self-discovery

Story·Leo Roiphe, age 12 — A boy picking berries transforms into a squirrel and encounters a starving fox, gaining new understanding of nature's harsh realities through their shared moment.

Story·Evelyn Mealer, age 9 — A gymnast who loses her love for the sport after her favorite coach retires discovers she's a talented runner and makes it to the Olympic trials.

Poetry·Lucy Rados, age 13 — A beat trapped in the speaker's head both torments and defines them, pulling them through life's extremes while shaping their identity.

Personal Narrative·Augusta Koch-Cochrane, age 12 — A nervous rider at a Halloween Horse Show discovers that personal accomplishment and encouraging others matters more than winning first place.

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.'

Poetry·Lily Kasius, age 10 — A poem guides readers through a forest meditation where soil grasps, moss chains, and nature's spirits reveal themselves through sensory immersion.

Poetry·Grace Zhuang, age 6 — A lotus flower announces summer's arrival through flying petals, not knowing she herself embodies the season she proclaims.

Poetry·Brooke Callan, age 10 — A speaker trapped beneath a blue night sky refuses to wait for morning and instead chooses to bring in the sun themselves.

Poetry·Grace Zhuang, age 6 — A delphinium searches for spring, not realizing she herself embodies spring's arrival in this brief poem about self-recognition and seasonal awakening.

Personal Narrative·Kelly Chan, age 11 — During a science class discussion, Kelly's fear of speaking up becomes overwhelming when asked to explain her answer about a frozen water bottle.