Our April Flash Contest was based on our weekly creativity prompt #147 written by Stone Soup ’20–21 Intern Sage Millen. Her prompt, which asked participants to visit the same spot every day for a week and record what they saw—whether through art, photography, or writing—generated a wide array of fabulous submissions, from daily photographic representation of a lounging house cat to ultra-scientific observation notes reminiscent of natural science journals. Thank you to all who submitted their stunning work, and thanks again to Sage for providing us with the prompt! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “Observing My Backyard” by Rishan Chakraborty, 11 (Portland, OR) “The Island” by Madeline Cleveland, 11 (Belleville, WI) “The Tales of Freeman Gardens” by Claire Liotta, 12 (Glen Ridge, NJ) “Dolly’s Home” by Elizabeth Sabaev, 10 (Forest Hills, NY) “Over the Ditch” by Daniel Shorten, 10 (Mallow, Ireland) Honorable Mentions “My Backyard” by Reena Bao, 11 (Bedford, MA) “My Description Paragraphs for Six Days” by Diya Chakrabarti, (Portland, OR) “Times of the Day in My Room” by Chelsea Liang, 11 (San Jose, CA) “Our Playground” by Tang Li, 8 (Palmetto Bay, FL) “Magnolia Bliss” by Pranjoli Sadhukha, 11 (Newark, OH) “Interesting” by Ava Shorten, 11 (Mallow, Ireland) Selected for the Stone Soup COVID-19 Blog “My School” by Feifei Wan, 9 (Portland, OR) Selected for the Stone Soup Blog “Spring in Central Park” by Lila Laton (New York, NY) Rishan Chakraborty, 11 (Portland, OR) Observing My Backyard Rishan Chakraborty, 11 4:00 p.m. 4/5/2021 On the second floor of the southeastern part of my house, my work room provides a spectacular view of our backyard. Right outside my window, which faces east, a noble fir with peculiar blue-green needles is located. When I was little, I thought that a Christmas tree with needles the same color would look amazing. However, I realize now that cutting the tree down would be a shame. All of the trees rock in the wind, but the noble fir is steadfast. When it does move, it moves gently, and sometimes it almost seems like it is breathing. 4:00 p.m. 4/6/2021 On the opposite side of the noble fir, a large, shaggy curly willow resides. When I was younger, my brother and I would grab one of the many dangling branches and run, pretending we were swinging from vines like Tarzan. Earlier, the branches were bare and speckled with tiny curly leaves. Now, there are hundreds of leaves on the tree, and the shape of its branches gives it the appearance of possessing bright green hair. 4:00 p.m. 4/7/2021 In our backyard, we have an old, tattered play structure. As a young child, it was one of my favorite places to hang out. Imagination would turn it into a spaceship, a boat, an airplane, and even a temple. In the summer, we would invite neighborhood kids to play with water guns, and the play structure could be used as a fort offering a vantage point, or somewhere to escape if you were under attack. Now, the slides are dirty, the swings rickety, the tarp missing one half, but I still cherish the fond memories associated with it. 4:00 p.m. 4/8/2021 A bird comes along, its purpose undefined. Very likely it came looking for food. The question remains unanswered. I did some research and discovered that it was probably an American Robin, which is known to search for insects on the ground, hopping around in the process. I have keenly observed birds in my backyard too, such as a hummingbird, which flits around looking for its food. Spring is here, and as the days grow longer, more and more birds will start showing up, almost as if they are making the backyard come alive. 4:00 p.m. 4/9/2021 In the very middle of my backyard, a solitary maple sits, deserted on an island of dirt. A few flowers nearby don’t provide much company. The maple tree once had a bird feeder, and would be visited by birds all day, but since the feeder was taken down, it has been left alone. It sits on an island of dirt, surrounded by a sea of grass, almost like a stranded castaway. A coconut also used to be on the same island, before it was taken and cracked open with a rock by two 6-year-olds. Now, the maple is left to itself. 4:00 pm 4/10/2021 In my backyard, a noble fir with interesting blue-green needles sways, as though breathing. In my backyard, a willow tree swings in the wind, branches swishing through the air. In my backyard, a damaged play structure creaks, enduring everything thrown at it through the years. In my backyard, a bird appears, although not the first one to visit. In my backyard, a maple mourns and wishes for company. In my backyard, memories stay alive. Madeline Cleveland, 11 (Belleville, WI) The Island Madeline Cleveland, 11 Day one: A buttery golden carp jumps a few feet from my boat as I sink my paddle into the water’s still surface. I hear a scraping sound as my kayak runs aground on a gravely beach. I have reached my destination. I carefully walk onto the muddy shore. A few moments later, I am in tall swaying dry grass. I sit down on the bank to write this. Another graceful fish splashes, breaking the quiet. Carp are common in this lake, but each is beautiful and unique. Kind of like people that way, each and every one is special. I walk back to my kayak and paddle to shore. Day two: I sit on the shore in the same spot I did yesterday. I’m starting to realize why the fish love this place so much. This island is untamed. On one side, there is a gravely cove, perfect for parking kayaks. On the other, there is a sandy beach. And, on the south tip, where I sit, is a serene area with moss carpeting the lake floor. The carp are especially fond of these shallows.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Saturday Newsletter: April 17, 2021
“Entrapped” (colored pencil), by Andralyn Yao, 12 (West Lafayette, IN), and published in the April 2021 Issue of Stone Soup A note from William First quarterly reading by Stone Soup authors! Tomorrow, Sunday, April 18, at 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern). Public readings of poetry and prose are a standard part of the life of established authors. Please come to listen to fabulous fiction and poetry—and to show support for our authors. We estimate the program will last around thirty to forty minutes. I want it to be simple for you to attend, so you can also click on the direct Zoom link here. Writing Prompt Reminder: Writing prompts are sent out every Monday along with news on the monthly flash fiction contest. If you are not on the list, sign up at this link. The past 147 prompts are on our website. You will also find them from the link. If you are a teacher, use them in your classroom. Spring Writing Workshop: The Spring Writing Workshop sessions started today. We now have two classes, one that I teach and one being taught by Conner Bassett. There are a few places in each of the classes. If you want to try out a class to see whether you like it, then please contact tayleigh@stonesoup.com. She will get you the link for next week. Summer classes: Summer school enrollment for the joint Stone Soup–Society for Young Inklings Summer Writing Program is open. The novel workshop is full. A second novel workshop has just been started. Poetry class: Emma Wood, our Stone Soup editor, is a working poet. She is teaching a poetry class in the summer program. It is the first class she has taught through Stone Soup. If you are a poet, then jump on this class while it is still open. If you have a friend who is also writing poetry, tell them about the class and you can take it together. Stone Soup Refugee Project: I have not written about the Stone Soup Refugee project for some time. This is the project we started inspired by former Stone Soup writer and blogger Sabrina Guo. For the last nearly six months, we have been building out a part of our website for the creative work of refugee students. The site is finally finished! It is currently being reviewed by our contact at the United National High Commission on Refugees. When they approve it, we will share it with you—and then take a deep breath—to move the project into its next phase. Reading and writing project: The Cookie Jar, the opening of which is below, is an astonishingly original and powerful piece of fiction. If you are an adult reader of this newsletter, and if you read novels for pleasure, then please read the story. This is not “student” writing. This is writing. Full stop! Isabella Chapman offers us a brilliant portrait of a character who has formed an attachment to a cookie jar. As improbable as this sounds, Isabella pulls it off. We feel along with the Elsie, the main character, and we feel for those around her. There is so much to say about this work! The character is fully imagined, as are the places where the story unfolds. Super realistic and evocative description of the beach scene, for example. A strikingly large and carefully chosen vocabulary. As you read the story, I’d like you to pay attention to place—the where the story is taking place. Also, pay attention to how carefully Isabella has worked out the story’s emotional logic—like explaining why Elsie kept the cookie jar in the duffel bag. For this weekend’s project, I want you to create a character who has an unusual interest, obsession, or focus. A character who does things differently. A great story, like this one, explores a theme—in this case, explores this child’s unusual obsession—by letting us experience it. Isabella doesn’t write, “Here is this eccentric character.” Instead, she brings us into Elsie’s world so that we see through Elsie’s eyes and Elsie’s feelings. For inspiration, perhaps there is someone you know who has an eccentric interest or an eccentric attachment to something, like Elsie and her cookie jar. Or just someone—or, as this is fiction, it could be an animal—who acts differently from others. Write your piece from the point of view of the eccentric character so that for them, the behavior is normal. Good luck! If you super like what you create, then please send it to Stone Soup so Emma can consider it for publication in the magazine. Until next week, Congratulations to our most recent Flash Contest Winners! Our April Flash Contest was based on our weekly creativity prompt #147 written by Stone Soup ’20–21 Intern Sage Millen. Her prompt, which asked participants to visit the same spot every day for a week and record what they saw—whether through art, photography, or writing—generated a wide array of fabulous submissions, from daily photographic representation of a lounging house cat to ultra-scientific observation notes reminiscent of natural science journals. Thank you to all who submitted their stunning work, and thanks again to Sage for providing us with the prompt! Congratulations to our winners and honorable mentions, listed below. You can read the winning entries for this contest (and previous ones) at the Stone Soup website. Winners “The Tales of Freeman Gardens” by Claire Liotta, 12 (Glen Ridge, NJ) “Dolly’s Home” by Elizabeth Sabaev, 10 (Forest Hills, NY) “Observing My Backyard” by Rishan Chakraborty, 11 (Portland, OR) “The Island” by Madeline Cleveland, 11 (Belleville, WI) “Over the Ditch” by Daniel Shorten, 10 Honorable Mentions “Magnolia Bliss” by Pranjoli Sadhukha, 11 (Newark, OH) “My Backyard” by Reena Bao, 11 (Bedford, MA) “Times of the Day in My Room” by Chelsea Liang, 11 (San Jose, CA) “My Description Paragraphs for Six Days” by Diya Chakrabarti, (Portland, OR) “Our Playground” by Tang Li, 8 (Palmetto Bay, FL) “Interesting” by Ava Shorten, 11 Selected for the Stone Soup COVID-19 Blog “My School” by Feifei Wan, 9 (Portland, OR) Selected for the Stone Soup Blog “Spring in Central Park” by Lila Laton (New York, NY) Writing Classes and Book
Spring, a poem by Porter Younkin, 9
Porter Younkin, 9, Medford, OR Spring Porter Younkin, 9 flowers the, water the, splash the it calms me, cools it, calms down me. just like a rainbow rainbow. seeing doubles.
