memory

Story·Sarina Rani Deb, age 10 — A boy's beloved husky Breeze becomes a local hero by saving lives, but dies after being injured in a blizzard while seeking shelter.

Story·Brooke Fallows, age 11 — A girl remembers her grandfather through visits to a train station and Olvera Street, then recounts his death and what he taught her about time and memory.

Story·Sadie Robb, age 13 — A girl recounts the night her beloved family country home burned down, leaving her with physical and emotional scars that teach her about loss and memory.

Story·Melissa Birchfield, age 13 — A girl reluctant to accept a new piano teacher after her grandmother's death discovers she can honor memories while embracing new beginnings through music.

Poetry·Caroline Thompson, age 12 — A young person addresses someone who left without explanation, cycling through questions, pleas, and the haunting memory of their whispered apology.

Poetry·Isaac Walsh, age 10 — A six-year-old loses his orange Croc over the Stone Arch Bridge and imagines it floating down the Mississippi to Louisiana, carrying its mystery.

Poetry·Elisabeth Martin, age 13 — A poem traces the cycle of grief from fresh loss through fading memory to sudden, sharp remembrance that brings the pain flooding back.

Poetry·Theo Taplitz, age 10 — A boat journey brings memories of a grandfather as dolphins appear, blending present observation with past experiences on the water.

Poetry·Ella Biehn, age 12 — A child recalls dancing in autumn leaves before moving south, where a photograph preserves what geography has taken away.

Poetry·Hannah Dastgheib, age 11 — A child falls into autumn leaves and experiences a sensory rush of memories, scents, and sounds that blur into a single moment of seasonal joy.