finding one's voice

Poetry·Woody Szydlik, age 12 — A meditation on escaping into TV shows versus facing the messy reality of life, ending with the speaker choosing to walk into 'fresh, impure air.'

Story·Judy Chen, age 13 — On the first day of sixth grade, a studious boy partners with a new girl for a math competition, then awkwardly defends classmates from bullies.

Poetry·Peter Shuster-Raizberg, age 7 — A seven-year-old celebrates love, water, teamwork, and endless fun in a brief, exuberant poem that reads like a joyful chant.

Story·Oren Milgrom-Dorfman, age 12 — A girl escapes her parents on a forest hike, then later that night returns to the woods alone to weep in a moonlit clearing.

Story·Harper Fortgang, age 13 — A Purple courier delivering documents in the Forbidden Strip—where Purple and Green people live together—meets Unum, whose greyish-brown skin and perspective challenge everything she's been taught about segregation.

Story·Lindsay Cale, age 9 — A girl who sees rainbows in unconventional shapes struggles between staying true to her unique vision and conforming to others' expectations of normalcy.

Personal Narrative·Sophia Hammond, age 11 — A second-grader struggles with reading aloud during class, feeling excluded until a supportive tutor helps her overcome her challenges and gain confidence.

Poetry·Tessa Hsieh Schumacher, age 10 — A young writer explores her name through sound and image, from clear streams to butterfly wings, discovering it as her core of courage and uniqueness.

Story·Meital Fried, age 13 — A girl faces her aunt's terminal illness through the metaphor of a falling bomb while a mourning dove sits motionless on their roof, refusing to move.

Poetry·Jake Sun, age 9 — A philosophical meditation on the concept of nothing — its paradoxical presence in absence, its role in thought and space, and its unexpected value in our lives.