And don’t forget, you can pre-order your copy of issue five here:
Category: News
Book Club Chat – The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge
The Crooked Mask by Rachel Burge, published by Hot Key Books, was Issue 4’s book club pick. Our co-editor Amy is here to share her thoughts on YA read, as well as our book club writing prompt!
This was a brilliant, tense read. I loved the incorporation of Nordic myths and the sense that no-one was what they seemed. As I’m currently enjoying Loki on Disney, it was really interesting to see another perspective on the Nordic gods.
My favourite aspect was the atmosphere; intense, evocative and mystical, the pervading feeling throughout the book was a thrilling sense of uncertainty. The mist and darkness reflected the central question for Martha – is she seeing what is in front of her?
Our ‘Crooked Mask’ inspired writing prompt is ‘mayhem of masks’. Write 500 words or create an art piece based on the prompt ‘masks’. If you’d like, you can share your work with us, or submit it to our journal!
Reading recommendations: We’re all about strong atmospheres this issue – please tell us about a novel you read where the atmosphere created really jumps off the page and drags you in in our replies. And if you loved The Crooked Mask, please let us know!
You can buy The Crooked Mask here
Thank you for following along with our Book Club! You can hear more from author Rachel Burge in our Book Club corner of Issue 4. Now available at 15% off! We’ll be announcing our next pick at our launch next Thursday, so stay tuned!
Applications Open for Internship
Paper Lanterns is looking for an intern to join us for our issue 6 production cycle, from the last week in June (starting 28th June) to September 20th.
Interns will get the chance to be involved in all aspects of producing a journal, from the submission and editing process to production and publicity.
This is a paid part-time position, 7 hours a week at €10.20 an hour.
Hours are fully flexible but candidates must be available for an evening meeting one day a week.
We are working at home. Candidates must have access to a laptop and an internet connection.
The intern will assist in:
- Sorting, reading and selecting the submissions for issue 6
- Editing issue 6
- Publishing content on the website (WordPress) and social media platforms
- Developing the marketing database
- Generating newsletter content in Mailchimp
- Managing PR
- Organising the launch
Experience:
The successful candidate must have a keen interest in YA literature.
Experience in marketing, a working knowledge of WordPress, and a keen eye for editing is preferred.
To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to paperlanternsjournal@gmail.com by 11 am (GMT) on 22nd June.
Creative Writing Submissions for Issue Six – Now Open!
Submissions are open for Issue 6!
We are now accepting poetry, short stories and flash fiction from teen & adult writers age 13+. Open internationally. Closes July 4th, 6pm (GMT)
Please make sure your work is written for a teen and young adult audience.
You can find out more on our submissions page here
Thanks to funding from @artscouncil_ie, we pay all our creative writing contributors.
Introducing our Issue 5 contributors…
We are thrilled to announce the talented writers, artists and reviewers who will feature in Paper Lanterns Issue 5!
Available to pre-order now
Issue 5 Cover Reveal: Summer
We are thrilled to share our cover for Issue 5!
The image is “Summer”, by 16 year old artist Olivia Boylan.
Cover design by Eleanor Brayden.
You can pre-order your copy of Issue 5 now – click here!
Paper Lanterns at Belfast Book Festival – Flash Sale!
We are delighted to chat to author Sheena Wilkinson about ‘Writing the Teen Voice’, hosted by Belfast Book Festival. This Saturday at 3.30pm! We hope to see you there – virtually! Book your FREE ticket today
To celebrate, we’re offering a flash sale of 15% off issues 3 and 4! Order now, before they’re gone!
Teen Short Story Competition in Association with Tertulia Books
We are delighted to co-host the Teen Short Story Competition with Tertulia Books in Westport, Co. Mayo.
Our theme for this competition is ‘Waves’. Put your thinking caps on and start writing!
The competition closes on August 1st, at 6 PM.
Submit your short story to: competition.paperlanterns@gmail.com
In the body of your email, please include:
- Your name.
- Your age.
- Your county of residence (you must live on the island of Ireland).
- Your school (if applicable).
- A little bit about yourself!
Our guest judge will read and select the winning pieces (one from each age group) from the shortlist.
The winners will be published in Issue 6 of Paper Lanterns.
The winners will receive a cash prize sponsored by Tertulia in association with Spot-Lit EU.
The winners will also receive a copy of Issue 6.
Guidelines:
- You must be a resident on the island of Ireland.
- You must be aged between 13-18. We have two judging categories: 13-15 years and 16-18 years.
- Your work must be an original piece.
- Short stories must be between 1200 and 2000 words. Please do not exceed this word count.
- All stories will be read blind. Do not include your name or contact details within the submitted document.
- We will not consider work that is prejudiced in nature. We will not consider work that includes, but is not limited to: sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or classist content.
- We cannot accept work that has already been published.
- The judge’s decision is final. Our guest judge cannot provide feedback on any submitted or shortlisted pieces.
Issue Four Launch Night
We are so excited to launch our fourth issue this Thursday March 25th at 7pm!
We would be thrilled if you joined us to celebrate the amazing new work that we have coming up this issue. Our launch will be held virtually on our YouTube channel here.
We will be joined by some of our contributors who will be reading some of their work and talking about their pieces. We will also be chatting about submissions for issue five and our new book club! It’s gearing up to be a fantastic night. To make sure you don’t miss out, you can even set a reminder on our YouTube channel so that you’re notified when the launch premieres! Click here to check it out.
And don’t forget, you can pre-order issue four now!
We’re really looking forward to the launch and hope you can join us!
Submissions for art and features are open!
We have some exciting news!
We will now be accepting submissions for art and features all year round!
Get in touch any time with proposals, drafts, or artwork.
Get in touch at submit.paperlanterns@gmail.com
For more info, go to our submissions page
We look forward to hearing from you!