connection to nature

Poetry·Brooke Hemingway, age 13 — A wolf leads its pack into a moonlit clearing where the forest holds its breath and the world sparkles with otherworldly light.

Poetry·Sandra Detweiler, age 13 — A lyrical meditation on climbing above fog to find mountain peaks rising like islands from a sea of clouds below.

Story·Benny Mitchell, age 11 — A book-obsessed boy forced on a tech-free vacation meets Chester, a local kid who gives him a tour of the quirky town and becomes his first real friend.

Poetry·Norah Brady, age 13 — Night sounds — cricket drone, rain on gutters, distant conversations — become a symphony as the world falls into sleep.

Story·Niya Wodi, age 12 — A reluctant teen assigned to volunteer at a nursing home bonds with Mrs. Blair, a former Broadway star, discovering the value of intergenerational connection.

Poetry·Ellanora Lerner, age 13 — A teenager finds solitude at abandoned railroad tracks, contemplating how nature reclaims human progress and feeling the ghost of trains that once passed.

Story·Annabel M. Smith, age 11 — A girl meets a stranger in a McDonald's parking lot who shows her a photo of his deceased dog that looks exactly like hers, creating an unexpected moment of connection.

Story·Brooke Hemingway, age 12 — After her beloved horse Dory dies, a grieving girl travels to Chincoteague Island where she finds a golden foal with eyes that remind her of her lost companion.

Story·Saira Licht, age 10 — After falling from a boat in Georgia waters where her father drowned, Maria meets him in an underwater grotto and receives a magical necklace before returning safely.

Poetry·Rainer Pasca, age 9 — A nine-year-old observes a river scene at an arboretum, recording nature's details while a speedboat disrupts the peaceful meditation of water, birds, and trees.