connection to nature

Story·Nate Varga — A lost British soldier stumbles upon a Bedouin camp in the Arabian desert and is led to witness the rare blooming of the Queen of the Night flower, triggering memories...

Poetry·Kimberly Hu — A meditation on how quiet neighborhoods and all places contain hidden fullness, where every creature from birds to spiders belongs in the peaceful whole.

Poetry·Shivanshi Dutt — A nature walk reveals both beauty—maple trees, flowers, sunlight—and pollution—aluminum cans, plastic bags—prompting the question: are we caring enough for Earth?

Personal Narrative·Marti Wong — A girl navigates language barriers with grandparents on two continents, discovering how gifts, food, and gestures become their shared vocabulary of love.

Poetry·Lucy Watkins — Two figures with umbrellas sit together in a rainy night until one leaves, then returns, as the natural world responds to their movements.

Poetry·Disha Hebbar — Night unfolds through sensory details as a speaker lies in bed, transforming darkness into a symphony of moonlight, rain, wind, and the subtle fragrances of sleeping nature.

Story·Olivia Lee — A girl who visits a special tree daily finds a mysterious note warning that hunters are attacking animals in Croygami Woods.

Poetry·Laylah Burstein — A dancer encounters a whale's ancient wisdom through a wood knot that transforms in rain and streetlight, their movements becoming shared music.

Poetry·Raya Ilieva — A girl and her brother search for an owl in the woods, find it perched on an oak tree, and watch in wonder until it flies away.

Personal Narrative·Teresa He, age 11 — A girl recalls three years of observing squirrels, rabbits, and birds from her Illinois home's windows before returning to China.