Our June 2023 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #256 (provided by Stone Soup intern Sage Millen), which asked that participants write an unusually specific story, one in which a parachutist lands next to the protagonist while the protagonist is sitting on the lawn. The rest of the details, however, were left to the brilliant imaginations of our participants, and they did not disappoint. Submissions ranged from a story about a clueless time traveler named Bob to a story about unsuccessfully meeting a Mr. Beast challenge to a story about two boneheaded “heroes” too focused on who saved their town the most. This week, due to a high volume of stories good enough to be selected for Honorable Mentions, we only chose four winners—two of whom are actually twins!—instead of our usual five, because it was too difficult to elevate one of our honorable mentions over the others. As always, thank you to all you participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Honorable Mentions, listed below, and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “The Spy from the Sky” by Ariel Makri Levy, 11 “The First Snow” by Evelyn Lien, 12 “The Landing” by Isabelle Lien, 12 “Shoot the Moon” by Maya Ruben, 12 Honorable Mentions “Dandelion” by Han-ya Chen, 11 “One Day, One Short Life” by Sophie Li, 12 “Recruiting Mr. Pineapple” by Chloe Lin, 10 “The Heroes of Graztown” by Meg Schmit, 10 “Bob” by Ariel Zhang, 11 The Spy from the Sky Ariel Makri Levi, 11 Willow the fox cascaded down his velvet red staircase, plummeting towards the plate full of breakfast tacos. The kitchen, with wood-paneled cabinets, looked seemingly dormant. He had barely touched them when his sisters, Anne and Chiquita, rocketed out from under the yellow-painted table and seized the tacos. Willow let out a gasp, before regaining his senses and lunging for the tacos and, with one in his hand dashed out their red front door, the knocker letting out a large KNOCK as the door slammed shut. Willow let out a huge sigh of relief, and plonked himself on the lovely, fluffy grass in his front lawn. He had nearly finished his chicken-corn-chip taco when he spotted a small rectangle-shaped silhouette gliding down from the sky. Alarmed, Willow quickly ran into his makeshift tent he had made the night before and ducked for cover. He heard a rustle in the grass outside, and a whimper of, “Oh, no! The boss will be so mad at me now that I’ve accidentally landed in the Fox Lands!” Willow, slowly but surely, inched out of his tent and stared at what was before him. A flying squirrel with a parachuting helmet and gear had just landed in his front lawn! “Hello?” Willow asked. The flying squirrel jumped up with a jolt and quickly turned around. “Aaaughh! It’s a fox!” screamed the frightened parachuter. “Calm down, calm down. What even are you? You don’t look like a regular squirrel,” said Willow. The parachuter’s face turned a bright shade of pink and he slowly folded out his arms. Willow expected his arms to fold out on their own, but a thin flap of skin connected his arms and legs together, like a parachute! “What’s your name?” asked Willow. “My name’s Jello. Jello Gelatinno Spaghetto Pizzapayo. I work for the Suspiciously Unidentifiable Squirrel Spy Youngsters.” “Did you come to spy on the foxes?” Willow asked suspiciously. “No, no, no! This was all a gargantuan mistake! I meant to land on the Wolf Lands. You know, where the “brave,” “helpful,” and “awesome” wolves live?” Willow shrugged. “Yes, I know.” “So anyway,” Jello continued, “a bizarre force was pushing me back and not allowing me to enter their territory.” “What do you and your squirrel company even want?” questioned Willow. “You see, my boss, Sir Squeaksqueak, is making me perform a bunch of rigorous tasks like spying on the Mad Wolves, sabotaging and preventing them from being wicked, that sort of stuff, and I only get 15 dollars per hour! For being a spy and potentially putting my life in danger!” “I will help you!” announced Willow in triumph. “I am dying for adventure!” After they had both trundled up the stairs to his room, Willow took a blank paper out from his drawer and started writing. Jello leaned in a bit, but Willow’s fur was so puffy, he couldn’t see anything. Willow spun 90 degrees in his chair to look at Jello, with his paper in his sweaty palm. “This is the plan.” he announced. “We will start our own spy business, people will come to us when they need to know something or when they need to protect someone, and if they ask if it’s federally acceptable, we’ll just say we have a relationship with a friend of the president of the Squirrel Lands.” “It’ll be called the Brilliant Anonymous Super Spy Federation!” said Jello. “Are you sure you want to leave The Squirrel Lands?” asked Willow. “Yes, I’m sure,” Jello confirmed, “I think it’s time to take my own path in life.” They marched together out of Willow’s house, and with the parts of Willow’s makeshift tent, they quickly constructed a small cabin with a sign on it reading, “The Brilliant Anonymous Super Spy Federation, your wish is our command.” Customers quickly started coming in, and Jello and Willow were swamped with work. Who knew there was so much drama in the Fox Lands? 12 years later Willow and Jello were strolling down the streets, looking for somewhere to sit down and have a nice cup of coffee. “Hey, look, a veggieterean cafe!” Willow said. “It’s ‘vegetarian,’ not ‘veggieterean.’ Anyway, I’m up for a nice cup of vegetarian coffee!” said Jello. They strutted into the coffee shop, and none other but Jello’s former boss, Sir Squeaksqueak, was sitting at one of the tables! “Hi, what’s up?” asked Jello. “I just want to say I’m really sorry,” Sir Squeaksqueak said, “for making you
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Saturday Newsletter: June 17, 2023
Silver Specks, collaborative piece (mixed media) by Georgia Marshall; created during the Half-Baked Art Exchange and published on the Refugee Project site A note from Laura Moran Greetings all, I hope everyone’s summer vacation is officially off to a great start! This Tuesday, June 20th, is World Refugee Day, a day of observance to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and to demonstrate a commitment that the world’s forcibly displaced people are not left behind. We at Stone Soup are committed to providing a platform to showcase the creative works of refugee youth. Through the Stone Soup Refugee Project, we have collected over 300 pieces of creative works—including paintings, photography, poetry and plays—from children living in refugee camps and host countries around the world. I invite you to take some time this month to explore the wealth of material displayed on the Refugee Project web portal. The Stone Soup Refugee Project has also facilitated a number of initiatives to encourage engagement between our Refugee Project contributors and our broader readership. Among these is the Half-Baked Art Exchange, the work produced in which you can now explore on our newly created web page! This workshop, offered in collaboration with My Start Project, provided an opportunity for Stone Soup participants to engage with a piece of artwork created by a young person living in Kakuma Refugee Camp. If you are interested in the Refugee Project and are looking for a way to get involved while also sharpening your writing skills, please consider joining me in my virtual studio summer camp, Anthropology of the Everyday: The Art of Creative Nonfiction, July 24th through 27th. In this camp, students will learn to write personal narrative essays using the techniques of ethnographic writing, which emphasize storytelling and “thick description,” and are a staple of anthropologists in their research and writing. As part of the Refugee Project, participants in this class will have a follow up opportunity to participate in an exchange of the creative writing they produce in class with young people living in refugee camps. Additionally, participants’ writing will be displayed on the Stone Soup Refugee Project portal. Finally, please consider donating to the Stone Soup Refugee Project in order to ensure the continuation of this creative outlet for refugee youth and the further development of Refugee Project initiatives such as those described above. With thanks and best wishes, Donate to the Refugee Project today Register for Anthropology of the Everyday Anthropology of the Everyday: The Art of Creative Nonfiction July 24–27; 1–3 pm PT Taught by Laura Moran, cultural anthropologist and Stone Soup’s Refugee Project director, this course instructs students in a method of personal writing called autoethnography that combines storytelling with details about your daily life. Explore more summer camp offerings Intro to Publishing June 19–22; 1–3 pm PT Once your story is written, where does it go? Join Carmela Furio, Stone Soup’s production coordinator, in a deep dive into the basics of publishing. Campers will also learn how to start and run a literary magazine! Intro to Poetry: The Image and the Line June 26–29; 9–11 am PT In this class, Emma Wood, Executive Director & Editor in Chief of Stone Soup, invites you to immerse yourself in what a poem is and what it can do. Students will write their own poetry, shaking themselves out of established modes of thinking. Genre 101 June 26–29; 1–3 pm PT Carmela is teaching a second camp about some of your favorite types of fiction! Explore science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, and magical realism, and learn new techniques to confidently write in different genres. The Art of the Personal Essay July 10–13; 9–11 am PT Emma’s second course will introduce you to the beauty of creative nonfiction as well posit some ethical questions for consideration and discussion—such as “What if my mom reads it!” Campers will also experiment with the form by writing their own essays. Advanced Novel Writing July 17–20; 9–11 am PT In Writing Instructor Conner Bassett’s course, learn the basic techniques of good storytelling, such as setting, plot, character, dialogue, and more! Brainstorm concepts and share ideas for your novel that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. Freedom through Constraint: Experiments in Poetry & Prose July 24–27; 9–11 am PT In this workshop taught by Stone Soup Blog Editor Caleb Berg, campers will study and use self-imposed constraints such as omitting specific letters and patterns of repetition in order to maximize the untapped potential of their work. The goal is not necessarily to make sense but to excite the senses! Playwriting August 7–10; 1–3 pm PT Conner will also teach a class about the history and craft of writing drama. Campers will ponder the practicalities and philosophies of the art form as well as work on developing their own 10-minute play! Click here to see more course offerings from Society of Young Inklings. Buy one, get one half off! Share the gift of Stone Soup with your friends and family! Free submissions to the magazine, access to 20+ years of digital archives, and new issues bimonthly. When you buy one Annual Print + Digital subscription to Stone Soup, we’ll send you a coupon code to purchase a second, half off! Don’t miss your chance to save on the magazine 100% written and illustrated by kids since 1973. Shop our Summer Sale Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498.
Poetry Soup Ep. 11 – “A Painter’s Thoughts (1)” by John Yau
Poetry Soup – Ep. 11: “A Painter’s Thoughts (1)” by John Yau Transcript: Hello, and welcome to Poetry Soup! I’m your host, Emma Catherine Hoff. Today I’ll be talking about the poem, “A Painter’s Thoughts (1),” one of many poems of the same title by the American poet John Yau. John Yau was born on June 5, 1950, in Lynn, Massachusetts. His parents emigrated from China, and Yau’s Chinese heritage is a constant theme in his poetry, especially in his O Pin Yin sonnets, featured in his book of poetry, Genghis Chan on Drums. This book was published in 2021, and includes the poem I’ll be reading today. In addition to being a poet, Yau is a critic, and writes a lot about art. He also teaches art history. He is a recipient of the Academy of American Poets Lavan Award and the Guggenheim Fellowship. He was once the arts editor of the publication The Brooklyn Rail, but now he is an editor at Hyperallergic. He also runs a publishing press called Black Square Editions. As well as speaking about “A Painter’s Thoughts (1),” I will also comment on Yau’s poem “The Philosopher (1).” Yau also has many poems by the name of “The Philosopher.” After William Bailey (1930-2020) I want to paint in a way that the “I” disappears into the sky and trees The idea of a slowed down, slowly unfolding image held my attention Variations on a theme are of no interest. A bowl and cup are not ideas. I want my painting to be what it contains: it should speak, not me The idea of a slowed down, slowly unfolding image held my attention I paint things made of clay, just as the pigments I use come from the earth I want my painting to be what it contains: it should speak, not me Brown and ochre stoneware bowls beside a white porcelain pitcher I paint things made of clay, just as the pigments I use come from the earth I place the pale eggs on a dark, unadorned tabletop and let them roll into place Brown and ochre stoneware bowls beside a white porcelain pitcher The dusky red wall is not meant to symbolize anything but itself I place the pale eggs on a dark, unadorned tabletop and let them roll into place I want to paint in a way that the “I” disappears into the sky and trees The dusky red wall is not meant to symbolize anything but itself Variations on a theme are of no interest. A bowl and cup are not ideas. “A Painter’s Thoughts (1)” is after William H. Bailey, a realist artist. Bailey’s art often features still lifes, which Yau shows in his poem by saying, “I paint things made of clay…” Yau also says that Bailey’s art is not meant to symbolize anything, it is simply meant to convey the beauty of ordinary things ( “a bowl and cup are not ideas”). In a way, his art shows that things don’t have to have meaning in order to be wondrous. This is also shown when Yau says, “The dusky red wall is not meant to symbolize anything but itself.” Bailey’s “thoughts” also show that every viewer should be able to interpret art in their own way, based on what the painting tells them, not the artist (“I want my painting to be what it contains: it should speak, not me”). Something that stands out about this poem is the form. First of all, each stanza is two lines, and there is lots of interlocking repetition. The last line of the first stanza is the first line of the third stanza, the last line of the second stanza is the first line of the fourth stanza, etc. Because each stanza is very brief, the lines are long, showing the reader how a painter thinks. I wrote my own poem based on “The Painter’s Thoughts,” My poem is called “The Lecturer,” about one of the characters in one of my favorite movies, “Karnavalnaya Noch,” or “Carnival Night.” The movie makes fun of the lecturer, as it is a Soviet movie making fun of such bureaucratic figures as himself. It goes like this: Lecture notes crisp in his pocket, he is given the choice to enjoy the party or ruin it. He becomes drunk on good intentions – this is the man we all know. He is given the choice to enjoy the party or ruin it. He calls out from backstage for signs of life. This is the man we all know, pointing to the stars. He calls out from backstage for signs of life, both in the crowd and on Mars. Pointing to the stars, he finds nothing but another glass of wine. Both in the crowd and on Mars, organisms cannot resist parties. He finds nothing but another glass of wine, lecture notes crumpled in his fist. Organisms cannot resist parties, he becomes drunk on his happiness. My poem has the same structure as John Yau’s poem. However, it describes the lecturer as an outside viewer might, which is not what Yau does. In his series of poems, every one modeled after a different painter, Yau is brave enough to enter the painter’s mind just by looking at their work. This is a very unique form of ekphrasis. Rather than describing the art, it uses it to show what the painter was thinking when making it. This, I think, can be done even with poetry. Because the narrator in John Yau’s poem is the painter, it manages to convey much more feeling, makes the reader wonder what the painter was really thinking about when creating their paintings, and almost combines the poet and the painter as one person – one artist. John Yau does something similar in his series of poems, “The Philosopher.” The point of both series of poems is to
