When Joyce Almond considered publishing a newsletter several years ago, she couldn't come up with a topic, so she looked for suggestions in books on newsletter publishing.
The books advised the 55-year-old teacher to produce one about something she loves. "I said, 'I enjoy writing, children.' It just hit me: I'm going to publish children's writing!"
In January 1993, Just Write: The Children's Newsletter was born. After getting incorporated in Maryland, Ms. Almond launched the four-page publication, which contains poems, short stories, jokes, essays and drawings submitted by youngsters ages 5 to 14 from Maryland and several nearby states. It celebrates its second year with the January 1995 issue.
The first issue was filled mainly with writing by Ms. Almond's students at Chadwick Elementary School in Woodlawn, where she has taught kindergarten for 20 years. Ms. Almond spends about 20 hours a week -- a full weekend day and several hours most evenings -- on Just Write. That involves sifting through about 80 submissions she gets each month, typing in selections and scanning in drawings with the desktop publishing program on a computer in the office of her Catonsville home, and doing light editing.
come home, maybe get a cup of coffee, and then do what I have to do," she said.
In the office in her home, behind computers, chairs, sample copies of the newsletter and an oversize pencil, are large file cabinets where she stores letters written by children.
"When I see envelopes that have been addressed by children, it's just rewarding," Ms. Almond said. "I can't throw them away."
Her sister helps one weekend day each week, reading and editing submissions and helping to decide what will go in. "It's quite a big difference from what I do every day, so I look forward to it, and I think it's very cute," said Linda Williams, 46, who lives in Woodlawn and is assistant manager of a Randallstown supermarket. "My favorite would be writings from the little ones," she said. "Their work is so innocent." Both sisters were entertained by a submission from Chris Lee, 6, a budding poet who attends Carney Elementary School. The poem was printed on the Wee Writers page, a section dedicated to 5- to 8-year-old writers. It says:
I went to church.
I took out my Bible.
I sat in my seat.
I sat in my seat.
I sat in my seat.
I sat in my seat . . .
Each month, Ms. Almond takes the finished version of Just Write to a Woodlawn printer and has about 1,000 copies within a week. She sends out about 500 to subscribers, sells others at area bookstores, and sends many copies to schools.
"Each month we try to send issues to educators in different states," she said. "It was a good move, because circulation is spreading." The result: Schools from as far as Virginia Beach have picked up on Just Write. Due to the costs of printing, phone calls and postage, she spends about $500 on each issue, she said.
Almost everything that is submitted gets published so long as it is nonviolent.
"Sometimes you get a story about someone pushed out the window and their brains fell out -- we're not going to do that," she said. But those whose work is rejected are let down gently: "We just think of some way that will not discourage the child," she said.
The newsletter comes out nine times during the school year and costs $1.75, but writers whose work is accepted get three free issues and the chance to see their story in Just Write.
Nine-year-old Jessica Roberts of Chevy Chase was one. She submitted a story after seeing an exhibit on invertebrates at the National Zoo in Washington. Complete with chapters and illustrations, "the story was about, well . . . I had a trip before I wrote it . . . and I kind of wrote a story about what I saw and what they were like," the fourth-grader said. "It was kind of fun to see her name in print, so we had fun with it," said her mother, Barbara Roberts, 42. "I think they encourage them to be creative and produce something of their own."
That's the idea, Ms. Almond said. "I just think we need to appreciate children's creativity. We're not just looking for writing [of] the supposedly gifted and talented."
She plans to get marketing advice so that she can increascirculation enough to finance an expansion to eight pages. For now, all the earnings go back into Just Write. But she's still getting a kick out of the project, particularly the language of the youth. "It's amazing how some children are really talented," she said.
Children can submit writing to Just Write, 6400 Baltimore National Pike, P.O. Box 293, Baltimore 21228-3915.