Dear Reader, How does one classify the arrival of a new year? A fresh start, a new beginning? In school we are lucky enough to get two new years, one when school begins and then the other on January 1st. We say goodbye to summer but also to a year’s worth of memories, events, tragedies, and comedies. In this issue of Fire & Stones, we wish to bid summer and the past year farewell. The work you’ll see is both nostalgic for events past having been derived from other tales - but also new, bringing its own shine to the mix. In marking the new year we heed T.S. Eliot’s words, “For last year’s words belong to last year’s languages/And next year’s words await another voice.” We welcome new voices to our staff, contributing artists and writers. I invite you to join us in welcoming the new beginnings of a new year in our winter issue of Fire & Stones. — Marta Rich ’18, Senior Editor
Marta Rich ‘18 Senior Editor Evelyn Perfall ‘19 Rachel Suleymanov ‘19 Zak Zeledon ‘19 Junior Editors Faculty Advisors Ms. Kate Elkins Ms. Jill McElroy
Staff Lilly Cady ‘19 Adrienne Lai ‘21 Mary Margaret Lehmkuhler ‘19 Alicia Lopez ‘19 Tessa Moore ‘18 Catherine Owens ‘19 Emily Ryan ‘18 Helen Treadway ‘19 Louisa Treadway ‘21 Bette Vajda ‘19 Lena Weiman ‘21
https://fireandstones.org/ Printer: Master Print, Newington, Virginia
Front Cover: Pale Buds — Xander Chiaramonte ‘20 Back Cover: My Peppers — Sophie VandeHei ‘20 Workman’s Sunlight — Xander Chiaramonte ‘20
© 2018 by St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, 1000 St. Stephen’s Rd. Alexandria, VA 22304 Fire & Stones literary and art magazine is published bi-annually and distributed to the SSSAS community free of charge. For additional information or how to obtain copies please email faculty advisors, Kate Elkins (kelkins@sssas.org) or Jill McElroy (jmcelroy@sssas.org). Submissions: All submissions must be emailed to our Senior Editor as an attachment. We only consider material offered for first-time publication. Literature entries accepted: short fiction, essays, poetry, plays, and excerpts. We do not have length limits; however, try to keep submissions under 1000 words. Include name on the files: firstinitial_lastname.doc or .pdf permitted. Visual Art accepted: photography, illustration, painting, collage, mixed-media, cartoon, graphic design, and photographed sculpture. Please submit visual art as high-resolution, jpeg files. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. All images are © the artists and reproduced with permission of the artists.