winter

Poetry·Sabrina Guo, age 13 — A meditation on cultural superstitions connects Greek pomegranate-smashing with Chinese number symbolism, finding meaning in how misfortune creates possibility for renewal.

Poetry·Gianna Guerrero, age 7 — A child's poem captures Santa's journey through sound and motion — wind blowing, sleds trailing, rooftops clicking, presents clattering down chimneys.

Poetry·Patrick Lusa, age 11 — A counting poem tracks a day's progression from winter owls at 2 a.m. through summer heat, using numbers to structure observations of daily life.

Story·James Wilson, age 11 — Three surfers perform a silent New Year's dawn ritual at a California beach while a crowd watches, then celebration breaks out after they ride three perfect waves.

Poetry·Sheila Northrup, age 10 — Winter arrives with drifting snowflakes, golden sunlight on snow, and the cold creeping into houses where hot chocolate warms waiting families.

Poetry·Danica Lee — Winter arrives with soft snowflakes, harsh cold, and hot chocolate as snow swallows trees and warmth battles the bitter air.

Story·Sage Young, age 12 — A house cat gets locked outside during a snowstorm, survives a night in an alley and a raccoon encounter, then finds her way home to her worried human.

Story·Olivia Cohen — A lonely Indian boy finds friendship and belonging when a girl from his school discovers him at his secret pond refuge in Minnesota.

Story·Brooke Hemingway, age 13 — A lonely Indian boy finds friendship and belonging when a girl from his school discovers him at his secret pond refuge, and they dance together in the frozen forest.

Story·Emily Villano, age 7 — A wild white mare evades capture through generations, teaching her foal survival before accepting her own mortality in the crystal mountains.