Themes
******************* 2012 Themes ************************
September 2012 School Rules!
Date Due: 2/1/12
We know that school is difficult for some children, whether for academic or social reasons or some combination of the two. But we want to encourage our readers to find and build on the positive aspects of school. (We also want to acknowledge that there are different forms of school. Many of our readers are home-schooled and have asked to see that represented in some Pockets stories.) What does it mean to live out our faith at school? How do we live as Christians in the context of schoolwork, relationships with teachers and classmates? How can our faith help us with struggles in school?
October 2012 The Golden Rule
Date Due: 3/1/12
“Do to others as you would have them do to you,” is so basic and familiar that we sometimes overlook how difficult it can be to follow. Often it’s hard enough to consistently treat those we love with the kindness and compassion we’d like to receive. How much more difficult is it to extend that kindness and compassion to a crabby neighbor or a rude clerk? A bully or someone who has spread a nasty rumor about us? This issue wants to help children see how the Golden Rule applies to their everyday lives and invites us to think about what the world would be like if every single person followed that rule.
November 2012 Generosity
Date Due: 4/1/12
The holiday season, ushered in by Thanksgiving in the U.S., is a time when we naturally think of generosity. Counting our blessings, hopefully, leads to thinking of ways to share them with others. That’s part of our aim for this issue. But we also want the issue to help us see what it means to live year-round with a spirit of generosity—being generous with possessions, yes, but also with time and with our view of others. How do we show generosity to others in response to God’s generosity to us?
December 2012 Gifts
Date Due: 5/1/12
Advent and Christmas are natural times to think about gifts—God’s gift of Jesus for all of us, the gifts the magi brought to the baby, the gifts we give to one another. As we focus on seasonal themes of peace, hope, love, and joy, we want to ponder God’s gift and how we respond by giving our own gifts of time, love, patience, kindness, and compassion.
EDITORIAL PHILOSOPHY: The primary purpose of POCKETS is to help children grow in their relationship with God and to claim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ by applying it to their daily lives. POCKETS espouses respect for all human beings and for God’s creation. It regards a child’s faith journey as an integral part of all of life and sees prayer as undergirding that journey.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
• Articles about real children involved in environmental efforts, peacemaking, and helping others. Please send photos of these children with your manuscript and indicate the name and address of the photographer. We prefer photos of the children actively involved in their project. Digital photos must be 300-dpi for clear print resolution. Please include parents’ permission to use photos.
• Interviews with well-known people, relating how their faith in God is important to them in their daily lives.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WRITING FOR POCKETS: Refer to our Writer’s Guidelines on-line at pockets.upperroom.org or by mail with an SASE.
ANNUAL FICTION CONTEST: Entries are received beginning March 1 and must be postmarked no later than August 15. • Please indicate FICTION CONTEST on both the outside envelope and the cover sheet. • There is no set theme and no entry fee. • Stories should be 750–1,000 words. (Stories shorter than 750 words or longer than 1,000 words will be disqualified.) • Please include an accurate word count on your cover sheet. • Multiple submissions are permitted, but please submit only your best work. • Past winners are ineligible. • The winner will be announced November 1. • Award: $500 and publication in the magazine. • Entries with an SASE will be returned. • If you have questions, visit our website at pockets.upperroom.org or write to us.
SEND ALL MANUSCRIPTS WITH SASE TO:
Lynn W. Gilliam, Editor
P. O. Box 340004
Nashville TN 37203-0004
Please do NOT send submissions via FAX or e-mail. POCKETS is a publication of THE UPPER ROOM. POCKETS, THE UPPER ROOM, and design logos are trademarks owned by THE UPPER ROOM, Nashville, TN. All rights reserved.
