the power of imagination

Story·Tatum Lovely, age 12 — A perfect little girl meets her imaginative neighbor who takes her on a magical journey through a silver door to a Second World of castles, lollipop gardens, and rainbow-chasing ships.

Poetry·Analise Braddock, age 10 — A young poet explores cosmic scale through parallel structures, contrasting the singular (one mind, one world) with the multiple (thousand eyes, thousand hearts).

Story·Maayan Mardiks-Rappaport, age 10 — A child sits alone in a forest clearing, imagining mushrooms whispering comfort, then floats with a friend to an imaginary world of happiness surrounded by nature.

Story·Ellen Wu, age 7 — A child chasing fireflies discovers a magical tree hollow that transports her to space, where she collects gold to help her friend who fears darkness.

Poetry·Emily Yen, age 11 — A young writer captures the moment of creative paralysis before inspiration strikes, celebrating words as 'lines of grace' that bring thought to life.

Poetry·Eva Denne, age 9 — A young poet imagines a circus where clowns juggle cookies, lions jump through donuts, and magic makes everything disappear.

Story·Eileen Yoo, age 12 — A girl follows a mysterious fox with blue eyes through the forest at midnight to discover a magical meadow where animals can communicate.

Personal Narrative·Anusha Ranjan, age 7 — A malfunctioning air conditioner drips water into bowls and buckets, inspiring a child to create paper boats, invent ocean adventures, and sing along with the dripping sounds.

Poetry·Brooke Callan, age 10 — A reader transforms into knights, princesses, and trolls while reading beneath a summer tree, until sleep overtakes imagination.

Story·Scarlet He, age 10 — A child races through a darkening Ontario forest, heart pounding with fear, until their sister jumps out playing peekaboo and the world returns to normal.