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Gateway to Darkness, writing and photography by Grace Williams, 13

When the first person tested positive with COVID-19, the virus was only in China. But soon, as people traveled and spread germs and bacteria, the virus traveled all the way to the US. I live in New York, and right now there are more than 50,000 citizens in the state that have been diagnosed with COVID-19. We have not been quarantined (yet), but we are participating in social distancing and distance learning for school. When I took this photo, I was on a walk with my mother and sister. Because we live in a small town that’s walkable, this was a refreshing way to get exercise because we were stuck in our house all day. It was breezy outside, the kind of weather you expect when you know it’s about to start pouring rain at any minute. We went on the walk anyway, despite the threatening skies, for a breath of fresh air. I noticed how dark the sky was, and the contrast showed greatly against the blue sky that was barely still there. I looked up and said, “Wow, this really sets the mood of life right now–dark, stormy, and cold. No blue skies ahead, as far as we could possibly see.” We don’t know when this pandemic will cease or when scientists will find a cure. But what we do know is that if you wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, only talk to people virtually or when they are six feet away, keep your hands away from your face and most important–practice social distancing, you are decreasing your risk of contracting the virus and spreading it to others. We can only hope that our situation ends soon. Stay safe and be well.     Grace Williams, 13 Katonah, NY

Daily Creativity #10: Create an Art Piece of One of Your Happiest Moments

Create a visual representation of one of your happiest moments. You could re-stage it for a photograph, paint it with watercolors, or use any other medium that you can come up with. Today’s project is an art project. You can approach this project by being literal–you depict in a painting, drawing, or photograph exactly what you are remembering. But it is also possible to approach this more impressionistically–a sky full of fireworks, a flying bird, a lovely flower, might be ways to express the right feeling of happiness that the moment made you feel.     

Saturday Newsletter: January 18, 2020

“Snow Over Clouds” by Hannah Parker, 12 Published in Stone Soup December 2018 A note from Sarah Ainsworth Having grown up in California, I can’t say that I am very familiar with snowy, cold winters. But now, living in Canada for graduate school, it’s something I am slowly getting used to. This week, I had a snow day, where class was cancelled– a first for me! This made me want to revisit some of the excellent work that Stone Soup has published over the years with wintery subjects. From December 2018, “Snow in Clouds” (pictured above) is a beautiful photograph by Hannah Parker. Not only are the colors mesmerizing, but also the composition is very appealing. Hannah’s photo follows the rule of thirds, which is a classic photography rule, but modifies it slightly by rotating it and having the subjects diagonal. The result is an eye-catching photo that served as a stunning wrap-around cover for Stone Soup. There has also been some wonderful writing published in Stone Soup on the subject of snow. “Snowmen” by Sharon Wang, features some descriptive language that captures the atmosphere of a Michigan winter. Eliza Wagner’s poem “Snow” uses spacing to create a rhythm that feels like you are watching snowflakes falling outside. And those are just two examples! If you, like me, find yourself with extra time indoors this weekend trying to stay warm, I’d highly suggest going through the past issues of Stone Soup we have on the website. Maybe you have a theme in mind, or maybe you’re just looking to explore the past issues generally. In any case, leave a comment on any stories, art, poetry or reviews that strike you. Happy weekend, Highlights from the past week online Don’t miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com! Daniel Zhu, 10, reviews “Undying Glory” by Clinton Cox. Read the review to find out more about the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, which was composed of Black soldiers who fought in the American Civil War for the Union army. Daniel recounts how the soldiers of the 54th Regiment were consistently treated unfairly, and what he thinks we should take away from the story today. In “An Early Morning,” new blogger Sophia Libman writes about a run she participated in with her dad and brother. Though it was challenging, Sophia enjoyed herself and writes that she “was smiling ear to ear” at the end of the run. Read more about Sophia’s experience on the blog. Sabrina Guo, 13 From Stone Soup January 2020 Huài shì hǎo shì (Evil Things, Good Things) By Sabrina Guo, 13 (Oyster Bay, NY) Every New Year’s Eve, my friend tells me she smashes six pomegranates on her lawn, and when I ask her why, she says it is because she is Greek, and when I want to understand more of what she means, I read up on pomegranates in Greek mythology, discovering that after Persephone was abducted by Hades and joined him in the underworld, her mother Demeter mourned by drying the Earth in a long, cold winter, until Zeus arranged for Persephone’s return, but because Persephone had been tricked into eating six pomegranate seeds, she had to return to Hades to spend every winter with him in the darkness, …/MORE 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. Stone Soup’s Advisors: Abby Austin, Mike Axelrod, Annabelle Baird, Jem Burch, Evelyn Chen, Juliet Fraser, Zoe Hall, Montanna Harling, Alicia & Joe Havilland, Lara Katz, Rebecca Kilroy, Christine Leishman, Julie Minnis, Jessica Opolko, Tara Prakash, Denise Prata, Logan Roberts, Emily Tarco, Rebecca Ramos Velasquez, Susan Wilky.