authors, competitions, info, teachers' resources

Summer 2009 issue – out 16 November!

Issue 5 cover, Alphabet SoupIssue 5 will be arriving in your letterboxes from 16 November. We love the bright and summery cover – it was designed by Kate Larson, winner of our design-a-cover competition!

We received many many excellent entries and choosing a winner was very difficult. We thought Kate’s cover was eye-catching, we loved the kids on the beach, and the design left room for the Alphabet Soup logo and a few words about what’s inside the issue. Congratulations Kate!

So, what will you find inside the upcoming issue?

  • Q&A with Christine Harris, author of the Audrey of the Outback series.
  • Meet an astronomer, Peter Birch.
  • Stories, poems and book reviews.
  • Crossword.
  • Kids’ writing.
  • Summer writing competition (win a $20 book voucher!)

If you’d like to buy a copy online, subscribe, or renew your subscription, visit our website: www.alphabetsoup.net.au.

Keep reading and writing!

Rebecca Newman, Editor

competitions, info

Merry Christmas from Alphabet Soup

Merry Christmas to our Alphabet Soup readers!

Thanks to everyone who subscribed or bought single copies this year – this ensures we can continue to publish the magazine! (Just a reminder – if you’re thinking of placing further orders, the introductory offer of free postage and handling for delivery to Australian addresses expires on 31 December 2008. We will honour orders postmarked 31 December 2008.)

Alphabet Soup News:

  • On 29 November Gabrielle Bastow officially launched the magazine in Kings Park. (Gabrielle is a Literacy Consultant to the Benchmarking and Educational Measurement Unit who will manage the central components of the 2010 NAPLAN Testing Project.) Gabrielle gave a great speech! She also suggested we consider including a cryptic crossword (or some cryptic clues, if not a whole crossword) in future issues of the magazine. What do you think?
  • We’ve started a new blog for the magazine (www.soupblog.wordpress.com) which has information such as book reviews, news about upcoming writer’s festivals with children’s events and behind-the-scenes info about what’s happening at Alphabet Soup.
  • We held our first writing competition and we were impressed with the excellent stories and poems you sent in! Winners will be announced in January and a new competition will appear in the next issue of Alphabet Soup – which is due out in February 2009.
  • If you live in WA we are pleased to advise that children’s bookstore, Westbooks, now stocks the magazine! You can find Westbooks at 396 Mill Point Rd, Victoria Park – they have friendly staff, and shelves and shelves of fabulous books. It’s worth a visit!

We hope you enjoy the holidays and find time to curl up with a good book. If Santa doesn’t leave a few books in your Christmas stocking, you can visit your local library! (And if you live in WA, don’t forget to record your books for the WA Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge.

If you’d like to be added to our email list for updates and news about the magazine and children’s book events, please send an email to editor@alphabetsoup.net.au with ‘subscribe enewsletter’ in the title.

Keep reading – and writing!

Rebecca
Editor

Rebecca Newman
Editor
editor@alphabetsoup.net.au
Ph: 0412 820 478

Alphabet Soup Publishing
PO Box 742, Willetton WA 6955
www.alphabetsoup.net.au

competitions, info

Issue 1’s writing comp closed

The writing competition for issue 1 has now closed. Thanks for your entries! We will start reading them all this week and will let you know the winners in January.

If you were hoping to pen something and just ran out of time, you can either keep an eye out for Issue 2 (out in February 2009) or send us something for the Write On section of the magazine (A poem, short story, letter or book review). Write On is not a competition but it does give kids aged 12 and under a chance to see their writing published in an Australian magazine! Go to the Alphabet Soup website for more details.

authors, info

Alphabet Soup Reviewed on ‘Aussie Reviews’ site

Sally Murphy has reviewed Alphabet Soup magazine on her Aussie Reviews website. She gives us a positive plug! The Aussie Reviews site reviews ‘the best of Australian books, films, music websites and more’. We’re proud to be up there with ‘the best’! 🙂

(Please note that the web address she has quoted for the magazine is incomplete and should read www.alphabetsoup.net.au.)

Keep writing – and don’t forget, there’s still time for children aged 10 and under to enter our first writing competition. Entries close 21 November 2008!