connection to nature

Poetry·Danny Musher, age 11 — A pond at dusk becomes a cradle of stillness as autumn winds rustle reeds, rushes peer at their reflections, and night settles like a soft blanket.

Story·Liza Brown, age 11 — Four children at a beach each find their own source of joy: Sally plays fetch with dogs, Jordan helps his brother find a lost pet, Rita collects seashells, and Todd...

Poetry·Sarah Kim Perry, age 11 — A single snowflake lands on a windowpane at midnight, becoming a silent witness to candlelight inside and stars outside.

Story·Valerie Gill, age 13 — During a power outage, a girl discovers her computer mysteriously working and receives cryptic messages about Earth, humanity as parasites, and her role in learning everything.

Poetry·Sarah Dougherty, age 11 — A lightning bug carries the speaker's low spirit through gardens and town, returning it lit up and peaceful for a summer night's sleep.

Story·Pace Ellsworth, age 13 — A tiger stalks and kills an antelope, then discovers his cached prey has been disturbed by strange new creatures with vehicles, marking his first encounter with humans.

Poetry·Alice Baumgartner, age 12 — Sensory memories of a Mardi Gras dinner trigger vivid recollections of sounds, tastes, and a game of Truth or Dare on an unseasonably warm February evening.

Story·Anna Hagen, age 11 — A girl who was found on a beach as a baby discovers through a magical conch shell that she was rescued by whales after her parents' ship capsized.

Story·Katey Storey, age 13 — A girl recalls summers at her family's Maine house, exploring tide pools and climbing Cannon Rock, where she collected sea glass and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.

Story·Max Strebel, age 11 — A boy reluctantly leaves his TV show to help with chores, befriends a squirrel, attempts to rescue it from a hawk, and discovers a new connection to nature.