Say YES to Kids—Support Stone Soup Today

TLDR: Stone Soup Magazine , the non-profit literary magazine 100% written and illustrated by kids, has been helping kids find and develop their voices since 1973. Like all print publications, we are in transition as digital media changes the publishing world. Under new leadership for the first time in its history, the magazine is poised to re-launch itself for the next generation—and we invite you to join us in our mission of empowering youth around the world.

The Full Story:

Hi. I’m Emma. For the past six years, I’ve served as the editor of Stone Soup Magazine (https://stonesoup.com), the nonprofit literary magazine 100% written and illustrated by kids. Once called "The New Yorker of the 8 to 13 set,” we publish a bimonthly print magazine of poetry, fiction, essays, and artwork and run an annual book contest, which feeds our growing catalog of novels and poetry collections by young writers.

I am also a writer. I always have been. But I didn’t always believe that I was.

I still remember the precise moment this changed: Dec 6, 2014. I received a brief email that a journal I admired had accepted three of my poems. Starting that day, I could finally ‘own’ the title of writer—that day, I knew I was part of a conversation, a community.

Publication is so much more than a credential: for a young writer or artist, it is permission, validation, motivation, inspiration, and invitation all at once.

What we offer youth across the world—including those displaced by global conflict, via our Refugee Project —is the power of that first yes: Yes, you can do this. Yes, you can be whatever you want to be. Yes, you deserve to be heard. Yes, you matter. Yes, you are the author of your own life.

As one parent of a Stone Soup author wrote, “[My daughter] does not fit into school culture and she struggles socially with the kids and their behavior and what interests them. Her writing has been an outlet for everything she sees in the world, and it just poured out of her unprompted by my husband and me. For her to be rewarded and honored for [her writing] has been a game changer for her confidence.”

We are a nonprofit, and we will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary in May 2023. However, like most journals and newspapers, Stone Soup is finding its way in the digital era. Many literary journals have gone solely digital, cutting out many print and production costs. But that is not an option for Stone Soup: our readers are kids. Their parents want them to read in print, and we do too—because part of our mission is to cultivate the kind of deep focus that only comes through screen-free time.

Please say yes and join us today—so that we can continue saying yes to the next generation of writers, artists, filmmakers, editors, professors, painters, and more. So that we can say yes to the kids who are used to hearing no.

Our goals for this year include:

P.S. No contribution is too small. Every gift gets us further to our goal of supporting young writers and artists.

Where your money will go…

$25

One donation at this amount will cover one hour of curriculum development

$125

Three donations at this amount cover one month of typesetting the magazine

$287.88

One donation at this amount will fund our Adobe subscription for one year

$437.50

Two donations at this amount will cover one month of magazine production costs

$800

One donation at this amount will cover one month of outreach and research to expand the Refugee Project

$1200

Two donations at this amount cover one month of editorial costs for the magazine

$5000

One donation at this amount will enable us to complete our website redesign; two will enable us to complete our free curriculum resources. Individuals/Families who donate at this level will be invited to quarterly meetings with leadership to discuss the longterm vision and strategy of the magazine.

Recognition for Donors:

Institutions that give at least $5,000 and Individuals/Families that give at least $1,000 will be acknowledged on our website for two years and in the magazine for two years. They will also be recognized in all books published in the next twelve months. Finally, anyone donating at this level will have the option to dedicate an issue of Stone Soup to an individual. Dedications will appear on the first page of the issue.

Taxes and Matching Gifts:

As we are a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, your donation may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by applicable law. Stone Soup is additionally registered with several corporate matching programs—please check with your employer to determine if they are able to match your gift and double your impact.

Photo credit for our banner image goes to Sage Millen, 14.

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