connection to nature

Story·Thomas Jones, age 13 — A LAX airport barista who watches travelers daily saves a child's lost teddy bear and reunites them a month later, receiving no tip but witnessing their joy.

Poetry·Irene Surprenant, age 8 — A young poet celebrates flowers with exuberant appreciation for their colors, scents, and daily presence in the natural world.

Poetry·Irene Surprenant, age 8 — A wave narrates its experiences through changing weather, from gentle shore-lapping to tsunamis, lamenting pollution while celebrating the cycle of marine life.

Poetry·Katie Turk, age 11 — A wolf moves through a moonlit forest after rain, howls to awaken the night creatures, then watches as the forest comes alive around him.

Story·Natalie McGee, age 13 — An emperor seeking to build a palace in a birch forest must solve a riddle from the mysterious Dea, leading to his transformation from tyrant to protector of the animals.

Poetry·Hannah Parker, age 12 — Day transforms to night and back again as God casts spells, fairies dance under stars, and the sun emerges like a yellow ball of fire.

Poetry·Gwen Deutsch, age 12 — A girl watches wild horses thunder down a Wyoming mountain, experiencing the landscape through all her senses in a moment of overwhelming beauty.

Personal Narrative·Marco Lu, age 11 — A young naturalist explores the remarkable adaptations of saguaro cacti after encountering them in Arizona, detailing their growth patterns, water storage, and survival strategies.

Poetry·Karinne Ulrey, age 10 — Night falls on a city where stoplights reflect off water, distant conversations drift on the breeze, and a lone car crosses a scarlet bridge.

Poetry·Karinne Ulrey, age 10 — Night falls on a city where stoplights reflect off water, distant conversations drift through air, and a lone car crosses a scarlet bridge.