A sense of belonging

Whether or not influenced by the abrupt and widespread isolation people around the globe experienced during the pandemic over the past year, the first-place winners of this year's Palo Alto Weekly Short Story Contest all submitted pieces that examine the need for people to feel connected to the world around them.

Each of the writers draws upon their personal experiences and those of people around them to weave together stories that uncover the things around us — people, nature and objects — that provide comfort and meaning in our lives.

From the two siblings accustomed to bouncing from home to home who finally find a sense of belonging when a colony of bees nest outside their bedroom to the socially ackward high school loners who form unexpected friendships after an otherwordly conductor hijacks their train to the close-knit group of friends who must learn how to move forward following the untimely death of one of their own, each story sheds light on the unconventional bonds people can forge in unlikely places during unexpected moments.

The Palo Alto Weekly thanks all of the writers who submitted stories for this year's contest; the judges for the Adult and Young Adult categories, Tom Parker, Meg Waite Clayton and Debbie Duncan; and the Teen category judges Caryn Huberman Yacowitz, Marjorie Sayer and Nancy Etchemendy.

Lastly, the Weekly extends its gratitude to the contest co-sponsors, Bell's Books of Palo Alto, Kepler's Books of Menlo Park and Linden Tree Children's Books of Los Altos.