Our November 2024 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #310 (provided by Stone Soup students Sage Millen, Meleah Goldman, and Emma Hoff), which asked that participants write a short story, poem, or create an artwork that tells a fairytale from the perspective of a secondary character As always, thank you to all who participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “The Wolf’s Side of the Story” by Isabella Fu, 13 “The Diary of Mrs Fitzgerald, Cinderella’s Stepmother” by Keziah Khoo, 11 “The Seven Dwarfs and Snow White” by Arshia, 15 “Home of Nature” by Shixi Wu, 8 “The White Rabbit’s New Life” by Tang Li, 12 Honorable Mentions “Little Red Riding Snack” by Lucia Tang, 12 “Through the Wolf’s Eyes” by Ethan Chen, 13 “True Tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff” by Lydia Chen, 10 “Little Red Riding Hood: Wolf’s Plan” by Nidhi Gudigantala, 11 “Snow White” by Minakshi (Mina) Codyraman, 12 “A Candle’s Point Of View” by Silvia Anita Visoiu, 10 “The Doe and Baby Bear” by Jiya Parekh, 10 The Wolf’s Side of the Story ISABELLA FU, 13 It’s a chilly morning in the forest. The birds nestle up together in the shadows of the trees. The squirrels tuck away in the tree hollows, their tails shielding them from the cold. Meanwhile, us big ones don’t get any warmth, no matter how much we call. We’re silenced. Expected to thrive off of a few prey. Categorized as big, bad, and cunning meanies. All when we wolves are simply trying to live, just like the others. But I know I can’t just stay in one spot. I have to get moving. Hunger gnaws at me as I wander the woods. I desperately need somewhere to stay and something to eat. After a long while, I stumble upon a little pig’s house made of straw. When I catch sight of a welcoming fire burning inside, hope flickers in my chest. I knock gently. “Please,” I beg. “I’m cold, and I haven’t eaten in days. Could you spare a place by your fire?” After a few seconds, the door creaks open, just enough for the pig’s snout to peek through. He narrows his eyes. “You must be lying,” he says with a sneer. “I’m no fool. So just stop already, you scary wolf!” Suddenly, a gust of wind rushes through the air, carrying dust from the straw to my nose. I sneeze, causing the walls to immediately collapse and the fire to die away. The pig squeals and bolts, leaving me with the wreckage at my feet. Guilt forms up inside me, and it outweighs my hunger. I decide to follow the pig’s tracks and do my best to apologize. To my surprise, the path leads to another pig’s house built of sticks. It’s eerily getting darker, so I try speaking again to hopefully find a place to stay for the night. “Please,” I say, my voice hoarse. “I don’t mean harm. I just need rest.” The second pig appears in his doorway, looking me up and down. “Sorry, but I can’t trust you. My brother told me everything. Everyone knows what wolves are like.” He shuts his door before I get the chance to say otherwise. Then, another sneeze overtakes me. I can’t resist; the smell of the sticks is too strong. The sticks topple to the ground and the pig runs off, screaming. I follow him, yearning for sympathy. By the time I arrive at the third pig’s house, I’m practically hopeless. If snow starts to fall soon, I’d be doomed. The house is made of bricks, sturdy and well-constructed. Maybe here, someone would listen. I needed someone to listen. “Please,” I beg, scratching at the door. “I’m not the monster you think I am. I just need help!” The third pig laughs from inside. “Go on formulating your little schemes. My house is so robust, I literally have trouble hearing you right now.” I huff—not in anger, but in frustration, trying to explain myself. The pigs had falsely assumed my intentions. Their laughter rang from the safety of the bricks, and I knew by that point I was alone. Every single animal was cozied up in a loving home, while I appeared as an enigmatic outcast. Us wolves are always portrayed as evil creatures. Not a single story casts us as heroes. Not one. They say I’m the big, bad wolf, but they never asked who I really was. If they had, they might have seen the truth. I was just a creature in need of a little to eat, while being indicated as an intimidating predator. I was just a creature in need of warmth, while being described as a deliberate destroyer of many homes. I was just a creature in need, while being depicted as a malevolent monster in their tale. I was just a creature in need. The Diary of Mrs Fitzgerald, Cinderella’s Stepmother KEZIAH KHOO, 11 13 January 1852, 6 pm. That Cinderella forgot to dust under the cabinet again. I already warned that scatterbrained lass not to forget, but she is simply indolent. I have done so much for her, taking her into this grand mansion, giving her the charity of two small meals a day and a straw bed. And yet she is too kind— so kind she makes Charmaine and Gertrude, my two dear daughters, seem dreadfully unkind as a result, though they only punish her if she forgets to do something on the six-yard list of chores, or touch their things. She also dresses too fancy. She wears a good, serviceable grey dress with only thirteen large patches — to think she had the nerve to ask me for a new one yesterday— and a pinafore. Why, if I were her— though of course I would never be so dreadfully indolent— I would be contented with a shabby frock.
Stone Soup Monthly Flash Contest & Winners’ Roll
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 and should be under 1,500 words. Up to five winners are chosen for publication on our blog. The winners, along with up to five honorable mentions, are announced on the blog. Submit via our Submittable site. The Weekly Creativity prompts are intended to help you “break the ice” and start writing. The prompts, all written by students, just like you. The prompts are different from each other. Each prompt makes challenges you think, to be creative. You might note a few different ways you can approach the prompt. As a rule, we advise skipping the way that seems easy or obvious. Always give some thought to the point-of-view you are taking. Who is the observer? Are you writing from the “first person” perspective, through the eyes of your character? Are you the “omniscient” narrator who sees all and knows all? If you are writing a prompt every week, then think about changing your points of view from week-to-week. Every contest has its own winners’ page, where you can read all the winning entries for the month. We are currently working on the winner’s page, but we will announce this new page when we announce the October winners in the following month! We are proud of everyone who takes part in the contest. Thank you for trusting us with your work! Good luck! Flash Contest #69, November 2024: Write a short story, poem, or create an artwork that tells a fairytale from the perspective of a secondary character—Our Winners and Their Work Our November 2024 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #310 (provided by Stone Soup students Sage Millen, Meleah Goldman, and Emma Hoff), which asked that participants write a short story, poem, or create an artwork that tells a fairytale from the perspective of a secondary character As always, thank you to all who participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “The Wolf’s Side of the Story” by Isabella Fu, 13 “The Diary of Mrs Fitzgerald, Cinderella’s Stepmother” by Keziah Khoo, 11 “The Seven Dwarfs and Snow White” by Arshia, 15 “Home of Nature” by Shixi Wu, 8 “The White Rabbit’s New Life” by Tang Li, 12 Honorable Mentions “Little Red Riding Snack” by Lucia Tang, 12 “Through the Wolf’s Eyes” by Ethan Chen, 13 “True Tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff” by Lydia Chen, 10 “Little Red Riding Hood: Wolf’s Plan” by Nidhi Gudigantala, 11 “Snow White” by Minakshi (Mina) Codyraman, 12 “A Candle’s Point Of View” by Silvia Anita Visoiu, 10 “The Doe and Baby Bear” by Jiya Parekh, 10 The Wolf’s Side of the Story ISABELLA FU, 13 It’s a chilly morning in the forest. The birds nestle up together in the shadows of the trees. The squirrels tuck away in the tree hollows, their tails shielding them from the cold. Meanwhile, us big ones don’t get any warmth, no matter how much we call. We’re silenced. Expected …Read More Flash Contest #68, October 2024: Write a Short Story About the Life Cycle of a Pumpkin, Write a Haiku About Any Kind of Fall Weather, or Make an Art Piece Inspired by Fall Leaves—Our Winners and Their Work Our October 2024 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #309 (provided by Stone Soup students Sage Millen, Meleah Goldman, and Emma Hoff), which asked that participants write a short story about the life cycle of a pumpkin, write a Haiku about any kind of fall weather, or make an art piece inspired by fall leaves. As always, thank you to all who participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “Dark Skies” by Nathan Qu, 12 “Veiled Haze” by Gavin Liu, 14 “Somewhere Out There” by Isla Reuter, 11 “A mythical Red Maple Leaf” by Arwen Gamez, 15 “Autumn Love” by Anwita Lingireddy, 9 Honorable Mentions “Life of a Pumpkin” by Chinedum Obiora, 11 “The Journey of the Pumpkin” by Mirei Okita, 11 “XOXO Fall” by Priscilla Chow, 11 “Happy Leaves; Happy Fall” by Aubree Dong, 11 “Autumn Spectacle” by Neeti Kulkarni, 10 Dark Skies NATHAN QU, 12 Gray cloudlets pass through Autumn, darkest time of year Depressed skies weep rain Veiled Haze GAVIN LIU, 14 the world wakes cold and peers through a window – blinded by blanketing fog Somewhere Out There ISLA REUTER, 11 A hard shell surrounds me, keeping me safe from the damp, cold earth outside. I’m not ready to come out yet. I know it’s not my time. Suddenly, I feel a vibration above, a steady rhythm. Drip, drip, drip. The rains have come. The fresh, sweet …Read More Flash Contest #67, May 2024: Write a story based on one of your favorite songs—our winners and their work Our May 2024 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #304 (provided by Stone Soup intern Sage Millen), which asked that participants write a story based on one of their favorite songs. Musical inspirations included Shawn Mendes, Ruth B., LL COOL J, and Brandi Carlisle. Characters faced 200 ft demons, made new friends, and attended incredible concerts. In one submission, a case of mistaken identity even led to an arrest! As always, thank you to all who participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “I Can Tell That We are Gonna Be Friends” by Sejal Arora-Patel, 10 “Child Psychology” by Sarah Hu, 12 “Fallout” by Gargi Mondal, 12 “Talking to the Moon” by Dora You, 11 “Oh Klahoma” by Melody You, 13 Honorable Mentions “Older” by Meera Amin, 13 “The Dandelion Wish” by Brielle Barlow, 12
Your Saturday Newsletter: June 1, 2024
Spoons (pen and watercolor) by John Gabriel Sperl, 11; published in the May/June 2024 issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello, Stone Soup readers! As many of you know, Conner and I both teach English to undergraduates at Xavier University in Cincinnati. Our semester ended in early May, and while, yes, we have been relaxing a bit, enjoying spending more time outside—running, hiking, and exploring various parks with our kids—we were both extremely excited to have some extra time for… more work! But work of a different kind: our various personal writing projects. It’s often difficult to know how to classify creative work—though it often feels like play, it can look an awful lot like work, and though it can look like play once it’s on the page, it often feels like work in the process. That said, the less time I have (and we do not currently have much time in this phase of our lives!), the more I value the time I am able to devote to my creative work—and the better I become at using that time effectively. I hope many of you will take your summer break not only to rest and recharge but also to devote yourself to your own personal work—whether that’s poetry or painting, songwriting or dancing, or everything in between. To help facilitate this creative work-play, you might consider signing up for a summer camp with Society of Young Inklings. There is something for everyone—filmmaking, playwriting, novel writing, short fiction, poetry writing, literary editing, writing memoir, and more. These classes are filled with such fun, enthusiastic, smart, creative kids excited to make and discuss art—I love teaching them and hope to meet some of you there. Spaces are limited, so be sure to sign up soon! I also have other news to share with you: a few weeks ago, I let you know that the annual book contest was being delayed. I regret to inform you that we have decided not to hold the contest this year; we are taking the year off so that we can reevaluate and improve the experience for young writers. Nurturing young writers through the book contest has been such a rewarding part of Stone Soup for all of us on the team, and we look forward to bringing the contest back stronger than ever next year. As we dive into this summer of creativity, I’m excited to see the incredible stories, plays, poems, and films that you all produce. Thank you for being part of the Stone Soup community, and here’s to a summer filled with inspiration and storytelling! Warmly, Executive Director, Stone Soup Explore our summer camps Playwriting June 17–20; 9–11 am PT The goal of this course led by Conner Bassett is to produce one 10-minute play. To help you do this, we will approach playwriting as a form of craft—grounded in dialogue, character, voice, setting, tone, conflict, action, and plot structure. This workshop will also emphasize a play’s arc: its beginning, turning point, and ending. Reality Hunger: An Introduction to Memoir June 24–27; 9–11 am PT In this class, led by Emma Wood, Executive Director of Stone Soup, we will read and write memoir and personal essays—in short form. We will consider how they work, ask questions about the ethical aspects of writing nonfiction (What if my mom reads it? What if I hurt someone’s feelings? What if my memory is “wrong”?), and—most importantly—experiment in the form with daily in-class writing prompts, sharing our work in a supportive, fun community. Literature in Miniature: A Study of Micro Fiction & Prose Poetry June 24–27; 1–3 pm PT Sometimes, the biggest ideas are best expressed in the tiniest of forms. In this workshop taught by former Stone Soup Blog Editor Caleb Berg, you will learn to condense your horizons into a style of writing perfected by writers like Lydia Davis, Daniil Kharms, Gertrude Stein, and many others. You will write multiple discrete pieces per day and finish the class with enough writing to fill up a chapbook. Intro to Poetry: The Image and the Line July 22–25; 9–11 am PT Emma Wood will also teach a class on poetry. Immerse yourself in what a poem is and what it can do. Students will write their own poetry, shaking themselves out of established modes of thinking. Filmmaking as Dialogue August 5–9; 9–11 am PT In this class taught by filmmaker Isidore Bethel, we’ll use the camera to facilitate and enrich our interactions with others – friends, family, animals, plants, and the world around us. Writing texts with a partner, recording and sharing short videos, and interpreting their meanings aloud will be starting points for developing individual and collaborative approaches to filmmaking. Editing and Revising Fiction August 5–9; 1–3 pm PT In this class taught by Stone Soup Editor in Chief Diane Landolf, you’ll learn how to think like an editor and make your stories the best they can be. We’ll discuss first paragraphs, character development, dialogue, story arc, and what makes a great sentence. Click here to peruse the entire selection of camps available; our friends at Society of Young Inklings are teaching a variety of additional courses, and more courses will be announced soon! 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.
