About our Spring 2019 Fundraiser Help Stone Soup Expand its Reach Our spring 2019 fundraising drive is focused on raising additional funds to support our programs and partnerships reaching out to kids living in challenging circumstances. All the money raised through this appeal will be devoted to finding new ways to seek out and support the harder-to-reach Stone Soup readers and contributors of today and tomorrow. We want to encourage participation in the world of Stone Soup by children in less privileged circumstances. We are already working on a few initiatives that contribute to this broader goal, and your donations will help us to continue and expand those projects. Reaching a Wider Contributor Base Via Public Libraries We charge a small fee for submissions to Stone Soup, which covers the costs to us of using an online submissions management system and contributes to the staff time it takes to carefully read and assess every single submission that comes in to us–which is what we do. Our individual subscribers have free submissions whilst they are subscribers, and the submission fee is not a barrier to our core readership. However, for many families, a personal subscription to Stone Soup is not affordable, and the submission fee is off-putting or just plain impossible for children living in less privileged circumstances. To help us find and reach a wider audience we want to extend the free submissions benefit to Public Libraries, so that all children who use their local library’s Stone Soup subscription to submit their work to us will be able to do so free of charge. We hope and believe that this public access will help us to help less advantaged young people send us their work, free of any submission fees, for consideration by our Editor. Donate to widen Stone Soup’s reach As well as asking for cash support, we are also devoting all the money raised from sales of a vintage copy of Stone Soup Magazine to this campaign. In a recent re-organization we found a box of 60 copies of a very special issue from our archives–the “Special Navajo Issue” from March/April 1989. The 1989 special issue was comprised solely of short stories, poetry, and artwork by children living on Navajo reservations. Looking at this issue again, we felt it was an inspiring example of the kind of work Stone Soup has done and can do to bring often unheard children’s voices into the open. We have put those issues on sale in our online store, and have committed to putting all proceeds from its sale towards our current efforts to reach marginalized communities. With this money, we can work on more initiatives like our extension of free submissions to Public Libraries. We have 60 copies of the magazine available in our online store, at $15 per copy, and if we sell them all we’ll raise $900 from that alone. You can find and place your order for the issue in our online store. Help us support the writers of tomorrow
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Saturday Newsletter: April 20, 2019
“One Horse”. Photograph by Lara Katz, 14, Weston, CT. Published April 2018. A note from Sarah Ainsworth Good morning! Do you ever wonder what former Stone Soup contributors are up to these days? We do! There are a lot of former contributors, after all—we’ve been publishing since 1973! We wanted to find a way to spotlight some of the amazing people who were published in Stone Soup and went on to do all sorts of cool things. So, starting this month, we’ll post short interviews with former contributors to the blog. First up, we have Catherine Winings. Catherine’s illustrations were published in our November/December 2009 issue, alongside the story “The Balance” by Kia Okuma. Stone Soup: What are you doing now? Catherine Winings: I am currently living and working in Chicago. I received a BFA about two years ago from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I focused in printmaking, painting/drawing, and visual communications. I discovered etching in my first printmaking class and have been working in that medium ever since. I began working as an intern at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative (CPC) three years ago, and I still work there, helping to manage the studio. While at CPC, I also began printing editions and artist’s proofs of etchings for the artist Tony Fitzpatrick and occasionally other artists. When I have time, I work in the CPC studio on my own etchings and other prints. Additionally, I have been working on a project for the Art Institute of Chicago museum creating replica armor. My role in the project is to paint a resist (a type of painting technique) onto the armor in an intricate pattern that is later etched into the metal using copper sulfate. I also work at a framing shop SS: What did Stone Soup mean to you? CW: If I remember correctly, I only ever submitted one illustration to Stone Soup because I was near the end of the age limit at the time. It was pretty exciting to me to have my drawing published. I have always spent a lot of time drawing and reading, so it came naturally for me to be interested in illustration. I also had an art teacher, Susanne Dassel, who went to the Rhode Island School of Design for illustration and was always supportive of my narrative-based drawing. Being paid for my illustration gave the whole e xperience a feeling of professionalism and reinforced the idea that I had something to offer through drawing. I think the envelope I received from Stone Soup is still taped to either my wall or the side of my bookcase in my childhood bedroom. Even though I have moved in a slightly different direction since then, I am still interested in illustration and feel that the kind of imagery that I currently use in my printmaking is closely tied to SS: Do you have any advice for current readers, writers, and artists who contribute to Stone Soup? CW: My advice would be to value your own work and invest in it. I have often been very self-conscious about the things that I make or at times have felt out of place, but I think it is very important to believe in your own creative impulses and then to put in the effort to back it up. Even if the work you’ve done isn’t obvious to other people, you can feel confident knowing what you’ve put into it. Rather than just pushing yourself as hard as you can, I think it is more important to take the time to figure out what you want to do, care about what you do, and make productive decisions. Thank you so much to Catherine! We’re so excited to hear from other contributors. Know any that you think should be featured? Have them email me at sarah@stonesoup.com. Happy weekend! Focus on poetry for National Poetry Month! To celebrate National Poetry month, we are offering a discount on the wonderful Stone Soup Book of Poetry, a collection of 120 poems published in Stone Soup between 1988 and 2011. Pick up print copies at 25% off, and eBook editions at half price in the Stone Soup Online Store, throughout April 2019. And, for more poetry ideas, don’t forget to visit the Academy of American Poets’ website–especially, check our their Dear Poet initiative. Just click on the logo: Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com. There’s been lots of news about outer space lately—did you see the picture of the black hole? Well, this week Ishayyu writes about galaxies for the blog: “A spiral galaxy looks like an octopus, with its ‘arms’ swinging around. We live on one of the outer part of an ‘arm’ in the Milky Way.” Read more here. Plus, Elijah reviews the website Reddit, where he gets news: “With so much content available to us, what is the best way to browse the internet and find the information that we care about? The answer is Reddit, an online social media and news sharing application as well as the best way to find content over the internet.” What do you think? Do you agree with Elijah, or do you still prefer to read a newspaper or watch the news? Share a comment on his post if you have any thoughts on the subject. From Stone Soup, April 2018 lonely boy By Gilbert Huang, 9 Shanghai, China Who am I, am I just a lonely boy? When I am lonely I feel wild. Does nobody want me? Or do I have to stay here forever? Well, I will be crashed by a car? What shall I do. I need a real life! I am very far to become a normal boy. Read more reflective poetry at our website, Stonesoup.com. 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
Saturday Newsletter: April 13, 2019
“The rosy color of dawn spreads all over the sky” Photograph by Julia Li, 12, Mason, OH Published September 2017 A note from William Rubel Friends! Jane Levi and I are both in Lengusaka, Kenya, at our friend’s camp. His name is Haile and the camp is called Haile’s Camp. We are here setting up a research station for studying pastoralism and the ecology of the Samburu lowlands. Our camp is under a canopy of acacia trees by a dry river bed. Monkeys live in the trees—very cute but also very mischievous! Thousands of birds live in the trees also, and as I write this a huge flock of small birds has arrived back at our trees from a day out foraging in the nearby mountains. Goats, sheep, chickens, and the household dog and cat roam the grounds. We are very far from home, but at the same time we are at a home away from home; I have been coming to this part of the world for 26 years. In the coming weeks we will have news for you regarding an exchange program we are setting up with a small, remote school (appropriately named Remote Primary School; it’s motto is “To be strong and focussed like a lion”) in the Samburu District’s Westgate Conservancy. Jane and I went to the ceremony for opening their new classroom building on Wednesday. I can say now that they don’t have any books, so we will be collecting books to bring to them when we return here in July. Details will follow. Good news! I have some really fabulous news to share with you. Our book agent for Asia has just sold the Chinese-language rights to our anthologies to Beijing Yutian Hangfen Books Company, the most prestigious Chinese publisher of foreign-language children’s books. Here is an article in the American professional magazine Publishers Weekly that tells you something about this company. We are going to use money from this rights sale to improve our website. Can’t wait to see the anthologies in Chinese! William’s Weekend Project For this Saturday project, I’d like you to write a poem that is 8–12 twelve lines. Don’t write anything today. Just live your day. When you are in bed, before going to sleep, think back on your day. What most stands out? Poetry is often exploring essence—the inner core of a thing. As you fall asleep, let what stood out from your day play in your mind. Feelings, thoughts, colors, sounds, images, music, words—let them all be tumble. Tomorrow, during the day, think back on those thoughts and let your words flow. As always, this writing project is for newsletter readers of all ages, but if you are 13 or younger, if you write something you are super pleased with, then please send it to our editor, Emma Wood, by going to the Submit link on our website. Follow the instructions for how to submit your poem. Until next week, William To celebrate National Poetry month we are offering a discount on the wonderful Stone Soup Book of Poetry, a collection of 120 poems published in Stone Soup between 1988 and 2011. Pick up print copies at 25% off, and eBook editions at half price in the Stone Soup Online Store, throughout April 2019. And, for more poetry ideas, don’t forget to visit the Academy of American Poets’ website–especially, check our their “Dear Poet” initiative. Our spring contest and partnership news Write for a podcast: Closing date April 15 Our current contest, in partnership with the By Kids, for Kids Story Time podcast, to write a short story about climate change or other environmental theme. Your work could become a dramatized reading, broadcast on the podcast, and be published in an issue of Stone Soup! All the details about entries and prizes are on our website contest pages. Summer writing mentorship program for 9th-graders and up: Application deadline April 15 We’ve partnered with The Adroit Journal, a literary magazine for teens. The applications for their Summer Mentorship program, which takes place from June to August, are open now. This program pairs young writers in grades 9 through 12 with an experienced writer who helps them learn more about the creative process. We know this is for an audience older than ours, but if you are a former reader or contributor, or know any teenagers who are aspiring writers, encourage them to apply! Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Check out blogger Mirembe’s interview with Kid Beowulf: The Rise of El Cid author Alexis E. Fajardo! Here’s an excerpt: Mirembe: What was your process for writing the storyline and making the art? Alexis E. Fajardo: There are lots of different ways to make comics, and each cartoonist has their own method. For me, I like to write out full scripts that I then draw out. There are several stages to creating the art: pencils, inks, color, and letters. I pencil and ink on paper, after which I scan the artwork into the computer and color and letter digitally. I also have a colorist who helps me color the book. Comics are deceptively complex to make. It’s sort of like putting together a giant puzzle. From Stone Soup, September 2017 My Tenth Summer Part One: What I Learned About Hard Work By Zoe Lynch, 10 I’ve learned this week, Something I knew already But not well My mother, She sits at her desk. Typing. Writing. Scribbling furiously. I felt sorry for her. I thought she hated it. My father, He used to sit at his computer, Frowning. He’s good at numbers, But he’s tired My mom hates to build trails. He helped her. He learned. He’s still learning Everyone is. Me, I found two things, They are sort of one, Violin and poetry. They go hand in hand It takes a long time to do either I love projects We, Found something Something we loved to do As long as each of us are happy, We all are We work at our joys, Have fun, Daydream. Now I understand It. Makes. Sense
