Welcome to the thirteenth edition of Scribere! As I'm sure is the case for many of you, school is out, but the summer of 2020 doesn’t hold quite the same feelings and excitements of summers gone by. For many of you, summer camps and activities may have been disrupted, as well as summer travel plans. 

In keeping with Scribere’s mission to inspire youth creativity (especially in times like these), we are excited to announce the Summer of Coronavirus Poetry Competition. Scribere will be accepting poetry submissions from youth ages 11-18 that touch on how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the life of the writer, in ways good or bad, large or small, funny or sad. This competition will be running until September 7th, and all entries will be considered for publication in the Fall 2020 special issue of Scribere. Winners will receive prizes.

     What I love about poetry is that it’s much easier to feel the rhythm of your words. In prose writing, it is difficult to incorporate anything lyrical or lilting due to the utter lack of rhythm; the rhythm of the words is what poetry is all about. Through meter and tone, poetry allows one to express oneself in a much more musical way than other forms of writing, and in a much shorter format. Musicality, I feel, is something that a lot of people need to express during hard times such as these, and for writers like all of you, poetry is the best way to do so. We hope you will consider submitting your work, and we look forward to reading your poetry!

     In this issue of Scribere, you'll find twenty-three pieces of original fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. These stories tell of the importance of hard work and perseverance, of the deaths of loved ones, and the importance of new friendships. For those of you who have been reading the serialized pieces, you'll find the fifth chapter of Abstracts: Seer, the sixth and final part of Panic Pancakes, and the third installation of Who Am I, titled Second Grade, and joining the serialized repertoire is We’re Looking for the Sky.

     Given the continued unique global circumstances that surround the publication of this issue, I hope you, as readers, will find some pleasant absorption in the words of these writers. 

     Stay home, stay safe, and stay creative!

 

-- Keshav D.

Founding Editor, Scribere

An online literary journal for youth ages 11-18. Our mission? To inspire youth creativity.