Somewhere in China, a bat had a virus. That is how it started, a virus no one had seen before. It was a coronavirus. The bat passed the virus on to a person, who passed it on to other people in Wuhan, before they even knew they were sick. Now, the whole of Asia has it, as does Europe, and the United States. I live in Maryland, which has 43 cases today. If you think of doubling numbers on a calculator starting with the number 2, how quickly the numbers grow, that is what it’s like. That is how quickly the virus can spread. And because this virus has such a high death rate, especially for older or sicker people, the whole US has shut down most schools. The coronavirus affects the world economy: money isn’t made, stock markets go down. Parents worry. They call it “social isolation” and “flattening of the curve” to make sure that virus transmission slows down. This is to help hospitals handle the numbers of sick patients better. But those terms are not what this feels like. Washing your hands until your skin cracks and bleeds, wearing masks, elbow bumps instead of handshakes. I’ve never been part of a pandemic this bad, this scary. Such a small substance that we can’t even see causes our world to crumble. We haven’t been quarantined yet… but we are learning at home. It is scary to think that you aren’t in school because a virus going around could kill you. It makes my heart break, knowing why we are not in school. But maybe there is a golden lining. Maybe, since people aren’t traveling and we are all staying home, we can slow down pollution and global warming, and help the Earth. Maybe people will see the good in this way of life. Maybe a quieter, calmer way of life can bring people together more. I will hope for this. Sofie Dardzinski, 9 Potomac, MD
Archives for March 20, 2020
Book-Writing Contest 2020
Get your book published by Stone Soup! Stone Soup is thrilled to announce that we are accepting submissions for a book contest. The winning manuscript will be published by Stone Soup as a standalone book (see the other awards below!). For prose submissions, the minimum length is 20,000 words. For poetry submissions, the minimum length is 40 pages. There is no maximum word or page limit. As always, we have no preference in terms of genre, topic, or form: you can submit a manuscript of poems or short stories, a novel or a memoir. We are simply looking for excellent, innovative, unusual, powerful writing. You have the rest of spring and all of summer to work on your book. We can’t wait to read it! Contest Details Genre: We are reading in all genres. You can submit a collection of poems, a memoir, a short story collection, a collection of personal narratives, a novel, a graphic novel… you name it! Length: For prose (fiction or memoir) submissions, the minimum length is 20,000 words. For poetry submissions, the minimum length is 40 pages. There is no maximum word or page limit. Age Limit: For this contest, we will accept manuscripts written by those age 14 or under. Deadline: Monday August 10, 2020 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time). Entry fee: $15.00 Multiple Submissions are accepted but you must submit each as an individual entry and pay the fee each time. Results and Prizes: We will select one winning manuscript to be published in 2021 and distributed by Stone Soup in both print and ebook forms, available for sale on Amazon, in the Stone Soup store, via our distributors, and advertised along with the rest of our books to libraries and other vendors. We will also name a handful of finalists. Publication: We will consider all work submitted as part of the contest for potential publication in the Magazine or as standalone volumes, if our budget allows. Submissions: All entries must be sent to us before the closing date via our Submittable portal, here.
