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.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Why Animation is Important
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. The earliest known animated film was made in France in 1906, titled Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, and was made from chalk pictures. Since then, other small animations were made, but the first animated cartoon with synchronized was made by Walt Disney in 1928, called Steamboat Willie. Many cartoons like this followed, and they were used to entertain viewers with gags and charades of drawn characters. Nine years later, Disney released the first full-length future film, Snow White. And in 1993, software for 3D animation was created. All of these events lead up to the animation and films we see today. From Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse to live action movies with CGI, to popular YouTube animators like the animator Jaiden Animations, animation has become a popular form of storytelling that has helped shape the modern world. Animation is important because it makes us be able to tell stories and communicate emotions and ideas in a unique, easy-to-perceive way that both small children and adults can understand. Animation has helped connect people throughout the world in a way that sometimes writing and live-action films cannot. Today, anyone can pick up a drawing tablet and show their ideas to the world. Drawn figures can be funny, or make something sad or serious have a playful, less intimidating feel to it to make the viewer feel more comfortable. Other times, it allows people to be united by a single passion, such as a fandom, and work on huge projects (called MAPs, which stands for multi animator project) about their interest to make something as high-quality as a professional film, such as The Five Giants [COMPLETE Warrior Cats M.A.P.], regardless of what beliefs and opinions differ. Often, it has simply served as a way to make a heartwarming story that makes you think. Through live-action movies, people can form biases based on appearance and real-life personality of an actor playing a character. But as an animated character, the character feels like their own being. No matter what the exact use, animation is one of the most powerful creative tool we have, and we should continue to use it as a form of uniting people, no matter their beliefs, biases, or interests.
Writing My Own Path
By Sabrina Guo, 12 Writing My Own Path As a child, I loved the smell of libraries. I would flip through the pages of any book, and take a good, long sniff. My favorite scent was sweet–a bit of lemon and coffee, mixed with paper, of course. However, other books had a bitter smell and were covered with all kinds of food stains, which I hated because it reminded me of how books were sometimes treated just as paper and nothing more. I thought of each book as a life–a key to a specific person’s brain. At the same time, I hated books. I respected them and liked their smells, yes, but I absolutely loathed words. Every time I tried to read something as minor as a news headline, words would swarm around me like taunting wasps. While other kids talked about their new favorite books, I was the wallflower, standing away from the crowd and nibbling slowly on my sandwich. A memory: when I was five, I learned that To Kill a Mockingbird was a book loved all around the world. I decided to read it–after all, if there were so many positive reviews, how could I not love it? In addition, I was determined to open myself up and conquer my fear of words. I asked my father to check it out at the library. When he walked through our door with it, I was giddy with excitement. I flipped through it, smelling it like a perfume tester. It was unique and unlike any other book I’d smelled before–like moss drenched in rain, bittersweet and mature. Greedily, I started reading the first page. But almost immediately, dark words started to choke the air around me. The enlarged first letter pounced on top of me, and the rest of the words quickly followed, swimming around me. I tried to push my fears away, telling myself I wasn’t going to be engulfed this time. My fear of reading was going to end right there, right then, that second, with that very book. But because of its advanced language, I had no idea what was happening in the story. It was boring and tiring… and I was only halfway down the first page. I exhaled, telling myself there would be a next time. Then I slammed the book shut in frustration. 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. From there, I decided to experiment with reading again. I borrowed many types of library books, but it was fantasy that finally hooked me. Fantasy made me feel like I was soaring above moonlit clouds, plucking shimmering stars from the sky and collecting them inside of my heart. These stories gave me an amazing sense of freedom, adventure, and suspense. And after a while, my interests expanded to other genres; I even started to read some news articles, which had intimidated me so much before. My father and I like to watch the news together, and last year, as coverage of the refugee crisis increased, he encouraged me to dig deeper into the topic. It can sometimes sound like it’s a simple, fast process to immigrate to the United States; but as I read up on the issue, I discovered that it’s far from easy or quick. It can actually take up to several years to go through all the necessary steps! Even after reaching the U.S., refugees can still face economic and emotional difficulties, along with discrimination. After learning all of this, I decided to write a blog about it, as I am a blogger and contributing writer to the children’s magazine, Stone Soup. I was also inspired to write a poem addressed to refugee children, welcoming them to their new home in the United States. I tried to explain some of things that they might encounter in their new country, from academic pressures to peer pressure. Writing the poem enabled me to think more deeply about what a refugee child might experience after leaving their home country. It challenged me to think outside of my own life and circumstances, and this poem was one of the first works I’d written truly from my heart. Around that time, William Rubel, the founder of Stone Soup, mentioned in his weekly newsletter that he hoped to create a platform to showcase refugee children’s art and writing. Due to my interest in the refugee crisis, I immediately volunteered to help. He suggested that I begin researching organizations, photographers, and artists who were working with refugee children. Through doing this, I found many amazing organizations. One in particular, Another Kind of Girl Collective (AKGC), really struck me. This organization, founded by Laura Doggett, holds photography and film workshops for Syrian refugee girls living in Jordan. AKGC aims to give refugee girls the deeply necessary space, training, and equipment to develop their preferred art forms, along with providing them a platform to share their own stories and experiences. The girls prove themselves not to be passive and tragic beings, which is sometimes how the media portrays them, but rather hardworking, creative, smart, and motivated visionaries. Because of how much I admired Laura’s work, I reached out to her through email, asking if I could interview her. I had doubts about whether she would respond. After all, I was just a twelve-year-old girl, and she was surely busy with her extremely important work. So you can imagine my elation when I did hear back from her! She told me she would be happy to give me an interview. She was heading to Jordan and even invited me
