hope

Poetry·Parwana Amiri, age 16 — A dialogue poem between two voices moves from invitation to fly, through a refugee's plea for help, to a declaration of collective strength and resistance.

Poetry·Nova Macknik-Conde, age 8 — A bilingual poem imagines a song the world needs — one that sounds like hope, teaches strength, and moves like water.

Elk

Poetry·Cecilia Appel, age 13 — An elk wades through winter snow and calls to the sky, promising that spring will return to transform the frozen landscape.

Story·Iris Chen, age 10 — A girl plants magical colorful flowers in her gray town that's been mourning a hurricane, transforming it from grief to hope despite the mayor's opposition.

Personal Narrative·Claire Jiang, age 12 — A 12-year-old wrestles with her sense of obligation to fight climate change, questioning whether individual actions matter while affirming her commitment to future generations.

Story·Olivia Ladell, age 13 — After Earth's population flees to Mars, an eight-year-old boy is accidentally left behind. Eight years later, on his sixteenth birthday, he discovers another forgotten teenager.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A meditation on trust through two contrasting images: a dog with a chess piece and the persistence of hope despite love's impermanence.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — A brief meditation on seeking shelter when life becomes difficult, using the metaphor of running downhill in a storm to find a cave with light.

Poetry·Tatiana Rebecca Shrayer, age 13 — Hope personified as an ambiguous companion who guides the speaker across treacherous terrain while knowing them intimately.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 9 — A young poet imagines a love drawing that awaits completion when the right hearts find each other, expressing patient hope for connection.