finding home

Personal Narrative·Avaline Mikhasiuta — A five-year-old Russian speaker faces her first day of kindergarten without knowing English, finds connection through a Japanese classmate who shares her language barrier.

Story·Adler Savikas — Three royal brothers shipwrecked on separate shores of the same island each journey inland through different terrains before reuniting in a dandelion field at the center.

Poetry·Pauline McAndrew — In early morning solitude, a teenager reflects from her blue chair, treasuring this pause before the world returns to normal and her sanctuary becomes ordinary again.

Story·Naaman Garcia — A farmer discovers a mysterious seed that grows into a tree bearing giant blocks of cheese, builds a cheese business with his neighbor, then loses everything to lightning.

Story·Emily Beltramo — A teenage street musician teaches guitar to a young thief who tried to rob him, and together they land their first paying gig at a local restaurant.

Story·Sarah Iwanaga — A young wolf befriends a human boy despite pack warnings, discovers his father made the same choice years ago, and must decide between two worlds.

Personal Narrative·Samuelle Torres — A nine-year-old boy cracks his head at a playground, experiences disorientation at the hospital, then recognizes the doctor who delivered him at birth.

Story·Roy Zha — A raindrop named Roy falls from his cloud home, lands on grass, evaporates back to the sky, and discovers the water cycle is an endless, scary adventure.

Story·Kamalama Mick — A peasant mistakes the quarter moon for a silver bowl filled with riches and seeks a magician's help to pull it from the sky, only to discover true wealth lies...

Poetry·Jasmine Manderson-Arnott — A walk through a rainforest path leads to a creek where the narrator finds peace and sees their reflection in the water.