Every Child Has a Story.
At Stone Soup, we believe that within every young person lives a storyteller, an artist, and a dreamer waiting to be heard.
For more than fifty years, Stone Soup has been a home for those voices. Founded in 1973, we began with a simple yet radical idea: that children's creative work deserves to stand on its own, to be celebrated not as practice for adulthood, but as art in its purest form.
Today, that same spirit guides everything we do. Stone Soup is a global creative community, 100% written and illustrated by kids. It is here where imagination leads, curiosity thrives, and young people learn that their words and art can move the world.
Our Mission
To nurture and amplify the creative voices of young people everywhere, offering them a platform to explore, express, and connect through the arts.
We believe creativity is a birthright. A force that builds empathy, bridges differences, and helps us see the world through one another's eyes. When a child shares their story, they don't just find their voice; they invite us all to remember our own.
What We Do
The Magazine
Our flagship publication is a living gallery of youth expression—fiction, poetry, art, photography, and more, all created by children. Each issue reminds readers that imagination knows no age.
Workshops & Mentorship
Through classes, writing labs, and mentorship programs, we give young creators tools to share their ideas, hone their craft, and meet others who share their passion.
The Refugee Project
We extend our platform to young people affected by war, displacement, and climate crisis. Here, refugee youth can share their stories and art with the world—stories that speak of hope, loss, belonging, and the universal desire to be seen.
Community & Events
Stone Soup hosts readings, challenges, and global collaborations that bring children, families, and educators together in celebration of creativity and connection.
Our Impact
Over the decades, thousands of young artists and writers have found their first audience through Stone Soup. Many have gone on to publish books, lead projects, and mentor the next generation—but the true impact lives in something much quieter: the moment a child realizes their voice matters.
[Highlight a story/testimonial from a child here]
That courage ripples outward—shaping classrooms, families, and communities.
Our Values
Creativity as Freedom
Every act of creation is an act of courage.
Youth Voice as Power
Children deserve to be heard, not just helped.
Imagination as Bridge
Art connects hearts across distance and difference.
Community as Catalyst
When one child's work is celebrated, others believe they can, too.
Who We Are
Stone Soup is published by the Children's Art Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are writers, educators, artists, parents, and lifelong believers in the magic of imagination.
Together, we're building a world where young people don't wait to be adults to change it.
The Stone Soup Team
William Rubel, Director
William is the founder of Stone Soup and the Children's Art Foundation. In 1972, he gathered together a group of fellow students at the University of California Santa Cruz who shared his vision of creating a magazine written by and for children to highlight their creative talents and inspire them.
William is also an author specializing in traditional foodways, the history of bread, and Early Modern British kitchen gardens. His book on hearth cooking, The Magic of Fire (2002), was a World Gourmand Cookbook award winner and a James Beard nominee. His second book is Bread, a global history (2011). He is currently writing a history of bread for the University of California Press.
William lives in Santa Cruz with his daughter, Stella, and their cat, chickens, rabbits, and aviary birds. You can read more about his other interests at his personal website.
Laura Moran, Refugee Project Director
Laura joined the Stone Soup team in early 2020 as director of the Refugee Project. She also teaches the Society of Young Inklings and Stone Soup summer writing workshop, Anthropology of the Everyday: The Art of Creative Nonfiction.
Laura is a cultural anthropologist with a PhD from The University of Queensland, in Australia, and a master's degree from Oxford University, in the UK. Her research is on refugee youth and racial identity and she teaches anthropology at universities in the Boston area. Her first book, Belonging and Becoming in a Multicultural World: Refugee Youth and the Pursuit of Identity, was published in 2020, by Rutgers University Press.
Laura currently lives on the Northshore of Boston, MA with her husband, young son, and 11-year-old daughter, an avid reader and published Stone Soup author!
Jennifer Denny, Operations & Development Director
Jennifer brings over two decades of fundraising and organizational leadership to Stone Soup, blending the precision of strategy with the tenderness of heart. Her work spans both nonprofit and political sectors, where she has built sustainable giving programs, cultivated meaningful donor relationships, and designed campaigns that turn vision into tangible change.
As a mother, Jennifer understands the power of nurturing something that grows. Whether it's a child's confidence, a creative idea, or a movement that begins with a single spark, she believes in nurturing it all. She sees fundraising not as a transaction, but as an act of storytelling, an invitation for others to become part of a shared dream.
At Stone Soup, Jennifer channels her deep belief that generosity is a creative force. Each relationship she builds helps ensure that young voices everywhere have a space to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
Join Us
Your support keeps the pages of Stone Soup alive—funding scholarships, workshops, and global outreach that bring more children into the circle.
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Be part of the story that's still being written.