weather

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.

Poetry·Ian Maduff — Light reflecting off wet pavement on a stormy night transforms into lasers, fountains, and aurora borealis in the speaker's imagination.

Personal Narrative·Amber Zhao — A skeptical traveler discovers unexpected beauty on Australia's Sunshine Coast, finding solace in wild seas, storm-lit skies, and a memorial grove that transforms her perspective.

Story·Roy Zha — A raindrop named Roy falls from his cloud home, lands on grass, evaporates back to the sky, and discovers the water cycle is an endless, scary adventure.

Poetry·Madeleine Palter — A prose poem captures the sensory landscape of a neighborhood street through wind, racing cars, crunching leaves, gossip, and flickering streetlights.

Poetry·Bryson Mendolera — Sand becomes an eagle flying across the desert, forming mountains and ripples, until drought-stricken cacti are blessed by sudden rain.

Poetry·Lucy Watkins — A morning meditation watches rain drizzle down at dawn, moving from gray darkness to pink and yellow sky, finding joy through a window.

Story·Sophie Daniel — During a thunderstorm, a frightened girl and her mother share their fears, leading the girl to discover courage as the storm passes and flowers bloom.

Personal Narrative·Lily Harlan — A fourth-grader recalls the day a tornado warning interrupted a phonics quiz, forcing students to shelter while wind rattled the shutters outside.

Personal Narrative·Melia Zhou, age 8 — A family's Fourth of July celebration with sparklers and fireworks is interrupted by sudden heavy rain, sending them running inside to warmth.