude and exhaustion on a snow-covered mountain, driven by determination to reach the summit and its promised view.

Poetry·Jennifer Hu, age 13 — A summer night in the fields where fireflies transform into earthbound stars, creating a moment where heaven and earth meet through tiny lights.

Poetry·Julia Lipkis, age 12 — A meadow scene unfolds through precise natural imagery — wilting wildflowers, grazing deer, gossiping birds, and wind whispering secrets over bent corn.

Poetry·Katie Ferman, age 13 — A girl catches fireflies on a spring night, trying to contain their light in her hands before releasing them back to the darkness.

Story·William Gwaltney, age 10 — A girl searches for the perfect apple in her grandfather's orchard, remembering her grandmother who died last year, and discovers a new way forward through shared grief.

Poetry·Taylor Nelsen, age 11 — A red leaf falls from a tree in autumn twilight and becomes caught in a spider's web, their patterns intertwining in the dawn light.

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