A conversation between Sarah Hunt, winner of the 2021 Stone Soup Book Contest, and Tristan Hui, former Stone Soup contributor and winner of the 2020 Stone Soup Book Contest, about Sarah Hunt's debut novel, Foxtale.

Foxtale was also a finalist in the youth author (under 25) category for the 2023 Indie Book Awards.

0:34 — What does Stone Soup mean for you?

1:31 — What was the hardest part of the publishing process?

2:32 — How did you come up with the idea for Foxtale?

4:13 — Was there anything you read during the writing process that inspired you?

5:07 — Do you have a favorite character from Foxtale?

5:41 — What impact do you hope Foxtale will have on your readers?

6:53 — During the editing process, how did you decide what to cut and what to keep?

8:42 — Can you talk about your writing process?

11:46 — What advice do you have for other young readers?

12:42 — Has your belief that you're your own target audience helped to deal with outside criticism?

13:33 — What are your future writing goals?

A conversation between Sabrina Guo—activist, former Stone Soup contributor and current Refugee Project Consultant, and nine-time national medalist from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards—and Shivanshi Dutt, poet and former Stone Soup contributor, about Sabrina Guo's debut chapbook Catalogue of Ripening.

0:23 — What first sparked your interest in language and writing?

1:28 — Did certain pieces of literature or media act as inspiration for your chapbook?

3:05 — What is the message behind your poem "Altar for Daughterhood"?

4:29 — How did your voice develop as you wrote Catalogue of Ripening?

5:59 — What was the most memorable part of writing/publishing Catalogue of Ripening?

7:19 — Which poem from Catalogue of Ripening resonates with you the most?

9:28 — What message do you want to convey with Catalogue of Ripening?

10:19 — What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

You can purchase Catalogue of Ripening via our Amazon storefront, here.

Stone Soup contributor Lena Aloise, 12, talks with Stone Soup contributor and winner of the Stone Soup Book Contest 2020 Tristan Hui, 14, about her novel The Other Realm, published on September 1st, 2021. The two also talk about the value of Stone Soup, the nature of inspiration, and the importance of writing as a means of exploring foreign concepts.

If you'd prefer a more streamlined video, take a look at Tristan's book page.

0:20 — How did you first get involved with Stone Soup

1:11 — When submitting to the magazine, would you say you prefer to submit writing, art, or both?

1:57 — What do you feel was the most important skill you learned from the Writing Workshop

2:40 — Where do you get your inspiration, more specifically for your novel The Other Realm?

4:22 — Is there a specific play or theater production from which you draw inspiration?

5:35 — Are characters such as Azalea Morroe inspired by people in your own life?

7:09 — Has writing always been a part of your life/how long have you been writing?

8:39 — Was The Other Realm the first novel/long form fiction piece you'd ever written?

9:28 — What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing The Other Realm?

11:31 — What advice would you give your past self in order to help yourself get through the hard parts?

12:41 — What was your favorite part about writing The Other Realm?

14:01 — Not including your revising processes, how long did it take you to write your novel from start to finish?

15:41 — What would you say is the primary thing you want readers to take away from The Other Realm?

16:48 — If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Our authors tell Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, their favorite things about writing.

0:24 - Tatiana Schrayer, 12

1:07 - Liam Hancock, 12

1:24 - Georgia Marshall, 11

2:07 - Analise Braddock, 9

2:26 - Lucy Rados, 13

2:57 - Shelby Miller, 11

3:10 - Tilly Marlow, 11

3:40 - Katie Pausin, 11

4:03 - Enni Harlan, 13

4:19 - Sasha Miller, 8

4:26 - Lena Aloise, 11

Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Stone Soup newcomer Katie Pausin, 11, about her unfinished picture book about a traveling penguin, how Erin Hunter's Warrior Cats series inspires her to write in different points of view, and the importance of quiet in breeding creativity.

0:19 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:47 - Do you subscribe to Stone Soup and if so for how long have you been a subscriber?

0:54 - Have you ever submitted anything to Stone Soup?

1:12 - Do you think you would want to submit anything in the future?

1:35 - What is your favorite part about the Writing Workshop?

1:55 - Which Writing Workshop was your favorite?

2:16 - What is your favorite part about Book Club?

2:44 - What was your favorite part about the Summer Camp?

3:10 - What was your picture book about?

3:36 - Are there any specific books, authors, or artists that inspire your writing/art?

4:30 - Are there any artists whose work you particularly like?

4:55 - Do you get artistic inspiration from your own life?

5:17 - Do you prefer to write in the genre of personal narrative?

5:45 - What kind of stuff do you like to draw?

6:10 - What is your favorite thing about writing?

6:37 - Do you like to include descriptive language in your writing?

6:45 - What is your favorite thing about art?

7:12 - How much time do you spend writing/making art?

8:18 - Is the art you do for fun different from the art you do for school?

9:23 - Do you think the writing you do for fun is different from the writing you do for school?

10:42 - Do you have a favorite place to write or draw?

11:25 - Is there anything else you want to say?

11:39 - Do you have any advice about art for your peers?

12:58 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

13:36 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Stone Soup newcomer Shelby Miller, 11, about the inspiration she gets from her author grandfather, writing scary stories, and the lovely privacy of writing in her own room.

0:16 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:32 - Do you subscribe to Stone Soup?

0:39 - What have you submitted to Stone Soup?

0:45 - How did it feel to submit something?

0:55 - What was the poem you submitted about and what inspired you to write it?

1:18 - What did you like about the Writing Workshop?

1:29 - What was it like to join the Writing Workshop partway through the summer?

1:52 - Do you have any favorite books or authors you get inspiration from?

2:14 - Do you like writing scary stories?

2:24 - Do you draw on your own life for your writing?

2:42 - What is your favorite thing to write about?

2:50 - How do you make your stories scary?

3:11 - What inspired you to write scary stories?

3:30 - Do you ever scare yourself when you're writing a scary story?

3:44 - What is your favorite thing about writing?

4:06 - What kind of character do you tend to create when writing a scary story?

4:40 - Do you have a favorite place to write?

5:14 - Is there anything else you want to say?

5:27 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

6:06 - What do you like about reading Stone Soup?

6:26 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with third place winner of the 2019 Book contest and winner of the Weekly Flash Contest Nami Gajcowski, 10, about how it felt to finish her novella, Elana, how she decided on its fantastical elements, and the innovative inclusion of emojis.

0:21 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:54 - What is your favorite part about the Writing Workshop?

1:28 - Did you like the Book Club?

1:49 - What inspired you to write and submit a novella to the Book Contest?

2:48 - How long did it take to write?

3:10 - How did it feel to submit the novella? Was it your first time submitting to a contest?

3:41 - Do you think that writing a novella has inspired you to write more long form fiction?

3:57 - Did writing and submitting your second novella feel different from the first time?

5:18 - What made you decide to write your novella within the fantasy genre?

5:52 - How did you decide to set your novella on Neptune?

6:49 - Can you explain your use of emojis?

7:24 - How did you decide to write your protagonist the way you did?

8:02 - How did you decide to name her "Elana"?

8:58 - How did you decide what the primary conflict would be and why did you name the villain "Casey"?

9:32 - What made you decide to add all the fantastical elements to your novella, like the sweets?

9:59 - How did it feel to win third place?

10:25 - Were you surprised?

10:38 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

11:35 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with winner of the Weekly Flash Contest Tilly Marlow, 11, about her favorite authors, the perspective that comes with writing in a tree, and the beauty of sharing one's thoughts in writing.

0:19 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:44 - Do you subscribe to Stone Soup and if so for how long?

1:04 - How did it feel to submit to a contest?

1:30 - Have you submitted anything to the magazine?

1:45 - What is your favorite thing about the Writing Workshop?

2:47 - Do you remember having a favorite Writing Workshop? If so, which one?

3:09 - What is your favorite thing about Book Club?

3:33 - Do you have a favorite book from Book Club?

3:47 - Did you do any of the Summer Camps?

3:58 - Are there any specific books or authors that inspire your writing?

4:20 - What is it about your favorite author's writing that you like?

4:36 - Is fantasy your favorite genre to write in?

4:48 - Which specific types of fantasy do you like best?

5:17 - Do you get writing inspiration from your own life?

5:33 - What is your favorite thing to write about?

5:54 - Do you write both prose and poetry?

6:10 - How much time do you spend writing?

6:38 - Do you have a favorite place to write?

6:57 - What is it about writing in a tree that you like?

7:18 - Do you prefer writing on paper over typing?

7:28 - Do you find that there's a difference between the two?

8:15 - Is the writing you do for fun different from the writing you do for school?

8:53 - What is your favorite thing about writing?

9:37 - When did you first start writing?

9:46 - Do you think your writing preferences have changed over time?

10:24 - Are there any specific techniques you often use when writing?

10:58 - Is there anything else you'd like to say?

11:18 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

11:44 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Stone Soup newcomer Sasha Miller, 8, about how it feels to submit to a magazine, her favorite author, and writing scary stories.

0:19 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:29 - How long have you subscribed to Stone Soup?

0:40 - Have you submitted anything to Stone Soup?

0:57 - Was it your first time submitting something? How did it feel?

1:21 - What do you like best about the Writing Workshop?

1:36 - What was it like to join the Writing Workshop partway through the summer?

2:02 - Do you have any favorite books or authors?

2:30 - What do you like to write about?

2:41 - How do you come up with the ideas for your stories?

2:57 - Do you have a favorite place to write?

3:12 - Who in your life inspires you to write?

3:35 - What is your favorite thing about writing?

4:04 - Has Stone Soup been helpful to you?

4:15 - What is your favorite thing about reading Stone Soup?

4:54 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

5:43 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

Stone Soup contributor and 2020-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with contributor (in art and writing), three time winner of the Weekly Flash Contest, and co-second place winner of the 2019 Book Contest Analise Braddock, 9, about the freedom of creativity and the long, arduous, but rewarding project of writing a book of poems.

0:22 - How were you introduced to Stone Soup?

0:35 - What is your favorite part about the Writing Workshop?

0:54 - What is your favorite thing about writing?

1:19 - What is your favorite thing about art?

2:05 - What inspired you to submit to the Book Contest?

2:41 - How did it feel to submit something to a contest?

3:27 - How did it feel to win second place?

3:58 - Where were you when you found out you'd won second place?

4:38 - How long did it take to find out?

5:50 - Do you have any writing advice for your peers?

6:28 - If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?

7:04 - Is the writing you do for fun different from the writing you do for school?