Triangle Man (marker) by Angelo Theodore, 9; published in the January/February issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello from Cincinnati! I am thrilled to announce that Lily Jessen’s The Pipe Tree, the fiction winner of our 2022 Book Contest, is now available for preorder. The Pipe Tree, which tells the story of a sparrow who is captured and caged by a lonely woman, is beautiful and moving, yet also formally inventive and playful. It is a gem of a novel that you will read in one sitting. I hope you will support Lily and Stone Soup by ordering it today! It will be released on March 15. I am also excited to share our latest Stone Soup interview between former Stone Soup contributor Georgia Marshall and Parwana Amiri, a Stone Soup contributor via the Refugee Project. Amiri, 19, recently published a book of poems, We Will Fly Higher, about her experiences living in refugee camps in Lesvos, Greece. Last but not least! A writing prompt for you all. In the January/February issue of the magazine, we published the very short memoir piece “When I Accidentally Drew an Arc around My Butterfly” by Norah Lu, 7. The title is descriptive of the piece: at school one day, Norah is drawing a butterfly when a classmate bumps into her elbow, pushing her hand across the page and making an arc over the butterfly. Rather than trash the drawing because of the mistake, Norah finds a way to make the mistake into something else—a flower. This weekend, I challenge you to either write about a time when you turned a mistake into something else, something new and interesting—or to go back to something (a poem, a drawing, a story, a collage, etc) that you feel has a mistake in it, and rather than try to fix that “mistake,” attempt to make it a feature of the piece! Happy Saturday! Preorder The Pipe Tree From Stone Soup January/February 2024 When I Accidentally Drew an Arc around My Butterfly by Norah Lu, 7 I had just finished sketching a butterfly at my school desk. I grinned and raised my arms over my head, stretching with joy as I looked down at my picture. I had spent fifteen minutes sketching it. I picked up a yellow crayon and started coloring the right wing. Suddenly, Maxine, my friend next to me, bumped me on the elbow. That made an arc around my yellow butterfly picture. Oh, all that work for nothing! But I can’t just start all over again! You have to think of an idea, Norah. I lifted my head and studied my drawing carefully. I thought about places where butterflies land: grass, leaves, flowers . . . wait—flowers? Hmm, that might be useful after all. I said nothing while I colored the rest of my butterfly. But when it was time for the arc I accidentally drew, I smiled a huge smile. First, I drew a circle. (Can you guess what I was doing?) Next, I drew some small half circles. (Can you guess what now?) Then, I drew a stem. (It’s getting obvious.) Finally, I colored it. It was a flower! A pretty, yellow flower! I grinned the biggest grin yet. It was beautiful! To read the March/April issue of Stone Soup, out now, click 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.
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Saturday Newsletter: February 17, 2024
Water on Wood (OPPO Find X2 Lite) by Karuna Yang, 12; published in the January/February 2024 issue of Stone Soup A Note from Tayleigh Greene Hello and Happy Saturday! I’m writing to you from Houston, Texas, but as I contemplate Karuna Yang’s Water on Wood, shown above, I’m transported to Venice, Italy. Venice brims with magnificent artworks and exquisite architecture. However, last I traveled there, I found myself more moved by the way that reflections of apartment buildings and strung linens danced in the water. Karuna’s photograph is mesmerizing and beautiful in much the same way. I love how the leaves’ shadows blend with their reflections. Taking inspiration from Karuna’s photograph, here’s a prompt for you this long weekend: select your subject, then shift your perspective to explore its shadow, its reflection, or perhaps both. (Madeline Male’s Sapling Shadow, also featured in the January/February issue, is another brilliant example.) Don’t limit yourself to photography, or even to drawing or painting. This prompt can also be used as a writing exercise. As always, if you like what you create, please submit your work to Stone Soup. We are currently accepting submissions for our Short Story, Poetry, and Artwork Prizes. Winners will receive three free expedited submissions ($30 value) and a one-year print subscription to the magazine ($90 value). We will select a single winner from each category—one story, one poem, one piece of art—and publish them in the magazine. The deadline to submit is May 1, 2024. As they say in Italy, in bocca al lupo (good luck)! Until next time, The Stone Soup Story Contest The Stone Soup Poetry Contest The Stone Soup Art Contest 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.
Saturday Newsletter: February 3, 2024
The Arcadia (acrylic) by Arwen Gamez, 14; published in the January/February 2024 issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello, all! I’m thrilled to share with you that… today the sun is out in Cincinnati! It has been raining and gray (or snowing and gray) nearly every day since we got back from our trip west over Christmas, and it feels so good to finally feel the sun on my face—even in the cold! For those of you experiencing winter right now, I hope you are still getting some occasional sunshine, and soaking it up when you do. The other (actual) news I am thrilled to announce is that this spring, Stone Soup is launching a new contest series! Starting today, we are accepting submissions for our Short Story, Poetry, and Artwork Prizes. We will select a single winner—one story, one poem, one piece of art—from each category and publish them in the magazine. Winners will also receive three free expedited submissions ($30 value) and a years’ print subscription to the magazine ($90 value). We may also select some runners up for publication, and all entries are always considered for publication in the magazine as well. The deadline is May 1, 2024. We can’t wait to start reading and viewing your work! The Stone Soup Story Contest The Stone Soup Poetry Contest The Stone Soup Art Contest 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.
