facing fear

Story·Anushka Trivedi — A child locked in a room with a menacing broom confronts grief after his mother's death, while his father and sister struggle to reach him.

Poetry·Marilena Korahais — A student's school bag becomes impossibly heavy with metaphorical weight until they decide their health matters more than attendance.

Personal Narrative·Aleen Watson — A young runner battles self-doubt and physical exhaustion while competing against 349 other girls at the cross-country Junior Olympics in Texas.

Poetry·Stella Lewin — A speaker stands alone in a thunderstorm, experiencing its fury through all senses, until sudden silence brings no relief from inner turmoil.

Story·Autumn E. Weinreich — A hermit crab named Kermit faces school bullies, challenges them to an exoball game, and wins by riding on opponents' shells, transforming his social status.

Personal Narrative·Micki Mermelstein — A girl with a fear of heights jumps off a cliff at her cousins' urging, nearly drowns in panic underwater, then immediately agrees to do it again for a video.

Poetry·Jordan Sung — A surreal journey through a dreamscape where light whispers, fireflies form paths, and a door handle transforms into an octopus, culminating in 'blue fear.'

Story·Alice Pak — In war-torn Avdiivka, two best friends navigate the chaos of Russian-Ukrainian conflict as buildings collapse, threatening letters arrive, and families prepare to flee their homeland.

Story·Beatrix Mackil — A man awakens with no memory in a desolate landscape, recovers fragments of his past through visions, and discovers he has been dead for decades.

Poetry·Kai-Yi Olsen — A child traces the day from morning cheer through sunset to a dark night where drops fall outside and nothing returns.