Magnolias at Midnight, Acrylic | Shaivi Moparthi, 11 (Sugarland, TX), published in Stone Soup January 2022 A note from Caleb Hello and happy second Saturday of 2022! In exactly two weeks’ time, we will be beginning our Winter 2022 session of Saturday classes. As was the case last session, our founder, William Rubel, will be teaching his writing workshop on Saturdays at 9:00 am Pacific, Conner Bassett will be teaching his writing workshop on Saturdays at 11:00 am Pacific, and Isidore Bethel will be teaching his introduction to short-form filmmaking class on Saturdays at 9:00 am Pacific. We are also excited to announce that Maya Mahony, an MFA student in fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, will be taking over Book Club in place of Laura Moran, who will be spending more time on the Stone Soup Refugee Project! Book Club will continue to take place the last Saturday of each month at 9:00 am Pacific. Both Avery DiBella’s stunning poem “The Moon” and Shaivi Moparthi’s breathtaking acrylic Magnolias at Midnight concern themselves with the moon’s magic. Every line in Avery’s poem begins with “The moon”; at the center of Shaivi’s painting is a bright, shining moon, and, at first glance, it would seem both works are concerned with singing its praises. But, there is a sense of foreboding at play, lurking beneath the surface. Take the fourth line of Avery’s poem: “The moon/ is too/ Bright/ That in the/ Gorgeous/ Night/ I dream about/ The moon.” I’ve emboldened the “too” because it is this word choice that changes the entire meaning of the poem. In essence, the moon’s brightness is so dominant that its beauty takes precedence over the “gorgeous night” and the speaker’s dreams. Without that “too,” the poem’s final line, “The moon/ Feels like/ My pillow/ When I myself/ Am/ Sound asleep,” might only denote how the moon “soothes” the speaker. Instead, the line takes on an eerie significance; in all its dominance, the moon has become so ubiquitous, so inescapable that its presence is felt in the inherently unfelt: the pillow beneath a sound sleeper. In Shaivi’s painting, the magnolias are beautiful; it is their pink color that accents the image. In a literal sense, they take up more space than the moon. The painting is even titled Magnolias at Midnight. And yet, the moon—this bright, shining, floating orb—steals the viewer’s attention. After looking away from the painting, the moon is what remains, seamlessly imprinted like Avery’s pillow beneath a sound sleeper. Shaivi’s painting also reminds me of a famous quote from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens, which would go on to inspire Nabokov’s Pale Fire: “The moon’s an arrant thief, And her pale fire she snatches from the sun.” So, thinking about how Avery’s poem and Shaivi’s painting indirectly take issue with the moon’s dominance, this weekend I’d like you to think about something in your life that is beautiful, marvelous, breathtaking, but for whatever reason rubs you the wrong way. Then, write what appears to be an ode singing the praises of this object, but, perhaps with the help of just a few words, in reality highlights your sense of unease. As always, if you like what you’ve written or created, we would love for you to share and submit it to us via Submittable! Till next time, Avery DiBella, 10 Salem, NH From Stone Soup January 2022 The Moon By Avery DiBella, 10 (Salem, NH) The moon Shines as bright As the stars In the glimmering So glimmering Night sky. The moon Soothes Me In my sleep. The moon Is soaking With new Dreams That can Be discovered… Continue reading “The Moon” here… 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.
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Saturday Newsletter: January 1, 2022
Fire and Water, iPad Air 4 | Cathy Jiang, 11 (Portland, OR), published in the January 2022 issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Happy New Year! I’m excited to start the year with the new January issue of Stone Soup and especially with the story I’m featuring in this newsletter—“Up on the Roof” by Harper Fortgang. “Up on the Roof” is a dystopian fantasy story set in a futuristic world in which there is no longer a “United” States—only a “Divided” States of America. On one side, the Purple People; on the other, the Green People; in the middle, a dangerous “Forbidden Strip” where people of both colors choose to mix. The allegory is all too apt for our current political times: a huge gulf—its own kind of forbidden strip—seems to separate the Left from the Right, the urban from the rural, the rich from the poor, the white from the Black (or indeed, all people of color). In her story, Harper’s protagonist, a Purple Person, meets someone who changes her mind about the Green People—and she commits to bringing this change of mind, and heart, first to her family, but hopefully to the world. I hope we can all bring this energy and optimism to our communities in 2022, working with each other to understand and close these divides however we can. This weekend, in your own writing, try to emulate Harper, and address a current political issue facing the world today through fantasy, science fiction, or other allegorical means. As always, I’d love to read what you produce. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who donated to Stone Soup in 2021; every little bit counts, and we are so grateful for all of our supporters. Until next time, Emma Harper Fortgang, 13 San Francisco, CA From Stone Soup January 2022 Up on the Roof By Harper Fortgang, 13 (San Francisco, CA) “Who’s there?” I call into the empty blackness, a chill running down my spine. I watch as a black cat leaps past me and around a corner, disappearing into the darkness. I exhale a sigh of relief and try to convince myself, yet again, there is nothing to fear. I begin walking, squeezing the strap of my satchel filled with documents like a four-year-old clinging to her mother’s hand. I dart across the street, heading toward a haunted-looking building with decaying red trim. Delivering business documents in the Forbidden Strip is dangerous, especially for a thirteen-year-old Purple girl like me. My parents would have never let me come here, but we are struggling for money, so I became a business courier. The Forbidden Strip is part of the Divided States of America, which consists of three separate lands. I hail from the West, a land solely for the Purple People, and the Green People occupy the East. My parents tell me the West is far superior and our brilliant shade of lavender should remain separate from the East’s pale-green skin. We believe in individual achievement and preserving traditions while the East advocates a new direction, putting the government’s interests ahead of citizens’ needs. I am told that the people from the East look down on us and we have a long history of conflict, causing mistrust and fear. Between both lands lies the Forbidden Strip, where people from the West and East choose to live together. I have heard terrible rumors about the people who live here. However, important documents still need to be transferred from the West, even if we are separate territories. So, I must skulk through the neighborhoods of the Forbidden Strip delivering documents, afraid of every shadow I see. Continue reading “Up on the Roof” here… 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.
Saturday Newsletter: December 25, 2021
The Attack of the Christmas Lights by Eliana Pacillo, 12 (Walpole, MA) published in Stone Soup December 2021 A note from William Wow! It’s Christmas! The end of another strange year. I am in Los Angeles visiting a friend. I had planned on being in Egypt! I’d like to extend a special thanks to Emma Wood for another year of brilliant work as editor-in-chief of Stone Soup and judge of our annual Book Contest. Thanks to our fabulous staff — Sarah Ainsworth, Laura Moran, Caleb Berg, and Tayleigh Greene. Jane Levi has just left the company. Thank you to Jane for extraordinary work these last few years helping to shepherd the magazine. Thanks to all of you who have supported our 2021 Annual Drive. As we have mentioned, we are starting a big push to get Stone Soup back to self-sufficiency. We have this amazing $25,000 matching gift so everything you give between now and the end of the year is matched, doubling the value of your gift. I think the best ending to the 2021 newsletters is to leave the last word with one of our writers. I hope you enjoy this reading of a poem by Emma Hoff, one of our students. As this poem was written during one of our Saturday writing workshops, all the time she had to write it in was 30 minutes! Until next year. Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Sarayu B., 11, wrote a gripping personal narrative about the time their grandmother was hospitalized with COVID-19. Analise Braddock, 9(Katonah, NY) From Stone Soup December 2021 Parallel Christmas By Analise Braddock, 9 (Katonah, NY) Parallel lines don’t stop. Christmas doesn’t stop. The snow sticks and not a light flicks out. Not a curve or a bend in a parallel line. The time ticks and tocks for Santa. Comes and goes for Christmas, but the lines of Santa’s are forever. Get ready, hang the stockings. Set out the cookies and milk. Light up the tree for a parallel Christmas. 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.
