August Call for Submissions: The Great Outdoors

With Washington hovering around Phase 2 of reopening, seriously returning to old recreational staples -- community centers, gyms, libraries -- remains a risky prospect for many. Instead, families like my own have looked outwards in order to spend our summer days. And aside from being a safe escape from cabin fever, nature offers opportunity for real inspiration. As John Keats once said, "the Poetry of earth is never dead". 

Whether it's an afternoon in your backyard or a five-mile trek up Wallace Falls, we want to learn about your experiences this summer in The Great Outdoors.

As always, we accept work in every genre, but here are a few suggestions:

• A carefully composed iPhone snap of flora (plants) in your neighborhood.
• The traditional haiku as a simple image of nature.
• Watercolor of your backyard.
• Wilderness survival short story a la Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
• Anything else you'd like to pursue...

Send your work to YouthReview@emeraldparents.org by Friday, August 21st, and don't forget to include information about your school, incoming grade, and a headshot (optional)! We'll be offering contributors a $10 gift card for publication. 
​

Signed,
Victor Xia
Editor, The Emerald Youth Review

Cover art by Cindy Cao, our contributing art editor. ​