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It was the most magnificent thing I have ever felt. My soul just soared. Illustrator Devon Cole, 12, for “Red Comet” by Philip Grayeski, 11. Published March/April 2004. A note from Sarah Ainsworth Sarah here writing the newsletter this week. Last month I went to see a stand-up comedy show, which has got me thinking about the art of comedic writing. Of course, performing on stage is quite different from writing a comedic story meant to be read, but for now I want to focus on the written word. What makes a story humorous? Does a story have to revolve around a single joke, or should it consist of many amusing moments? One of my favorite comedic writers is Jack Handey, who wrote for the television show Saturday Night Live and frequently contributes to The New Yorker’s humor section. Often his writing is composed of very short lines (“Deep Thoughts,” as he calls them) that are so utterly ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh. Here’s one that I like: “Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.” Or another: “The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.” And one more: “Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Basically, it’s made up of two separate words—‘mank’ and ‘ind.’ What do these words mean? It’s a mystery, and that’s why so is mankind.” Handey’s approach is to turn an idea or phrase on its head and surprise the reader. His lines completely misinterpret an expression or idiom that the reader is likely familiar with. He is able to surprise the reader in just a few sentences, which may seem easy in such a short length, but those who participated in our short short fiction contest last year know that it is often more difficult than it sounds. Can you incorporate Handey’s method in some of your own writing? How can you take a seemingly straightforward premise and turn it into something unexpected? What kind of twist in a story might make you or your reader laugh? If you come up with something you like, please submit it! All best, Calling all critics! We are planning to make our July/August issue a review issue! We’re especially in need of movie and TV show reviews, particularly well-known children’s movies like Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Princess Bride, and Frozen—as well as film and TV adaptations of classic literary works, such as A Wrinkle in Time, Matilda, The Borrowers, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and The Jungle Book. If you would like to send us a book review, we are most excited to read about classics rather than newer titles, and are also seeking reviews of classic poems. We simply recommend that you check our site for any existing reviews before deciding on a piece, to avoid duplication. To be considered for publication in the issue (and not on the blog), reviews—which should range from 400 to 700 words—must be received via the “Review” section of our Submittable site no later than April 20. Please email editor@stonesoup.com with any questions. Partnership news We’ve partnered with Adroit Journal, a literary magazine for teens. The applications for their Summer Mentorship program have just opened. 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 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. On Monday, we published a heartfelt piece by contributor Sabrina Guo about her initial hesitations about writing and how she pushed through them to discover the power of words: “Although I had a complicated relationship with books, I did love writing song lyrics. After school, I would transform my tangled thoughts into strings of words, which I wrote down in a tiny notebook about the size of my hand. Little did I know that these song lyrics were actually poems; later I would take a risk and reshape my lyrics into a more literary form. And that was how I took my first step into writing.” Read the rest here. Wednesday, we featured a piece about the importance of animation from blogger Dylan: “Animation, while often thought of as a more or less modern medium, has been being used in different forms since 1906! Throughout the last century, we have used it to entertain, as propaganda, and to tell stories that invoke emotion.” Do you like animation? Check it out and leave a comment! Plus, read the other animation-related posts by Dylan on the blog. From Stone Soup, March/April 2004 Red Comet By Philip Grayeski, 11 Illustrated by Devon Cole, 12 The soaring red sparkler flew over my head with clouds chasing behind. I gazed up and pondered what it would be like sitting in the Red Comet, wind rushing at your face, an old greasy leather cap on, with goggles bigger than your eyes, and you’re just looking ahead feeling so free. My granddad landed the plane as smoothly as a feather falling. When he was gliding down, the engine purred like a cat. He hopped out of the plane he received as a gift from the Air Force, the Red Comet. No one ever was allowed to ride in it because he wanted it to be so clean because he believed that it’s important to take care of things close to you. The Air Force gave it to him because he was the best pilot in the world. At least that’s what he said. He did many tricks that would make your stomach fall like you were on a roller coaster. My granddad and I are more like friends than family. He always says I’m his favorite grandson because I’m his only. We always watch TV together.

“Profile of a Guardian”Photograph (Nikon Coolpix L830) by Hannah Parker, 13. Published in Stone Soup, March 2019. A note from William Rubel Refugee project update I’d like to welcome Margie Chardiet, a former Stone Soup reader now working for the Oakland, California, writing program Chapter 510, as the newest member of the Stone Soup team. Margie is starting out with us working on the Refugee Project. She has started developing contacts with people working with resettled refugees and with people working with refugees in camps. Updates will follow over the next few months. March issue As I was reading the March issue, I was reminded of something that I have been wondering about lately. Is Stone Soup a magazine by kids for kids? Or, is Stone Soup a magazine by kids for everyone? Reading the current issue confirmed for me that there is no question about it: Stone Soup is for everyone who reads fiction, poetry, and looks at art. If we were to take the photos and ages off of the Stone Soup material, you’d you be hard pressed to identify Stone Soup as being a magazine by kids. As I was reading the March issue I just wanted to shout out, “Guys! Subscribe!” I’ll put it his way: regardless of your age, by not subscribing to Stone Soup you are denying yourself a lovely pleasure. To remind you, print is available on a monthly or annual basis. So, order for a month, get your issue, and if you don’t want another, then cancel. Stone Soup is great for kids too. Subscribe today. (Please note that print subscriptions are currently only available in the US and Canada, but watch this space for exciting news on that front in the coming weeks.) Here is Editor Emma Wood’s introduction to the March 2019 issue: This issue includes the winners of our concrete poetry contest; the winning poems are both beautiful visual works in their own right and inventive, singular texts. However, it is the combination of both shape (the form) and text (the content) that made these poems stand out. I hope when you sit down to write any work, but especially a poem, that you think about its form: Will it have stanzas? Will the lines be short or long? Will you use any rhyme or other sonic devices? These decisions are as important as what you end up writing. In addition to the concrete poems, there are many incredible photographs that I hope will encourage you to pick up a camera (or a phone), as well as stories and poems engaging with the theme of selfhood and belonging. I’d like to say something more. Holding this issue in my hand it was really clear that the issue is more than the sum of its parts. The design of the magazine, the selections Emma has made and the way she has organized them creates something very powerful. For example, the fabulous first prize-winning concrete poem, “Steam,” by Sabrina Guo, stands on its own, as does the evocative photograph “The Bridge,” by Marlena Rohde, in which you see one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge disappear into the fog. But Emma brings them together on facing pages to they can speak together. Sabrina’s elegant concrete poem is in the shape of a teacup. The literal subject of the work is the steam rising from the spout of the boiling teakettle. However, as with any literary work—the work itself is about more than one thing. This work seems simple, but isn’t. “Octopus,” by Marco Lu, the second-place winner, is a tour de force of alliterative verse. Alliteration is when several words in a row begin with the same letter—as in “tender, twisting tentacles.” This is a form of poetry that has ancient roots in English verse. One of the first and most famous examples of this is in the wonderful poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from England in the 1300s. For the adventuresome amongst you read the first few lines of the poem in its original English along with the glossary that J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, added to make it more possible to read. Even if you can’t understand all of the words in the opening lines you will see the ancient roots to Marco’s alliterative voice. The unfamiliar character “Þ” (called “thorn”) is pronounced “th,” so the first word, “SiÞen,” is pronounced “Sithen,” which means “since” or “after.” There are many modern translations of the poem. A good family out-loud reading project. We all hate the aspect of contests that rigidly orders the winners. We are always struggling with this at Stone Soup. “Moonlight,” the third-place winner, by Ashley Xu, is a brilliant, evocative, lovely, extraordinary work. “Moonlight paints / the water white, rippling / like autumn frost on a window/pane, the texture of lace . . ..” But, of course, this is concrete poetry so these words join with others to make the shape of the full moon, and the poem, complex, continues beyond the shape of the moon’s face. William’s weekend project Aditya Sing’s collection of stories, “Unmasked,” is brilliant. This is a group of five incisive short short stories (pieces of flash fiction) that draw on the author’s life and experiences—but go far beyond simple autobiography. The works are varied. And insightful. We had a flash fiction contest last year and so have previously spoken about this genre. For today’s weekend project I want you to pick up your March issue, turn to page 6, and read his collection. If you have a digital subscription, then go to the current issue and and read his work. If you don’t subscribe and are still under your four free articles for the month, then go to the page and read. Then, with his works still fresh in your mind, pick a subject and write. Keep your pieces—you can think of them as sketches—to between 150 and 300 words. As always, if you are excited about what you write, upload it to

A note from Jane Levi Dear Stone Soup readers and writers, Would you like to have your very own short story performed as part of a podcast series? If this sounds interesting, read on to learn about our brand new spring contest! We have launched our new spring writing contest, working with our friends at AV Entertainment, producers of the By Kids, for Kids Story Time podcast. The winner of this contest will have their short story turned into a dramatized reading, with up to five performers, that will be broadcast as an episode in the Story Time podcast series. The winning story, along with the second- and third-place entries, will also be published in an edition of Stone Soup magazine and receive a number of other great Stone Soup prizes. We are looking for original short stories of 500–1,000 words. Our theme is climate change. Your mission as writers is to deliver your message in an accessible, fun style: the material that works best for the Story Time podcast tends to be fantasy, magical, or fairy-tale. The winning stories will feature a strong narrative and plenty of direct speech. (But remember, we are looking for a story, not a drama script.) The winner will have their story turned into a podcast episode performed by the Story Time cast of one narrator and up to four character actors, embellished with suitable music and sound effects. Climate change and the environment are serious topics, but that doesn’t mean the stories have to be somber. We are looking for lively, enjoyable stories with a sense of drama and some scope for silliness in the performance (and some good sound effects). All of the stories already featured in the By Kids, For Kids Story Time podcast are fun audio dramas performed by kids for an audience of kids. The idea is to take the listeners on an audio emotional rollercoaster—to be funny, zany, heartfelt, suspenseful, ridiculous—and especially fun! Follow the links on their website to find out more, to listen to some of the more than 56 episodes that are already there, and to get an idea of the style. You will find all sorts of stories to enjoy: fairy tales, folk tales, myths, legends, and more. There is even going to be an episode of the original “Stone Soup” tale soon! This week I particularly enjoyed a story with the brilliant title of “The Bearded Fool.” It’s lively, action-packed, brilliantly performed, and, like all good stories conveys a message in a very entertaining way. Let me know which is your favorite! Writing with direct speech This week, to encourage you to think about your entries for the new contest, we’ve found a story from deep in our archive (all the way from 1986!) that uses a lot of direct speech to build its narrative. You can read the first part of it below, and visit our website to read the rest—you’ll also find one of our online activities on the same page. We hope you enjoy the story and feel inspired to think about how to tell your own contemporary story through the voices of a lively group of characters. Who knows? You might just find it is brought to life in an audio drama! Happy creating! P.S. It’s the beginning of a new month, so look out for the brand new March 2019 issue of Stone Soup online and in the mail now! P.P.S. While we are on the subject of contests and drama, there are six days left to submit entries to the BBC’s 500 Words contest, in which Stone Soup will be helping with a little bit of the judging. The winners of this contest will have their stories read on the UK’s BBC Radio 2 by a famous actor. Also on the 500 Words website, you will find some good advice on writing short stories for dramatic reading that might help you with our contest too–check that out here!   Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Maya writes a compelling blog post about competing in a math contest. “The same things that make it scary, the short amount of time to solve each problem and the huge room of people watching you, also make it exciting, an adventure.” Read the rest to find out what happens! Do you know what the old covers of Stone Soup look like? Check out our Instagram postto see the cover from the May/June 1981 issue. Abhi Sukhdial is a frequent contributor to Stone Soup who recently won a fantastic prize for his work. Congratulations, Abhi! Read his essay about how getting published inspired him to write more.   From Stone Soup September/October 1986 As Long As We’re Happy (part 1) By Clea Rivera, 14 I was a proud woman on my first day teaching at the elementary school. I was trying to be the typical teacher. I brought a shiny red apple and placed it on my desk. I wore a stiff black skirt and high-collared white blouse and did a fine job of commanding my third-grade class to work. I held the white, dusty chalk firmly and wrote neatly on the blackboard in ridiculously large letters. I was also very happy, for I was engaged to a handsome doctor about 10 years older than me. Every afternoon he’d spin me off in his little racy car or he’d sometimes take me out to dinner. “Boys and girls, who can tell me what five times five is?” I asked that first day. Several rowdy boys and a few girls began shouting answers. However, one girl raised her hand. “Twenty-five,” she answered. “Very good. What is your name?” “Grace Matthews.” “Everyone, did you see how polite Grace was?” The room was quiet. “Have I gone deaf?” I asked. Finally, the children assented that Grace had been polite and they promised to be that way, too, in the future. *          *          * Three years later I was promoted to teach the sixth grade, therefore switching from the elementary to the junior high school. I was married now and I had the same batch of children that I had in third grade. I sometimes found it a little