Tree Library (watercolor) by Li Lingfei, 10; published in the July/August 2019 issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello, again! Growing up, the public library was my summer haven. I would spend hours alone in the cool, air-conditioned lower level, discovering new books and reading them. It felt like a magical place, where all the sounds and worries of everyday life receded. Now, my daughter and my son are beginning to experience this special library magic as well; every week, they go to a free story time at the same library I frequented every summer as a child. When I tell my daughter we’re going to the library, she yelps with joy—“The library! Hooray!” And in turn, I have a new appreciation for all that libraries have to offer the communities they serve. So, this spring, I am excited to announce that, in honor of both Library Week 2023 and Stone Soup’s 50th anniversary in May, we are running a special fundraising drive to bring Stone Soup to more libraries across the world. From April 23 to May 20, 2023, all donations will go toward gifting a year’s print subscription to Stone Soup to a school or public library (of your choice, or ours!). Please help us celebrate Stone Soup and libraries by making the magazine available to more children across the country—and the world! Warmly, Celebrate National Library Week! Donate a subscription to a library of your choice today! Get your book published by Stone Soup! Stone Soup is thrilled to announce that we are accepting submissions for our annual book contest. This year we once again plan to accept two books for publication: one novel or short story collection and one book of poems. Read the full contest details below and get ready to write! Learn more about our annual book contest. Celebrate Stone Soup’s 50th Anniversary with us! Stone Soup turns fifty this May! Join us Saturday, May 20 at 11 a.m. Pacific time at our Open House and Giveaway for an update on the company from Editor in Chief and Executive Director, Emma Wood; brief readings from recent magazine contributors; and an open discussion about what Stone Soup has meant to you and your family or classroom. Winners of the giveaway—which includes an annual subscription to Stone Soup and a one-on-one writing consultation with Emma Wood among other great prizes—will be announced during the live event. Register for our Open House and Giveaway 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.
bi-weekly
Saturday Newsletter: April 15, 2023
Diversity is Beautiful (iPhone 11) by Tanvi Padala, 11; published in the April 2023 issue of Stone Soup A note from Emma Wood Hello, and happy spring! As I age, the brightness, warmth, and birdsong of spring seems to catch me increasingly off guard. Or maybe it feels this sudden every year, and I simply forget. Either way, I am luxuriating in the change in season. Spring is a time of renewal and celebration—so it is appropriate that Stone Soup will celebrate fifty years next month, in May. To celebrate, we’re planning a few events all month long—make sure you follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop! All of these will culminate in a virtual open house and giveaway on May 20 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Join us for an update on the company from Editor in Chief and Executive Director, me; brief readings from recent magazine contributors; and an open discussion about what Stone Soup has meant to you and your family or classroom. Giveaway items include an annual subscription, a bundle of all of our books by young authors, a voucher for an upcoming Stone Soup camp or workshop, and a one-on-one writing consultation with me. Winners will be selected via random drawings during the live event. We hope to see you there! In line with the celebratory tone of this email and the season, we’re excited to announce that Laura Moran, director of Stone Soup’s Refugee Project, just received a grant from the Australian Anthropological Society, which will fund her next collaborative Stone Soup Refugee Project workshop. Congratulations, Laura! Finally, I would like to announce that Stone Soup is in the process of growing its board, and we are actively searching for a board member with a background in either middle school education or youth libraries. Please reach out if you’re interested, or be in touch if you might be able to connect us with an interested party who fits the description. Warmly, From Stone Soup April 2023 Here Comes Spring by Emma Yang, 8 On the trees Sway pretty leaves, Flowers bloom As I look through my room. Here comes spring, Nature rings. To read more from the April 2023 issue of Stone Soup Magazine, click here. 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.
Saturday Newsletter: April 1, 2023
Longhorn in Bluebonnets (acrylic) by Shaivi Moparthi, 12; published in the April 2023 issue of Stone Soup A note from Caleb Berg Hi Friends, Happy April Fools Day! (Though I promise everything in this newsletter is 100% true.) I know that those of you living in California have seen more than enough rain, but here’s to hoping that the rain brings flowers as vibrant as those in Shaivi Moparthi’s beautiful painting Longhorn in Bluebonnets, the cover photo for our April 2023 issue. Having moved from California to Texas, this painting is particularly resonant; it reminds me of the longhorns and fields of flowers Tayleigh and I drove past as we made our way to Houston. A few notes on the blog. I wanted to remind everyone that we no longer accept fiction or poetry for publication, unless they’re apart of our COVID-19 blog, which is still alive and well! The fact is that we are still living with the effects of COVID, and we want all your art — prose, poetry, non-fiction, visual art, etc. — that explores how you have navigated and/or are navigating a world forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check out some recent publications on the COVID-19 blog, “Home Sick,” a poem by Carolina Ulloa-Compton, 12, and “Out of It,” a poem by Madeline Male, 14. We also receive a vastly disproportionate number of book review submissions, so if you’re looking for a way to get involved as a regular blogger, I’d suggest sending us movie, game, or album reviews, as well as general writing about the world. Get involved! Send me your blog proposals directly at caleb@stonesoup.com, and send me your work via Submittable. Lastly, I’d like to spotlight the work of a Stone Soup alum, Tara Prakash. Tara is a tenth grader who created her own non-profit, Write to Right, in order to teach creative writing to underserved communities in the scope of social justice. Via Write to Right, she has also launched the online literary journal, Between the Lines. Between the Lines is looking for previously unpublished submissions related to any and all social justice issues (gun reform, climate change & the environment, race & identity, etc.) from writers of all ages and geographic locations. They welcome all kinds of written submissions: creative, academic, and journalistic. You can submit to Between the Lines here. For those of who approaching the age cut-off for Stone Soup (and anyone interested in this kind of work), Tara’s initiative is a great one to consider. The world needs more writers and it needs more journals to publish those writers, so why not consider starting one yourself! Regarding our classes: Our spring session is also now open for enrollment. You can purchase tickets here. We decided to cap enrollment at 20 students and to increase tuition accordingly. While we would love to work with as many students as possible, our instructor has found larger class sizes limit his ability to connect to his students and offer feedback. This was the reasoning behind our registration cap. And to make the change sustainable, we needed to increase tuition. Subscribers will now pay $22 per session and non-subscribers will pay $27.50. Please write to stonesoup@stonesoup.com with any questions or concerns. Regarding our book contest: Our 2023 Book Contest has officially launched! If you haven’t already started working on your manuscript, now is the time! If you’d like some help kickstarting the project, we encourage you to sign up for the Design a Novel workshop, run by our partner, Society of Young Inklings. Till next time, 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.
