the power of imagination

Poetry·Nova Macknik-Conde — A cascade of philosophical questions triggered by Turner's painting 'The Banks of the Loire' spirals from consciousness to existence itself, returning to the painting's contemplative figure.

Poetry·Cordelia S.R. Woodard — A tiny owl hatches in the night, believing its hollow is the entire world, while darkness overtakes the bright sky.

Story·Aaron Bogner — An alien boy playing hide-and-seek accidentally gets sealed in a delivery box and shipped across his massive city before being discovered and returned home.

Poetry·Laylah Burstein — A dancer encounters a whale's ancient wisdom through a wood knot that transforms in rain and streetlight, their movements becoming shared music.

Poetry·Luka Simpson-Khan — A witch narrates her daily routine of potion-making, mushroom hunting, fortune-telling, and mirror-breaking, all told with playful rhyming couplets.

Personal Narrative·Kathleen Werth — A meditation on how the sun's dangerous beauty contrasts with the moon's honest imperfections, questioning what nature teaches us about perception and need.

Poetry·Enni Harlan — A child transforms a piano practice session into an imaginary train journey, packing vintage hats from a decorated hatbox while Hanon exercises repeat downstairs.

Poetry·Enni Harlan — A girl brings a curtain rod to school as a cane after injuring her foot, transforming recess into an imaginary voyage across seas, inspiring her friend to seek the same...

Poetry·Emma Hoff, age 9 — Two ekphrastic poems respond to paintings: one explores faceless figures and their mysteries, the other imagines a giantess holding sheep above the earth.

Poetry·Emma Hoff, age 9 — A child describes the frozen world inside a Henri Rousseau painting where a tiger sits tamed, a man holds blank paper, and nothing moves or grows despite appearing alive.