Stone Soup Magazine
— A refugee teen's defiant catalog of what takes courage — building schools, welcoming the homeless, staying human — versus what's easy: destroying, hurting, closing your eyes.
— The children are originally from a range of different countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi; at the time of submission, they were...
— A child observes a yellow woodpecker pecking at a tree, wonders about its purpose, then watches it glide away like a paper airplane.
— A child observes a tree on the lawn, noting the birds, squirrels, rustling leaves, floating bark, and a flower bud waiting to bloom.
— A dialogue poem between two voices moves from invitation to fly, through a refugee's plea for help, to a declaration of collective strength and resistance.
— A young chess player narrates a winning game, capturing pieces with confidence until achieving checkmate in a moment of triumph.
— A thirteen-year-old discovers her first white hair and spirals through denial, envy, and fear before finding acceptance and a renewed sense of purpose.
— Precise instructions for cleaning a hallway become a meditation on observation, revealing the quiet dignity in routine work and moments of beauty glimpsed through windows.