Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

I (Stephanie) have been feeling creatively stuck recently, and I’ve realized that this is in large part because I’ve been looking at creating the same way I look at a lot of life: as work. That’s no fun! So, Rooks, let’s play. Let’s create something today that we would have loved when we were little. My mom always talks about how obsessed with Peter Pan—particularly the pirates—I was when I was four. What were your obsessions as a wee one? Any particular stories or shows that you couldn’t get enough of? Write a sequel or make a comic version! Did you love a particular toy or stuffed animal? Send it on a fictional adventure! Especially if you’ve parted with it, imagine where it might be now. Did you love fireflies, dinosaurs, trucks, rockets? Those are all poems, collages, drawings, and stories waiting to happen. Let your inner kid out and make something for them, tell them the story they always wanted to hear. And then please send it to us along with your first name, last initial, age, and city/state to [email protected] with the subject line “Creative Prompt” by Monday, July 4, at 6 PM EST.

Last week’s Creative Prompt was to write a poem by taking notes about the world around you. Here’s some of the beauty you captured: