connection to nature

Story·Allison Hansford — A lyrical catalog of a garden's inhabitants — leaves, trees, bushes, flowers, birds, and bugs — celebrates nature's overwhelming abundance and mystery.

Poetry·Ava Luangkesorn — A catalog poem assigns each punctuation mark a corresponding flower based on visual or metaphorical connections between their forms and functions.

Poetry·Hana Shqairat — Spring's arrival transforms a winter landscape as snow melts, flowers bloom, leaves sing, and the natural world awakens to renewed life.

Personal Narrative·Siyona Agarwal — During a memorable dinner in San Sebastian, a mother nervously lends her favorite scarf to her daughter, only to stain her own shirt while the scarf remains pristine.

Poetry·Iris Chalfen — A speaker watches seagulls and imagines waves from a window in Southwold, with fragmented repetitions creating a dreamlike meditation on coastal morning.

Poetry·Clarie Pierce — A rock on the beach narrates what it has witnessed over ages — seagulls, tides, weddings, sunsets — and invites readers to make memories it will keep safe.

Personal Narrative·Dante Chowla-Song — After his grandfather's death, a boy finds solace bird-watching in Central Park, where observing cardinals and hawks helps him accept his grief and stop running from loss.

Story·Evangeline Gustavson — A woman nurtures a mysterious seedling that grows into an extraordinary plant, dies, and leaves offspring; after her death, she reunites with the plant's true spirit—a boy.

Poetry·Arabella Aab — Dawn in winter Asheville: a solitary observer watches snow fall, trees dance in wind, and contemplates ancestors' fear before the household wakes.

Poetry·Mara Occhuizzo — Morning light and wind become a meditation on listening to silence — mountains, birds, voices, and things unheard speak through a bedroom window.