the passage of time

Story·Emily Taylor, age 11 — Two girls discover a hidden stamp collection from 1943 in the woods, track down its elderly owner, and learn why he hid it during World War II.

Poetry·Danny Musher, age 11 — A pond at dusk becomes a cradle of stillness as autumn winds rustle reeds, rushes peer at their reflections, and night settles like a soft blanket.

Story·Mandana Nakhai, age 11 — Twin siblings reminisce on their last night at a summer lake house, discovering through shared memories that their 'boring' summer was actually filled with adventures.

Story·Alex Mifflin, age 12 — A 12-year-old recounts his family's devastating car crash in Australia, his role as the only uninjured member, and their long recovery together.

Story·Vanessa Coakley, age 12 — A grandmother tells her granddaughter about getting lost in a blizzard while buying a Christmas gift, finding shelter in their own barn, and mysteriously recovering the lost watch.

Story·Jessica Libor, age 13 — A girl falls from a tree house in 1949 and awakens from a seventeen-year coma to find her family aged, her best friend married to her brother, and the boy...

Story·Alexandra Orczyk, age 12 — A girl loses her childhood best friend when their families take opposite sides during the American Revolution's Stamp Act crisis, their final parting at a harbor as he sails away.

Poetry·Sam Brandis-Dann, age 11 — A prose poem traces summer wind through sensory moments — sweet taste, ruffled hair, fireflies — until winter arrives and only memory remains.

Story·Katie Russell — A girl recalls her baseball-playing brother who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.

Story·Teresa Cotsirilos, age 13 — A girl recalls her baseball-obsessed childhood with her older brother Sammy, who returns from WWII as a ghost of himself, until their shared baseball finally breaks his silence.