Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things (Volume 1, Issue 2)

Young Readers Make Great Writers.

Ask any successful author how they got their start, and they'll tell you that when they were young they loved reading. One of the foundational goals of Ember is to foster the next generation of great writers by providing them with excellent reading material now. We believe that people who learn to love reading at an early age are more likely to seek knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Those who then learn to love writing often go on to apply creativity and problem solving to those same critical disciplines—underscoring the importance of solid reading and writing skills.

Each issue of Ember is divided into two sections: “For Younger Readers” and “For Older Readers.” The stories and poems in the Younger section may be most appropriate for middle-grade readers, and those in the Older section best for young adults, but all selections can be enjoyed by everyone!

This Spring issue of our inaugural volume builds on the beauty of Issue 1 with illustrations by Casey Robin and cover art by Keliana Tayler. The cover was inspired by Renee Carter Hall's “The Frog Who Swallowed the Moon,” which leads off the collection:

In the earliest days, Frog had a beautiful voice. All through the long summer twilights, he sang sweetly among the reeds while fireflies blinked lazily and the earth settled itself into evening. Around that first pond, the other creatures always gathered to listen.
“Such a lovely voice,” Salamander said.
“Just marvelous,” Turtle added.
“So sweet and clear,” Mallard said with a sigh. “How do you do it?”
One night, having sung a particularly lovely tune about how beautiful the moon was, Frog drew a bucket of water from the pond to soothe his dry throat. The full moon shone like a silver coin on the surface of the water, and Frog gulped the whole bucketful down.
The night went black around him, like a candle blown out.

— From “The Frog Who Swallowed the Moon” by Renee Carter Hall“Ember is a perfect place for the young to find another great tale.” — Chad Morris

• Cover art by Keliana Tayler
• Illustrations by Casey Robin
• Renee Carter HallThe Frog Who Swallowed the Moon
• Layla CarrEligible Maidens
• * Sophia Diggs-Galligan7
• Emily B. Cataneo — Abena and the Bride-mad Sorcerer
• Aidan Doyle — The Last Khan's Elephant
• P. J. Burgh — The Protectors
• George Wells — Spitting Image
• * Mariva DeBorde — Intertwining
• Stone Showers — Anywhere But Here
• Bethany Powell — An Herbwife Lives by the Dragons’ Eyrie
• Danny Barbare — A TV Tube
• Atar Hadari — Do Not Blow Raspberries at Monsters
• John Biggs — Fallen Angels
• Elise Liu — Emily Dickinson takes Helen Keller on a walk in the country
• * Abby Hall — Erosion
• * Kayce Guthmiller — Ancestors
• * Kirt Chris Morris — Off the Grid
• Rory Donahoe — Messages
• Kelsey Dean — Starfishing
• Amanda Pauley — The Anniversary
• * Michelle Chen — The Sun God Dreams of Night

* Young contributors (age 18 and under)