“u wuld laiike / scarf? Cold Coca-Cola?”

...Little sickle, you are my new moon

What’s behind the golden curtains? [Verse by Aliza Polkes]

The Infinite Minute [A Good Read by Kevin Hong]

At night, the bed became a terrarium … [Pencil Shavings on "Hotel Beds"]

The thrill of being wrong [A Good Read by Laura Wanamaker]

I press the solid force that is right now [Verse by Laurel Durning-Hammond]

Don’t touch that cat! [Five Short Verses by Sadie McCarney]

She smuggled back a piece of sun … [Verse by Ashton Kittredge]

The Naturalists: A reading [Out Loud! by Erica Berry]

First were the broken sunsets … [Fiction by Melanie Wang]

New Pencil Shavings Topics:
• Bridges
• Recycling
Submissions to either topic are due by April 9th.
Note: All past topics are now also open for submissions. Visit the Pencil Shavings collection here.

From the Archive:
• Benjamin Karl takes on the Janice case [Playwriting]
• Listen up, everyone! This is the birth canal. [Nonfiction]
• After this, you will know everything [Fiction]
• On rhyming “prove” with “love” [A Good Read]

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Writing & Publishing News:

• The 2010 Bishop Prizes in the news: “FM Student has the Write Stuff“ [Southern Denton County, Texas]; “Milton Academy Student Recognized for Poem” [Quincy, Massachusetts]

• Kevin Hong, W & P ‘11, received special merit in the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize run by the editors of The Kenyon Review. Read more here.

• Mary Carter, W & P ‘10, Gabriella Fee, ‘10, Kevin Hong, ‘11, Laura Wanamaker, ‘12, and Elana Yoffie, ‘12, received regional recognition in the 2010 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, run by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers to honor “exceptional artistic and literary talent.” Submissions by Fee (poetry and writing portfolio) and by Yoffie (dramatic script), which received Gold Key honors, will enter the national competition. Read more here.

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The Blue Pencil Online is edited and produced by the students in the Writing & Publishing Program at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, in Natick, Massachusetts. The magazine seeks to publish the best of literary work in English by young writers (12–18) around the world.

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Curious about studying writing at Walnut Hill School for the Arts? Contact us here!

Have a question for the Editors? Send an e-mail to: thebluepencil@walnuthillarts.org.

To keep in the TBPO loop, join us on Facebook, and sign up for TBPO updates here.

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Submissions

All features of the site — including Pencil Shavings, Out Loud!, The Draft Board, and A Good Read — are open for submissions through our online Submission Manager. Visit our Writers’ Guidelines for information about how to submit your work.

Read about the new Elizabeth Bishop Prizes in Verse, Fiction, and Playwriting

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Teachers: Download the TBPO Poster for your classrooms!