Ask any successful author how they got their start, and they'll tell you that when they were young they loved reading. One of the foundational goals of Ember is to foster the next generation of great writers by providing them with excellent reading material now. We believe that people who learn to love reading at an early age are more likely to seek knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math. Those who then learn to love writing often go on to apply creativity and problem solving to those same critical disciplines—underscoring the importance of solid reading and writing skills. But we're not just looking at writers who may have talent someday. Many adolescents and teens already show genuine imagination and talent not just potential, but real mastery of language and storytelling. While we love great writing from contributors of all ages and experience levels, we're especially eager to purchase and publish stories and poems from younger writers in order to provide a professional experience and a platform from which to launch their careers. Our inaugural issue is beautiful inside and out, with amazing contributions like: Cover art by James R. Eads Illustrations by Sean Greenberg Stone Showers The Precipice Todd Walton Honey JC Hemphill Dead Dog BC Flinton Mimeograph Jeff Suwak The Familiar and his Alchemist Kacey Vanderkarr Distraction Andrew Kaye Roots and Branches Melissa Shaw The Astronaut * Sho Sho Leigh Ho Splitting the Seams of My Pants B L Draper The Great Garden Heist Bert Lowe Cat Tail Laura M Kaminski Dim * Sylvia Hicks Fleeing from Fire Jeffrey Beck Outlaw Edward Ahern Puzwuk the Orphan Boy and the Starving Time Gerri Leen They Just Don't Mix David Neilsen The Séance Cathleen Cohen Stealing Colors Bo Balder She Waxes While We Wane * Young contributors (age 14 and under)