Try your hand at photography . . . or let it inspire your writing.

Happy Birthday Ansel Adams! Born in 1902, this famous photographer is noted for his pictures of Yosemite.

Exercise 1: Try your hand at photography. Another art form, it may release your creativity in a new way, or inspire your writing. Explore nature with your camera and see the world through your camera lense. Then write about your photographs, using your senses, verbs, and think of how a story could develop in this setting.
Exercise 2: Have you ever been to Yosemite? Any memories there or at another national park? Write a personal narrative or a poem of your experiences at a park or with nature.

Read the book Ansel Adams: America’s Photographer by Beverly Gherman for inspiration and enjoyment. (A fabulous book!)

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Writing Contest for K-3

http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/contest/about_the_contest.html

Here’s a writing contest for primary students in grades K – 3! Reading Rainbow.

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Ready, set, ACTION!

Happy Birthday Karen Silkwood. Born in 1946, Silkwood spoke out about health and safety issues regarding nuclear power fuel rods. She lost her life in an “accident.” Have you seen the movie Silkwood with Meryl Streep?

Choose an issue you feel passionately about and write a piece using anecdotes to move your readers to action!

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Students – – Get Published NOW!

Publications that Accept Student Work
Submit a copy of your work to these magazines after you’ve studied an issue. Guidelines may be on the web. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope, (SASE), with your manuscript if you don’t submit electronically. Magazines go out of business quickly, so check through the website to make sure nothing has changed.

Creative Kids Ages 8-16 Short stories (800-900 words), opinion articles, photographs, puzzles, art, poetry, & plays. Original work; not school assignments. Google Prufrock Press Creative Kids Writer’s and Artist’s Guidelines

Kid Spirit Magazine Ages 11- 15 A nonprofit theme-based magazine about ethics, volunteerism, and everything good about our planet. www.KidSpiritMagazine.com

Merlyn’s Pen www.merlynspen.org Grades 5-8 Stories, plays, poems, essays, word games, puzzles & art.

Stone Soup Box 83, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 www.stonesoup.com
For students up to age 13. Stories, personal experiences, poems, art (pictures should use the whole page) and book reviews. If you would like to illustrate stories, send samples of your art work. (color or black and white)

Teen Ink Box 30, Newton, MA 02461 www.teenink.com For students ages 13-19. Publishes a magazine, book series, website and Poetry Journal. Also accepts art and photography. Visit website for guidelines. Pays for all rights.

Williamette Contest – Kay Snow Awards Contest Held every May.
Google for their new guidelines.

The Writer’s Slate 7619 Hemlock St. Overland Park, KS 66204
[email protected] Include name, school, grade, school & home address & teacher’s name & SASE. Open to students through grade 12.

Young People’s Press www.ypp.net Opinion pieces, news articles, first person stories and profiles. Publishes work by young people ages 14-24.

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Confinement – – Not always bad?

In 1937, dust storms hit Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. People actually tasted dirt when they ate their food. Homeowners plugged window sills and door frames. They hung wet sheets over windows and doors. Dust clouds blocked the sun.

Exercise 1: Read about the “dust bowl.” Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Jerry Stanley’s Children of the Dustbowl, and Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived THe Great American Dust Bowl are good choices. 2. Write a short story or poem about a character in this time period and setting. 3. Write about confinement. Have you ever been forced to stay at home due to weather or another event? How have you used your time? Has it ever been a good experience? You can choose a personal narrative or another form to write about the issue of confining a person to one space.

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Get published in a new zine!

Bread & Circuses is a new zine produced by the members of the Orinda Poetry Project. We welcome submissions of original and unpublished poetry, prose, letters, recipes, reviews, interviews, manifestos, photos, scripts, confessions, paintings, collages, essays, cartoons, found art, and anything else you’d like to contribute. Experimental work is encouraged.

The first issue of Bread & Circuses will be published in March 2009. We review submissions in the order they are received, so submitting sooner is to your advantage.

Submissions should be emailed to breadandcircuseszine(at)gmail(dot)com with “Submission” in the subject line and your full name and phone number in the body of the email.

Attach .doc, .rtf, or .txt files for written work, and .jpgs for artwork. You may include a bio if you like. Artwork should be reproducible in black and white, and nondigital work may be scanned at high resolution or photographed with good lighting and focus. To submit art or writing by postal mail, please email us for guidelines.

You may submit as many things as you like, but keep in mind that we are a small group of people with a relatively small amount of money and aren’t going to publish your 50-page love poem. On a similar note, by submitting to Bread & Circuses, you grant permission for us to publish your work in print and/or online, so do make sure your boyfriend won’t mind that love letter being printed before you send it.

In order to keep the zine free for everyone, we regret that we are unable to pay contributors at this time except with copies and adoration. If we ever start making money, we promise we’ll share it. For now, the printing costs of our first issue are subsidized by a generous grant from Youth Speaks.

Feel free to email us with questions, comments, interesting facts, your favorite kind of candy, and, of course, your submissions. Thanks for your interest!

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Are you superstitious?

It’s Friday the 13th! Are you superstitious? In numerology, the number twelve is considered to be “complete.” It symbolizes the twelve apostles and the numbers on the clock, the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve Gods of Olympus.
But thirteen?
Exercise 1: Are you superstitious? Why or why not? Trace your families beliefs using ancedotes through your life.
2. Write a short story or poem with the theme of superstition.
3. Use this as a story starter: It all began when I walked under the ladder and a black cat screeched in front of me . . .

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Radio in Writing

This day in 1924 was the first presidential radio address, given by Calvin Coolidge.

Exercise 1: What are the first presidential memories you have? Have you ever met a president? Write about your memories in a personal narrative.
2. In your writing today, make sure you don’t forget the sense of sound. It is everywhere around us. We often forget about it in our writing. Emphasize it by writing a paragraph or two with nothing about the sounds in a specific setting.
3. How can you use radio to promote your writing or books?

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Middle School Contra Costa County Writing Contest – Due April 1

California Writers Club
Mt. Diablo Branch, Contra Costa County
YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST
A search for Young Voices who want to be heard in print.
PLEASE PRINT
Name_________________________________________________________________________________
Home Address__________________________________________________________________________
Street City Zip
Home Phone_______________________________E-mail Address _______________________________
School_____________________________________________________________Grade______________
First and Last Name of your English
Teacher________________________________________________________________
Manuscript
Title__________________________________________________________________________________
Manuscript category – please check one:
Short Story (up to 5 pages typed, double-spaced) Poem (up to 30 lines, need not be double-spaced)
Personal Narrative/Essay (up to 3 pages, typed, double-spaced)
Mail submissions to: Young Writers Contest, California Writers Club, PO Box 606 Alamo, CA 94507
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CONTEST GUIDELINES
1. Contest open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who live in or attend school in Contra Costa County.
2. Submit 2 copies of your manuscript. Do not include artwork or a cover. Your manuscript must be typed
or computer generated at 12 point, double-spaced. No staples. Paper clips only.
3. Put your name in the upper left-hand corner of each page. Number each page.
4. Multiple entries are welcome. Each entry must be accompanied by a separate application form (above)
or 3×5 card noting Name, Home Address, Home Phone, School, Grade, E-mail Address, Teacher, Title,
Category. 5. Deadline for submission is 4/01/09. Winners will be announced when judging is complete.
6. INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS BY STUDENTS PREFERRED. TEACHERS: PLEASE ENCOURAGE
STUDENTS TO SUBMIT THEIR STORIES AND POEMS THEMSELVES.
PRIZES: Winning short stories and poems from each grade level will receive $100 for first prize, $50 for
second prize and $25 for third prize. The Betty Tenney Essay Award of $100 will be given to the best
personal narrative/essay in each of grade. Second and third place prizes may be awarded in this category at
the judges’ discretion. Prizes will be presented to winners on May 9, 2009, at a lunch banquet. A published
author will speak. Parents are welcome.
TEACHERS: We are striving to encourage individual creativity and expression. Do not to send entire class
assignments. Teachers of winning students will be invited to attend the May 9 banquet.

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Student Writing Contest – Contra Costa and Alameda, California

23rd Annual California Writers Club
Fifth Grade
STORY CONTEST
A Contest for Fifth Grade Students in Alameda and
Contra Costa Counties
Prizes up to $395
DEADLINE: MARCH 13, 2009

This year we have two important innovations:

We will honor the teacher of the grand prize with a cash award of $50.00, and we will accept an unlimited number of entries rather than the traditional guideline of three per class.

There will be an entry fee of $2.50 per submission. In past years there were two sponsors who contributed cash and printing services. We have not had those sponsors for several years and the members of the writers’ club have been happy to support the contest. Last year the cost of the contest exceeded the total collection of membership dues. We know how teachers and students look forward to the announcement of each year’s contest. The entry fee will allow the club to continue to offer this contest.

Prizes as follows: First place: $100; Second place: $75;
Third place: $50.

Depending on the total number of entries, there will be six to twelve fourth prizes of $20.00.

Preparation of Entries: Stories may be handwritten, typed, or computer printed on one side only of standard 8-1/2×11-inch paper.
+Stories must be original and students’ own work.
+No more than 1000 words in length. Entries cannot be returned.
+Mail on or before March 13, 2009 to: Story Contest, 6801 Wilton Drive
Oakland, CA 94611-1706. Entries will not be accepted directly
from students or parents.
+Write title of story at the top of first page, no author’s name.
+On a cover sheet print clearly: 1) Title of story; 2) Student’s
name; 3) Teacher’s name; 4) School name and address.

Winners will be announced by mid-May. Results will be posted later on www.berkeleywritersclub.org. CWC may publish stories for educational purposes only.

–Lucille Bellucci, Chairwoman, Fifth Grade Writing Contest,
[email protected]

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