And another newsletter!
It feels like I just finished writing the last newsletter, but I have a lot of exciting news and updates as usual.
Thankfully, I have been able to sort out the issues with Mail Chimp. I would like to credit Keziah Khoo, editor of prose for helping me to get the problem solved.
It has been an exciting week. Besides being on holiday with my family and celebrating Christmas, we also received our first submissions, and messages from people who are interested in joining our vibrant community. It feels amazing when people reach out to us about the magazine.
As we near the end of the remarkable year that was 2025, you should really make a memory that can be cherished forever. Why don't you craft a winning story, poem or artwork that could be featured in a global magazine for and by youth?
Hint. Hint.
That's us, The Blue Bell Review, and we eagerly await your submissions. So head over to our submissions page for further details.
In other news, I am really excited to share that we have a new editor for art. Please welcome Havish Reddy, a talented young individual who will be reviewing all art submissions.
I would also like to remind you about our book club.
Beyond The Lines, is a book club for teens based in Asia, run by the Stone Soup Magazine where we contemplate, question and criticize. It is led by three members of our team, Elaine, Aanyaa and Keziah. We're very excited to announce what book we'll be discussing in our very first session, on the last Sunday of January! As a reminder, it will be at 1PM IST / 3.30PM SGT, and go for 1 and a half hours.
Our book is— The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis! This beautiful fantasy book follows the four Pevensie siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, as they are swept into the land of Narnia, where it is always winter, never Christmas, and never Spring. They embark on an adventure to save Narnia from this spell; and, along the way, they learn powerful lessons of betrayal, courage and love.
If you are interested please sign-up for the next session on this link: Sign up here
We also require volunteers to join our team. We are a student-led non-profit, and while we prioritize student volunteers, we welcome adult professionals to apply for Board Member roles based on their expertise.
We are currently seeking help in these areas:
- Blog Writing
- Workshop Facilitation (Students & Adults Welcome)
- Submission Review
- Marketing & Outreach
This is a great opportunity for you all to work with a creative non-profit. We also provide certificates after you finish your term, which can be used for college applications/resumes.
Interested? Get more details here
If you are looking for something interesting to read, head over to our blog page where we have curated a list of books suitable for the Christmas season. If you have a book, song, movie, tv show, place, restaurant or food item that gets you into the Christmas spirit, you could write a review or a piece for the blog. Head over to our submissions page for further details.
To submit a blog piece | Christmas Reading Recommendations
I am also pleased to share, that I am working towards starting a Teen Writing Workshop Series, called Ink For Iridescence. These will be exclusively for The Blue Bell Review community. There will be more information on that by the new year.
Lastly here is a prompt for you, if you are stuck for inspiration.
I want you to write a poem or a story based on some motivational quote! And please, not the cliche story of someone in the depths of despair, being catapulted into fame and fortune after hearing some motivational quote that changed their life. The reason I am asking you to do this is because, I feel that around the new year, you find motivational sayings everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I want you to twist the cliche idea of motivational quotes. Let it serve some higher purpose, than adorning your walls or making a worthy post for social media. It could be a piece rich with satire, a creative non-fiction or a piece that reflects the reality of inspirational fridge magnets.
As always if you write something you like, you are welcome to submit to our magazine and blog. Visit our submission page for more details.
~ Elaine Elizabeth Jinto
Editor-in-Chief
