the power of imagination

Story·Annam Nayak, age 12 — A young man who can speak to birds is banished by his father after revealing an unwelcome prophecy, but returns years later wealthy and wise, fulfilling the birds' prediction.

Poetry·Rosemary Engelfried, age 13 — A Pacific Northwest autumn storm transforms Douglas firs and ocean cliffs into a world of fog, rain, and distant waves.

Story·Marian Homans-Turnbull, age 13 — A girl's last morning on a Nova Scotia island turns into a fog-bound adventure when their boat gets lost, leading to an unexpected sail on a schooner.

Poetry·Nicole Guenther, age 12 — A young poet confronts mortality by imagining flight beyond Earth's gravity, transforming the fear of nothingness into an invitation to soar through unnamed universes.

Poetry·Juliet B. Quaglia, age 10 — A child climbs a metaphorical ladder to sleep, ascending through expanding views from house to world, then drifting back down into dreams.

Story·Bethany Johnsen, age 13 — Two cousins play an elaborate game of orphan sisters surviving in the jungle, transforming a suburban yard into a world of tigers and adventure.

Story·Veronica Engler, age 13 — A girl visiting an island for the first time encounters the legendary Storm Dancer during a fierce storm and learns to dance with the ocean's rhythm.

Story·Sarah Jick, age 13 — A teenager planning to run away at dawn is discovered by her little sister, whose innocent love makes her reconsider and decide to stay.

Story·Emma Kilgore Hine, age 13 — A girl crafts a tiny boat from bark and wildflowers beside a New Mexican mountain stream, then releases it to drift away like a fairy ship.

Story·Charlie Patten, age 13 — Three friends meet to swim at night but Martin has a premonition dream where a sea creature attacks his friends, waking just as they arrive for real.