Archives for October 12, 2019

Snowflake Hiding in Blues by Hannah Parker, 13 (South Burlington, VT) illustrating “Northern Night” by Poppy Lowenthal Walsh, 12 (Minneapolis, MN)                                                                                             A note from Sarah Ainsworth I recently subscribed to a poem-a-day newsletter, and it has changed my mornings for the better. I like how the poem delivered to my inbox each a.m. gives me a moment every day to slow down, think about something in a new way, and carve out time for reading for the sake of enjoyment. For a long time, I’ve felt like I’ve been stuck in a poetry rut—reading only the poets I know and like. This newsletter has provided me with a new poet every day, some from poets I’ve heard of, but many that I hadn’t. I don’t always like the poems, but it exposes me to writing I wouldn’t have otherwise found, and it can be helpful to take the time to discover what you do and don’t like. Would you be interested in a similar newsletter from Stone Soup dedicated to poetry? Let us know! I encourage you to take the time today to scroll down and read Poppy’s poem “Northern Night,” which is published in full down below, with a striking accompanying photo from Hannah Parker. Concentrating your energies fully on a poem, even just for a minute, feels like a nice change of pace from what sometimes feels like an increasingly frantic world. Happy weekend, Contest, Partnership, & Project News We’ll soon be announcing an exciting contest in partnership with another writing organization—stay tuned! Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Former Contributor Abby Sewell On Monday we published another Former Contributor Interview, this time with Abby Sewell. Abby wrote the story “On the Headland,” from our March/April 1996 issue, which is also featured in our Friendship Stories anthology. Abby now works as a journalist in Beirut, Lebanon, and she reflects on how she has shifted her focus from when she got her start in Stone Soup. Young Blogger Lucinda Chu What are your methods for studying for a test? Our young blogger Lucinda Chu gives you some suggestions in a blog post from this week. Lucinda emphasizes the need to practice moderation in studying—or in other words, space out your study sessions into smaller portions. Also, don’t forget the importance of sleep! From Stone Soup, October 2019 Snowflake Hiding in Blues Northern Night By Poppy Lowenthal Walsh, 12 (Minneapolis, MN) Illustrated by Hannah Parker, 13 (South Burlington, VT) Flashlight light draws two silhouettes walking side by side. As the canvas of this heavy darkness turns to this silent night tonight I gaze into the sky’s sweet face sprinkled with freckles of stars. The crickets sing and spread their wings. Whose song, they ask, is most true? It’s true when the day fades there’s a special way that the sky is the brightest blue. Our Fall Fundraiser, 2019: The Refugee Project We are raising funds to support the production and publication of creative work by children in refugee camps around the world. We have almost reached our preliminary target of $5,000 to support a special issue of Stone Soup and associated projects—and we want to keep going! You have already helped us fund workshops in the Za’atari camp, Lebanon, and put us in touch with other organizations we can work with to expand our efforts. Please help us raise the money to continue this work. You can read more about this initiative at our website and help us by sharing the link with others. Thank you. Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498. Stone Soup’s Advisors: Abby Austin, Mike Axelrod, Annabelle Baird, Jem Burch, Evelyn Chen, Juliet Fraser, Zoe Hall, Montanna Harling, Alicia & Joe Havilland, Lara Katz, Rebecca Kilroy, Christine Leishman, Julie Minnis, Jessica Opolko, Tara Prakash, Denise Prata, Logan Roberts, Emily Tarco, Rebecca Ramos Velasquez, Susan Wilky.