Wild Lilacs - Winner of the Spring 2025 Writing Contest
As we celebrate the winning piece, Wild Lilacs, we want to take a moment to thank every writer who submitted their work to our first-ever Essay Contest. The heartfelt narratives we received were raw, powerful, and profoundly human—a testament to the resilience and deeply personal journeys so many have experienced. Reading them was an emotional experience beyond words. Let’s just say I went through more tissues than I can count.
Your stories remind us of the power of writing— to reflect and to connect us through shared experiences. Thank you for trusting us with your words.
We invite you to read Wild Lilacs, our winning piece, and immerse yourself in a story that captures the essence of transformation through the lens of spring.
Wild Lilacs
by Bibiana Krall
The uncut forest surrounded me, rich with the scent of earth and damp leaves, burrowing into my blood and bone. The wild lilacs by the barn, delicate and fragrant, sang a different note—yet both stirred something deep within, a quiet renewal. In the open space of nature, I felt free, yet inside our home, it was a different story. I wasn’t born to be a nameless worker bee in a hive, but as the third eldest, life with my seven siblings often felt that way.
Before I left home for good and moved to the Deep South, my formative years were spent on a Michigan farm, tangled in the rhythms of an enormous family. We were connected—to each other, to the land, to the unseen pulse of the seasons. It was immersive, powerful.
Winter came with stealth. The endless cornfields lay fallow, appearing lifeless—gray, colorless, oppressive. The cloying scent of decay clung to the soles of my boots, yet even in its death, the earth whispered a quiet promise: the cycle will continue.