loneliness

Story·Ava Shorten — A river blocked from the sea becomes a puddle who befriends an aging frog that shares stories of the ocean and ultimately carries the puddle to its destination.

Poetry·Steven Cavros — An abstract meditation on the invisible and forgotten, those who lived and died without being seen or remembered by the living.

Poetry·Lucy Watkins — Two figures with umbrellas sit together in a rainy night until one leaves, then returns, as the natural world responds to their movements.

Story·Olivia Lee — A girl who visits a special tree daily finds a mysterious note warning that hunters are attacking animals in Croygami Woods.

Personal Narrative·Lindsay Gale — A girl stuck at home during the pandemic battles jealousy as friends text about their vacations, until rain brings unexpected release from her frustration.

Story·Maayan Mardiks-Rappaport, age 10 — A child sits alone in a forest clearing, imagining mushrooms whispering comfort, then floats with a friend to an imaginary world of happiness surrounded by nature.

Story·Myiesha Jain, age 11 — A girl climbs a hill at sunset to throw a pebble into the sky for her dead mother, then returns to an empty house and her absent father's note.

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·Charlotte Moore, age 12 — A lonely girl exploring a castle during a field trip gets trapped in a closet and meets Jane, a mysterious servant girl who wants to be best friends forever.

Story·Bea Hertzmark, age 10 — A girl writes to her absent friend Tom during a school day, memories of a lake and a letter breaking through her attempts to focus on lessons.