Do you have the end of the school year blues?

Is the promise of summer vacation just mere days from your grasp?

When you're sitting there in Geometry, gazing out the window, does a little piece of you die inside?

Well, you'll be out soon enough. In the meantime, feel free to gripe about your woes here. Write a poem about your terrible plight and send it to word@weeklyreader.com. Put "End of School Blues" in the subject line and we'll post the best one here.

Word.

Why hello there! Happy Thursday to you!

READ Magazine's publishing year has come to an end. Our last issue took the form of a web site called Student Writing Showcase. We received so many great submissions for it. Thank you all!

Next year, we want to publish a new piece of student writing in every issue of READ (and Writing for that matter). Right now though, we are specifically looking for poems and stories about MAGIC. We are also looking for poems and stories about MONSTERS. Please email your work to word@weeklyreader.com. Put either "Monsters" or "Magic" in the subject line (depending on what your writing is about).

A writer's work is never done, eh?

Word.

The following post was written by Alicia Zadrozny, Associate Editor of READ and Writing Magazines.

At 15 years old, sisters Jessica and Danielle Dunn achieved what many people of all ages yearn for--they published a book.

The first edition of A Teen's Guide to Getting Published came out 10 years ago. What makes this book so interesting is that the authors want to help other teens get published, too. The second edition was published just last year in 2006. This edition features updated information. Basically, all references to typewriters are out. Blogs and online publishing are in.

A Teen's Guide to Getting Published offers teens a common sense approach to becoming a writer. Each chapter is filled with the nuts and bolts of all phases of the writing process. There are sections about finding inspiration, editing, and selecting the right market for your work. The second half of the book contains valuable directories of writer's markets, contests, and creative writing programs around the nation.

Jessica and Danielle included some of their own early publishing experiences as a resource for other teens. Their advice is encouraging and realistic at the same time. For one, they advise teens to "start small and work your way up." They tell teens not to expect to be paid in the beginning and to expect some rejection along the way. And still, the book's tone remains optimistic.

"Writerly" teens would be lucky to have Jessica and Danielle's combination of motivation and enthusiasm that infuses their book.

READ and Writing Magazines recently featured A Teen's Guide to Getting Published in our electronic issue, Student Writing Showcase. To read the excerpt, click here.