finding beauty in the ordinary

Poetry·Kyle Lotke, age 10 — A child races to watch the sunset, imagining where the sun goes, then becomes the sun sinking into bed while darkness transforms into regenerative sleep.

Story·Julia Soderholm, age 13 — A young woman finds solace in morning rituals and simple pleasures before heading to the beach to write, savoring solitude before crowds arrive.

Story·Mackenzie Hollister, age 12 — A girl recalls her last perfect day with her grandfather in Michigan, discovering a secret pond they called the Animal Kingdom, before he died of cancer months later.

Story·Bailey Bergmann, age 11 — A girl who desperately wants a golden retriever learns to love the Irish setter she receives instead after they win an agility competition together.

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after wrecking her yacht, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an unexpected epiphany about life's...

Story·Anna Currey, age 12 — Stranded on an island for five days after crashing her boat, Mae survives on crabs and snails while watching distant Fourth of July fireworks spark an epiphany about life's beauty.

Story·Sophie Stid, age 13 — A thirteen-year-old experiences her first family Ski Day tradition, culminating in the discovery of a candlelit ice rink hidden in the wilderness under a diamond-bright winter sky.

Story·Emily Waxman, age 10 — A girl prepares for prom in 1946, wearing a dress made from her brother's WWII parachute, reflecting on family sacrifice and finding beauty in hardship.

Poetry·Jacob Dysart, age 13 — A skateboarder captures the split-second of flight when jumping a curb, where worldly problems disappear before the wheels touch down again.

Story·Aviva Leshaw, age 13 — A girl arrives home from school to an empty house and contemplates how the world continues moving while she stands still in her quiet kitchen.