Write a story, and have it recorded and broadcast as a podcast episode Stone Soup has partnered with AV Education, a South African nonprofit organization that produces By Kids For Kids – Story Time Podcast, a podcast series featuring children’s stories performed by kids as audio dramas. Until now, the stories they have recorded have been classic tales written by adults for children. Now, we are working together to give voice to new stories written by the young writers of today! We are looking for original short stories, between 500-1,000 words long, by kids aged 13 and under. 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 fairytale. 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 top prize is to have your story turned into a podcast episode, performed by the Story Time cast of 1 lead narrator and up to 4 character actors. It is a serious topic, but we are looking for stories that are fun, with a sense of drama, and some scope for silliness in the podcast performance. Contest Details Topic: Climate change or other environmental issue. Length: 500 – 1,000 words. Deadline: April 15, 2019 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time). Submission: via the Stone Soup Submittable portal, in the specific Contest category. Results: We will select three winners, plus runners up. Prizes: The winners will receive the following prizes: First place – your story made into an episode of Story Time podcast, and published in an issue of Stone Soup, plus a one-year digital subscription to Stone Soup and a copy of theStone Soup Book of Fantasy Stories. Second place – your story published in an issue of Stone Soup, plus a one-year digital subscription to Stone Soupand a copy of theStone Soup Book of Fantasy Stories. Third place – your story published in an issue of Stone Soupand a copy of theStone Soup Book of Fantasy Stories. Commendations – up to three runners up will receive a copy of the Stone Soup Book of Fantasy Stories. Publication: We will consider all stories submitted as part of the contest for potential publication, and as potential future stories for podcasting. Further information and advice Our best advice to all entrants is to listen to some past episodes of the podcast, to get a feel for the style that works for performance. Remember: Your story should have a narrator, with liberal use of direct speech, but it should not be an audio drama script! Podcast episodes are performed by 1 lead narrator with up to 4 character actors, so think about how many voices you are writing into your story. It’s always more fun to perform (and to listen) when there is a strong story, and perhaps some exaggeration. We value silliness! Even in the most serious of stories, just to lighten it up. Although message is important, the story must come first! There’s no point in having an important message if the story is weak. Your story will be adapted for dramatized performance, and the best dramas follow a structure. Ideally your story should have: Exposition: set the scene – who, what, where, etc. Protagonist vs Antagonist? Problem: an obstacle, problem or task that needs to be overcome. Climax: rising tension leads to tackling the problem. Denouement: tie up the loose ends, what happens in the end.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Congratulations to Stone Soup contributor Abhi Sukhdial, Oklahoma recipient of the Nicholas Green Distinguished Award 2019!
Abhi with his family at the award ceremony Some great news from one of our Stone Soup contributors All of us at Stone Soup were thrilled to hear that Abhi Sukhdial, Stone Soup blogger, reviewer, and artist, was the 2019 Oklahoma recipient of the Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award. The award is given each year to one deserving 3rd-6th grade student in each of the 50 states. 5th grader Abhi (described at the ceremony as a “writer, artist, musician–and black belt!”) formally received his award at the annual OAGCT (Oklahoma Association for the Gifted, Creative and Talented) event on February 16th in Edmond, OK. When his mother shared the good news (and some pictures) with us, we were so touched by what she said in her letter: “Thanks to the whole Stone Soup team for supporting Abhi’s love for creative self-expression. We, as his parents, hope he will continue writing, and creating works of art that inspire him and others…” The team at Stone Soup certainly hopes so too! Thank you, Sukhdial family–and many, many congratulations to you, Abhi, on your great achievement! About the award The Nicholas Green Distinguished Award, a $500 award, is designed to recognize excellence in young children and is awarded to one student in each state who is in grades 3, 4, 5, or 6, and has distinguished himself or herself in academics, leadership, or the arts. Originally the award program was established through funds provided by Maggie and Reg Green in honor of their seven-year-old son Nicholas, who tragically died during a family vacation in Europe. The Greens feel it is important to recognize gifts and talents in children who are now at the age that Nicholas was when he passed away. In Oklahoma, the award is conferred by OAGCT (Oklahoma Association for the Gifted, Creative and Talented). Details can be found at www.oagct.org. Abhi’s essay “Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Already Taken.” -Oscar Wilde When I write, I feel I am most myself. I’m a very quiet kid, but when I write, my ideas explode with imagination. I love writing and thinking about my own thoughts as no one is there to bother me. I started to read when I was two years old, and began writing a few years later, first with a pencil/pen, and then later on my home computer. I have so many stories and ideas for stories that I keep going back to time and time again. I especially love to write stories about great adventures. I also love to read, and I’ve gotten so many ideas from different books I’ve read. For me, reading and writing are two related things. Because reading a book can give you great ideas for your own book. This year, for the first time, several of my stories as well as some art pieces I created were published in Stone Soup, a children’s literary magazine (written by and for children 13 years and younger). I love that Stone Soup allows you to write whatever you want in your own style, so I became a blogger and started writing and submitting video game, book and movie reviews hoping they would get selected. When my first piece (a book review of Holes) was published online and then was later chosen to be included in the 2018 Best of Stone Soup Annual (Print Edition), I was extremely astounded and it motivated me to write more. Below is a list of stories, articles, and art that were published in 2018 and/or awards I have received: Stone Soup Magazine ( https://www.stonesoup.com/) – “Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild” (video game review) – “The Breadwinner ” (movie review) – “Holes” (book review) – “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (book review) – “The Crossover” (book review) – “Holes” included in selected blog pieces in the Stone Soup Annual 2018 – “Summer in India 2018” (diary pages with drawings) – “Pink” (abstract art drawing); printed in Stone Soup magazine, June 2018 issue and included in the Stone Soup Annual 2018 KidsWorld Fun International Short Story Contest (http://www.kidsworldfun.com/) -“All about Abhi” chosen as one of the Outstanding short stories in sub-junior category (7-9 years old) Skipping Stones Magazine (http://www.skippingstones.org/) – Art piece “Sun” published in Autumn 2018 Youth Honor Awards Issue, September 2018 PTA Reflections Arts-in-Education Program (http://www.pta.org/) – “All about Abhi” selected as city wide and state winner in Literature category (2016) – “Diary of a Hindu Hero” selected as city wide winner in Literature category (2017) – “Dadaji” selected as city wide and state winner in Literature category (2018) – “The Chosen” selected as city wide winner in Literature category; advanced to state round of competition (2019) – “An Unusual Sunday,” an original film, selected as city wide winner in Film/Video Production category; advanced to state round of competition (2019) Writing has always shaped my ideas. I want to show my friends the cool stories I write so that they will be really surprised. When I grow up, I want to be a writer and have my stories published worldwide. My strong interest in reading/writing and math has helped me get straight A’s so far in elementary school, and this past December (as a 5th grader), I received for the first time a 7.4 in STAR Reading and >8th grade level score in STAR Math. I am really proud of this, and I hope I can continue working hard and doing well in school. While I really love creative writing, I also want to talk about two other interests of mine. 1) After five years of taking karate classes, I finally passed my Black Belt karate exam on December 1, 2018 and am now an official “black belt” in karate. Karate has taught me how to defend myself if someone ever bullies or attacks me. 2) I started taking both piano and violin at five years of age, and in 2018, I entered my first piano competition and earned I+ (the highest score available) in both the District and State
Saturday Newsletter: March 2, 2019
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
