connection to nature

Poetry·Matthew Brailsford, age 11 — A child at the beach reaches out to touch the sunset and wraps it around their shoulders like a coat, transforming sensory experience into wearable joy.

Story·Alexandra Langley, age 12 — A grieving boy finds his dead mother's spirit in a swan at the pond she loved, after dreams tell him to 'listen to it.'

Story·Isabella Widrow, age 9 — On a rainy day, a bored girl finds her cat Mango in a closet and shares a moment of connection that transforms her mood.

Poetry·Abigail D'Agosta, age 12 — A chicken investigates a strange furry creature through the coop wire, stretching its neck cautiously before pecking the cat's ear.

Story·Ben Hayes, age 13 — A young angler describes the meditative ritual of dusk fishing on a quiet lake, from paddling out to the explosive moment of catching a keeper.

Poetry·Stella White, age 11 — A girl lies in her father's childhood bed in London, watching trains pass and imagining his life decades earlier in the same room.

Story·Alice Ford, age 9 — After a friendship ruptures over a science project, Jess discovers her late mother's journals and plans a camping sleepover to reconcile with Bailey under the stars.

Poetry·Astrid May Steiner-Manning, age 12 — Runners collapse together in winter snow, their bodies folding into each other like marionettes, transforming exhaustion into shared laughter and connection.

Story·Eva Rodrigues, age 13 — At a dreaded family cottage, a teenage astronomy enthusiast meets an eccentric boy in mismatched clothes on a rock under the blue moon, finding unexpected connection.

Poetry·Bethany Rayfield, age 12 — A young writer observes the creek behind her house, cataloging its life—fish, flowers, frogs—and recognizes it as her private world of peace.