From the section of our blog devoted to writing inspired by COVID-19 Mika Sarkar Omachi, 12 San Francisco, CA Life Now – A digital artwork Artist’s Note: This digital art is a human-shaped fishbowl. Fishbowls are like a cage because the fish can’t go anywhere, but they also protect the fish by keeping them in water. This is like shelter-in-place because we are all separated from each other, but also we are always at home where we can be observed like fish in a fishbowl. About the Stone Soup Blog We publish original work—writing, art, book reviews, and multimedia projects—by young people on the Stone Soup Blog. When the pandemic began, we got so much incredible writing about the experience of living through the lockdowns that we created a special category for it! You can read more posts by young bloggers, and find out more about submitting a blog post, here: https:// stonesoup.com/stone-soup-blog/.
Highlights from StoneSoup.com
Highlights from Stonesoup.com
From the Stone Soup Blog Book Review: How to Sharpen Pencils by David Rees Brais Macknik-Conde, 11 Brooklyn NY How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical & Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening for Writers, Artists, Contractors, Flange Turners, Anglesmiths, & Civil Servants by David Rees, is a gold mine for anyone wishing to sharpen a pencil. David Rees is a celebrated cartoonist, television host, writer, and artist. From listing the essential supplies for pencil sharpening (at a reasonable $1,000!) to describing the anatomy of a pencil, to explaining how to preserve a freshly sharpened tip, this manual has it all. This truly is the ultimate guide to pencil sharpening. Rees’s guide walks the reader through different sharpening styles and how they may apply to different styles of people and professions. One of my favorite sections describes how to sharpen a pencil with a pocketknife. For example, he recommends producing a steep-angled pencil tip for people with heavy hands, as this will make it harder to break the tip off. He also advises exposing a lot of the graphite in pencils for artists, as this will make for a light sketch that can be easily erased. Rees’s love of manual pencil sharpening is only surpassed by his hatred of electric pencil sharpening and mechanical pencils. Here is one hint: Rees’s feelings about electric pencil sharpeners involve the use of mallets. Without giving away all of this guide’s secrets, I must mention Rees’s most prized pencil-sharpening possession: an El Casco M430-CN. Created by a company that once made firearms, this double-burr hand-cranked machine, Rees declares, is the best pencil sharpener on Earth. I enjoyed reading Rees’s tongue-in-check manual not just for its jokes and wisecracks, but also for its factual information, and even its lifestyle recommendations. By reading this book, I have learned the proper hand-stretching exercises to do before long pencil-sharpening sessions, that a correctly sharpened pencil is an object of beauty, and that mechanical pencils make for good firewood. This book is where I will always look to for pencil-sharpening guidance and inspiration, and it is where you should too. About the Stone Soup Flash Contests On the Stone Soup Blog, we publish original work—writing, art, book reviews, multimedia projects, and more—by young people. You can read more posts by young bloggers, and find out more about submitting a blog post, here: https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-blog/.
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From the Stone Soup Flash Contests Weekly Creativity #147 | Flash Contest #30: Visit the same place—precisely the same location—multiple times a day, or at the same time every day for a week. Document what you see through photography, other art forms, or writing. An excerpt from “Observing My Backyard” Rishan Chakraborty, 11 Portland, OR 4:00 p.m. 4/5/2021 On the second floor of the southeastern part of my house, my work room provides a spectacular view of our backyard. Right outside my window, which faces east, a noble fir with peculiar blue-green needles is located. When I was little, I thought that a Christmas tree with needles the same color would look amazing. However, I realize now that cutting the tree down would be a shame. All of the trees rock in the wind, but the noble fir is steadfast. When it does move, it moves gently, and sometimes it almost seems like it is breathing. 4:00 p.m. 4/6/2021 On the opposite side of the noble fir, a large, shaggy curly willow resides. When I was younger, my brother and I would grab one of the many dangling branches and run, pretending we were swinging from vines like Tarzan. Earlier, the branches were bare and speckled with tiny curly leaves. Now, there are hundreds of leaves on the tree, and the shape of its branches gives it the appearance of possessing bright green hair. 4:00 p.m. 4/7/2021 In our backyard, we have an old, tattered play structure. As a young child, it was one of my favorite places to hang out. Imagination would turn it into a spaceship, a boat, an airplane, and even a temple. In the summer, we would invite neighborhood kids to play with water guns, and the play structure could be used as a fort offering a vantage point, or somewhere to escape if you were under attack. Now, the slides are dirty, the swings rickety, the tarp missing one half, but I still cherish the fond memories associated with it. 4:00 p.m. 4/8/2021 A bird comes along, its purpose undefined. Very likely it came looking for food. The question remains unanswered. I did some research and discovered that it was probably an American robin, which is known to search for insects on the ground, hopping around in the process. I have keenly observed birds in my backyard too, such as a hummingbird, which flits around looking for its food. Spring is here, and as the days grow longer, more and more birds will start showing up, almost as if they are making the backyard come alive. About the Stone Soup Flash Contests Stone Soup holds a flash contest during the first week of every month. The month’s first Weekly Creativity prompt provides the contest challenge. Submissions are due by midnight on Sunday of the same week. Up to five winners are chosen for publication on our blog. The winners, along with up to five honorable mentions, are announced in the following Saturday newsletter. Find all the details at Stonesoup.com/post/stone-soup-monthly-flash-contest-winners-roll/.
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From the Flash Contests Weekly Creativity #142 | Flash Contest #29, March 2021 Write a story set somewhere you’ve never been. It could be set in outer space, Antarctica, or even an alternate reality! An excerpt from Frank in the Galaxy Kimberley Hu, 8 Lake Oswego, OR Chapter 1: Frank Got in Trouble Frank was taking a walk around in the stained neighborhood (no idea why it was called that). Frank was so busy thinking about why the stained neighborhood was called the stained neighborhood that he accidentally bumped into the very fragile, most famous, awarded, and worshipped statue in all of the Jobbs Planet. The statue of Frank Jobbie, Frank thought. Then Frank realized that he didn’t really care about the statue of Frank Jobbie. What was he thinking?! Frank turned and saw a big crack in the statue of Frank Jobbie, or, as Frank liked to call it instead of saying “the statue of Frank Jobbie” so many times, TEE-ESS-OH-EF-JAY. That’s just how you pronounce it. I mean, how you pronounce the letters. So, it would be TSOFJ, right? See, say TEE. What letter does that sound like? Yes, it sounds like the letter T. Now you get it. Oh, no, no, no. Oops—not AGAIN, Frank thought very worriedly. Frank had already broken TSOFJ once three years ago on accident because Frank’s spirit was strong. Frank was big and his hands were big, as were his feet, arms, legs, and just entire body. Except . . . his head. Well . . . it was SHORT. Frank’s head was SHORT. Luckily when Frank had broken TSOFJ, he had been forgiven and TSOFJ’s broken part had been rebuilt. But the builders said, if Frank ever broke TSOFJ again, he would not be forgiven. And this time was that time. Frank was very alarmed. Frank wanted to run away as fast as he could, but he knew he couldn’t. He had committed another crime. At least, breaking a part of TSOFJ was a crime. Frank stood still with his mouth open and his legs startling. Frank knew there were secret security cameras around TSOFJ to make sure nothing happened to TSOFJ. It was too late. The security cameras had seen Frank, and Frank had no other choice than to stay still and accept it. You can read the rest of Kimberley’s story on our website: stonesoup.com/contests/ About the Stone Soup Flash Contests Stone Soup holds a flash contest during the first week of every month. The month’s first Weekly Creativity prompt provides the contest challenge. Submissions are due by midnight on Sunday of the same week. Up to five winners are chosen for publication on our blog. The winners, along with up to five honorable mentions, are announced in the following Saturday newsletter. Find all the details in the Activities and Contests sections of our website.
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From Stone Soup Writing Workshop #17: Writing about Music The Writing Challenge Use any musical element—different instruments, arrangements, styles, and settings—to write about music. It could be about how music makes someone feel, or the story of someone involved in music, or anything else you think up. An excerpt from “My Brother Was the Bayou” Liam Hancock, 12 Danville, CA “I want to listen to the man tonight,” I said nonchalantly, leaning back in my rocking chair. I glanced over to Mama, who seemed a world away. With needles, and thread, and tablecloths strewn about tables. She sighed, her fingers artfully dancing around one another in a timeless ballet. Needle, thread, tablecloth. Tablecloth, needle, thread. “If Pops is in the mood,” she replied, her voice distant as the indigo sky spanned out about the swaying trees and warming bayou air. A small, wooden raft trundled by. “And it’s up to the man, Jackson, if he wants to play.” I shrugged, grabbing hold of our shambled roof and yanking myself to a stand, nodding in satisfaction as the rocking chair rolled back and slammed headlong into our small swamp cabin, sending the precarious boards shuddering in protest. I leapt down to the muddy banks, swatting away an assault of mosquitoes. “He plays when I want him to,” I pressed, the brown-greenish sheen of river water and soppy dirt seeping into my hunting boots. “And when I want to sleep, he stops.” I hesitated. “I think he likes me.” Mama took a pretty second to cast me a quizzical look. “That’s the most fine dandy and rediculous idea I’ve ever heard with these two ears.” She returned back to her knitting. “Pops should be nearby, maybe on Elkdead Island. Why don’t you take the skiff over?” I grinned. “I knew you’d come around!” I cried, leaping into our humble two-seater skiff and unknotting the rope in a supersonic leap. Pops’ favorite hunting stop was Elkdead Island, and on a good day, he’d return back to the cabin with a hunk of deer meat and some camouflage paint smudged over his nose that Mama would fuss over for the entirety of the dinner meal until he washed up. It wouldn’t take much too long to find him in the shallow sawgrass. The island didn’t offer much in the way of tree cover, naturally making the job of gator hunting much cleaner than on the other side of the river. I was out onto the river with a good shove of the arms and started on my way. Oars in, oars out. Oars in, oars out. And hope none of the gators are about. About the Stone Soup Writing Workshop The Stone Soup Writing Workshop began in March 2020 during the COVID-19-related school closures. In every session, a Stone Soup team member gives a short presentation, and then we all spend half an hour writing something inspired by the week’s topic or theme. We leave our sound on so we feel as though we are in a virtual café, writing together in companionable semi-silence! Then, participants are invited to read their work to the group and afterward submit what they wrote to a special writing workshop submissions category. Those submissions are published as part of the workshop report on our blog every week. You can read more workshop pieces, and find information on how to register and join the workshop, at https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-writing-workshop.
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From the Stone Soup Blog An excerpt from “A Day in the Life of a Sixth Grader” Lauren Minyoung Yoon, 11 Northbrook, IL 7:15 a.m. – When my alarm goes off, I always wonder if I could just throw it on the ground, then go back to sleep. Well, I can’t do that, actually, because my dad is my alarm and I would be in trouble trying to throw him to the ground. 7:15 is the worst part of the day. After the alarm goes off, the quiet, peaceful house starts to wake up: my dad yelling at us to wake up, my little sister screaming at me to give her her clothes (which I don’t have), my mom going through her makeup desk wondering which mascara she should put on, and me trying to find my favorite hoodie. 7:30 a.m – My hair is all sticky and oily, and my mom screams at me to take a quick shower. I know not to argue because if I do, I have to look sticky, smelly, ugly, and oily when I go to school. When I’m in the shower, I instantly regret it because it’s soooo cold. But you can’t just get out of shower when you’re already wet. So I just stay in there for five minutes and then get out and runnnn to my room for warmth. 7:45 a.m. – What you are probably imagining is a lovely and fancy breakfast full of warmth and happiness. Well, if that’s what you are thinking, you are wrong. My breakfast goes like this: my little sister complaining that she has way too much food, me arguing with my sister, my mom telling my sister to just eat, and my dad screaming at us to be quiet. That’s how my breakfast goes. About the Stone Soup Blog We publish original work—writing, art, book reviews, multimedia projects, and more—by young people on the Stone Soup Blog. You can read more posts by young bloggers, and find out more about submitting a blog post, at https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-blog.
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From Stone Soup Writing Workshop #29: Rhythm, Phrasing, and Cadence The Writing Challenge Choose one of these three approaches to your piece of writing: Short first sentence. Start in the middle with long-ranging sentences that may be held together with the glue of dashes. Don’t be overly concerned with perfect grammar on this first pass. Write in short sentences. Entirely or mostly. Dark and Light Lina Kim, 11 Weston, FL The dark was interrupted by a brilliant light Emitted by stars near the sea. The moon glowed ever so slightly in the night, And it seemed like the glow is for me. I see little white dots shining in the sky, Looking through the window in my room. A seagull swoops down near the waves and the tides, And leads a fish to its doom. The ocean, stars, seagull, and fish in the night Show all relations between dark and light. About the Stone Soup Writing Workshop The Stone Soup Writing Workshop began in March 2020 during the COVID-19-related school closures. In every session, a Stone Soup team member gives a short presentation, and then we all spend half an hour writing something inspired by the week’s topic or theme. We leave our sound on so we feel as though we are in a virtual café, writing together in companionable semi-silence! Then, participants are invited to read their work to the group and afterward submit what they wrote to a special writing workshop submissions category. Those submissions are published as part of the workshop report on our blog every week. You can read more workshop pieces, and find information on how to register and join the workshop, at https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-writing-workshop.
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From the Stone Soup Blog Loneliness Salma Hadi-St. John, 11 Oak Park, IL My friends are all gone My life has disappeared Into a new world of loneliness It is just my family and I Loneliness is like a tree in the desert The only cat in town A star stuck in space A speck of dust in the air Loneliness is when you are the only one At your birthday party When you sit on the steps of your porch On a dark rainy day It feels like I am trapped inside Waiting for people to come Watching the clock on the wall Scratching the door like a dog But sometimes you just have to fight Loneliness You can’t be alone everyday When I wake up today It is the start of a new day We can be a force together We just need to reach out for each other Feeling happiness again About the Stone Soup Blog We publish original work—writing, art, book reviews, and multimedia projects—by young people on the Stone Soup Blog. When the pandemic began, we got so much incredible writing about the experience of living through the lockdowns that we created a special category for it! You can read more posts by young bloggers, and find out more about submitting a blog post, here: https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-blog/.
Highlights from StoneSoup.com
FROM STONE SOUP WRITING WORKSHOP #28, ON WORD CHOICE 30-Minute Writing Challenge: Write a short story in five minutes; then spend the rest of the time cutting it down to its essentials to make a six-word story. The Near-Doom Incident Peri Gordon, 11 Sherman Oaks, CA Original We were hiking. I didn’t want to stroll. I stretched my legs and launched ahead of my parents, feet flying freely over the sandy trail. The foliage glittered around me like green and brown angels, but I paid no notice. I arrived at a place where a family was, positioned as if struggling to see something, but all I saw was rough, brown ground. They called for me to stop. My parents caught up. “Peri, they were taking a picture!” But no, they were not. The family pointed at a small, slithering thing snaking its way up the path. A rattlesnake. We showed our gratitude to the family that had saved me from doom, and we were on our way. No more running. Six word version Dashing ahead. Snake. Could’ve been doomed. About the Stone Soup Writing Workshop The Stone Soup weekly Writing Workshop began in March 2020 during the COVID- 19-related school closures. In every session, a Stone Soup team member gives a short presentation and then we all spend half an hour writing something inspired by the week’s topic or theme. We leave our sound on, so we feel as though we are in a virtual café, writing together in companionable semi-silence! Then, participants are invited to read their work to the group and afterward, submit what they wrote to a special Writing Workshop submissions category. Those submissions are published as part of the workshop report on our blog every week. You can read more workshop pieces, and find information on how to register and join the workshop, at https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-writing-workshop/.
