Refugee Project-Untitled Portrait 1, by member of the “Group Portrait Workshop,” run by Hands On Art Workshops, at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya A note from Laura Moran Hello, I sit to write this week’s newsletter after having just submitted a book review I wrote for an academic journal. The book was about people living in immigration detention centers in Australia—people who are seeking refuge in Australia but have not yet been recognized as refugees by the Australian government. Australia has a number of these facilities within its borders, and as the book illuminates, they function rather like prisons. But the book was about much more than the despicable conditions of detention centers and the daily deprivations suffered by those forced to live in them. The book was written from the perspectives of those who visit these facilities, those who recognize the fundamental equality of the people who live there and who seek to help them from a place of solidarity. Such help can take many forms, but more often than not, the most meaningful acts are the small ones—sharing food, sharing stories, playing a board game to pass the time. Through the lens of such connections, the book offers a counter narrative: one of humanity, hope, resilience and friendship that penetrates the grim circumstances it otherwise describes. I like to think a fundamental purpose of the Stone Soup Refugee Project, and indeed, the Stone Soup project in general, is foregrounding such humanity. By providing a platform for young people across the globe to connect with one another in creativity, we offer an opportunity to listen to one another’s stories, and in doing so, for a few brief moments, to see the world from another perspective. The portrait featured here was completed by a young girl living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwest Kenya. I know she would be happy that we are viewing it today. This portrait was submitted to us through one of the Refugee Project’s partner organizations, Hands On Art Workshops. As I seek to broaden the scope of the Refugee Project and forge connections with new organizations, please write to me at laura@stonesoup.com if you know of any potential contacts or have ideas you’d like to share. We, at Stone Soup, are always looking for volunteers to help us fulfill our mission of inspiring and empowering youth creativity around the world. For a full list of volunteer opportunities available at Stone Soup, please visit our new volunteer page. With warmest wishes, Class is in session! Please join us for the continuation of our virtual classes in the Winter 2023 term beginning January 21, 2023! Workshops run every Saturday until March 25th. Writing Workshop with Conner Bassett: At 11 a.m. Pacific time every week, Conner Bassett will teach his writing workshop focusing on the nuts-and-bolts of writing. Conner teaches English at Albright College and has experience instructing younger writers. He is a novelist, poet, and translator in addition to being a brilliant teacher. Please note: We regretfully announce that Isidore Bethel’s filmmaking class, Introduction to Short-Form Filmmaking, has been canceled due to low enrollment. We may offer the course in the future, possibly in a different format. If you have questions about the cancellation, please write to education@stonesoup.com. Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498.
Chew on This, Reviewed by Iris Ma, 12
If you’ve ever had a sudden need for food, but can’t get a proper meal, you probably thought of going to a fast food restaurant because it’s quick, convenient and cheap. This would be a great solution if it wasn’t for the dozens of secrets hidden behind those famous golden arches and other symbols of fast food. Chew On This, by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, exposes the unwelcome secrets that fast food restaurants have sealed behind all of their advertisements, toys, characters and jingles. If you enjoy fast food and would like to keep living within these illusions these restaurants have cast upon you, you may. But if you wish to escape and learn the secrets behind the meals that you have happily consumed, be ready to witness the truth, but be willing to accept the consequences because these restaurants might never look the same to you. Think back to the first time you saw or heard of fast food. You probably don’t remember, because fast food restaurants intentionally target young children to become loyal customers so they become lifetime customers. One of the most surprising facts I learned is that “Americans now spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, and recorded music – combined.” Large companies know that children have a great deal of influence on their parents’ spending, so they know that targeting children while they are young is crucial to earning more money. You may have seen some of these tricks, such as advertisements, toys, play areas and characters. You could have been one of those kids who has begged to eat a happy meal, to collect another toy and to play in McDonald land. If this is the case, then you’re not alone. In fact, according to the authors, “One out of every three toys given to a child in the United States each year is from a fast-food restaurant.” These toys aren’t there just for fun, they’re there to attract more kids and keep them coming back for more. Fast food companies specifically work with leading toy industries to create toys that are aimed at young children. These toys such as small dolls, toy cars, and Teletubby toys are aimed at young children, sometimes even those who are too young to speak. There’s a lot of information in this book about marketing, but this book is called Chew On This, so you can expect to learn more about food. No matter how much psychological manipulation these companies use, there is still food to talk about. Your burgers, shakes, sodas and fries may look innocent and appealing on the outside, but they hide a lot of secrets that can often be repulsive. McCannibals? What could they have to do with your McNuggets or your crispy sandwiches? What’s in a milkshake? Milk? Strawberries? Bugs? Artificial flavoring? What’s in the beef? What are the lives of the workers who take care of and process the animals? What happens when you eat too much fast food? Even if some of the details seem fictional and horrific, both authors are journalists who specialize in investigative journalism. The secrets exposed in this book might change your view on the world of fast food—it changed mine. The illusions that fast food companies have created may be changed, even if fast food is quick, the tradeoff for fast food has a price. If you want to open your eyes to the truth, then read Chew On This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. Clarion Books, 2007. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Flash Contest #51, January 2023: Write a story/poem in which the protagonist/speaker struggles with their New Year’s resolutions—our winners and their work
Our January 2023 Flash Contest was based on Prompt #235 , which asked that participants write a story/poem in which the protagonist struggled with their New Year’s resolutions. We received a dazzling array of submissions, with pieces ranging from a meta-fictional epistolary log of a writer’s inability to write their Flash Contest submission on time to a story told from the perspective of a helplessly sleepy cat to a story about foul-tasting vegetables on a fictional planet. As always, thank you to all you participated, and please keep submitting next month! In particular, we congratulate our Winners and our Honorable Mentions, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners “The Life of a Writer” by Nova Macknik-Conde, 11 “Sleepy Saphira” by Josi Prins, 11 “Practice Makes Perfect” by Audrey Ren, 12 “Until It’s Time for You to Go” by Chloe Ruan, 13 “Baby Steps” by Pranjoli Sadhukha, 13 Honorable Mentions “Pain” by Sofia Grandis-Oliveira, 9 “Far Off” by Claire Lin, 12 “Big and Small” by Lui Lung, 13 “Tough Reality” by Madeline Male, 14 “Badryi” by Melody You, 12 The Life of a Writer Nova Macknik-Conde, 11 Sunday, 1/1/2023 Today is New Year’s! I’m so excited! Right after I finish writing this journal entry, my mom’s going to take us to the park, and she even says it’s a possibility we could get hot chocolate and a treat at the bakery right by our house! My New Year’s resolution is going to be to not leave my writing for the last minute, especially for Stone Soup magazine’s monthly flash contest. I have decided to answer the prompts as soon as they are announced, on the first Monday of each month. That way I won’t be stressing out and scrambling to edit Sunday evening, right before the deadline, when I’m exhausted and grumpy. I will also write a book review for the Stone Soup blog every month, and I’ll even participate in Stone Soup’s annual Book Contest. I’ve got the Book Contest thing in the bag, though—I’ve even been thinking about possible titles, such as The Life of a Writer, To Write or Not To Write, or Writer’s Block, since I’m always freaking out about what to write. Anyway, I’ve got to go now—I still have to get my shoes and socks on, and my mom will be mad if I hold us up. Bye now! Talk to you tomorrow! Monday, 1/2/2023 Eeeek! I’m so excited! The new prompt for the Stone Soup flash contest is out, and it’s so cool! I have to write about someone who struggles with their New Year’s resolution! I’m flying high on motivation stemming from my own New Year’s resolution, and I’m just going to have to write about some fictional character, because I’m sure this won’t end up being me! I probably won’t be able to start writing today, though, because it’s almost bedtime and I still have to practice my violin for half an hour, change into my pajamas, and brush my teeth. Hopefully I’ll start it tomorrow, although I might be too tired because~ DUN DUN DUN! I have school tomorrow! 🙁 (At least I’ll get to see one of my best friends, Noelle. I am both not looking forward to tomorrow, and really excited. Don’t ask how, because I don’t even know myself.) Tuesday, 1/3/2023 Ack! I keep forgetting to write 2023 on the date for my classwork! But it was really nice getting to see Noelle again. Ooh—and there’s going to be a school dance either on January 27th, or February 10th, we don’t know yet. I was right about being tired this evening though. I am struggling to keep my eyes open and it is only 5:30. I go to sleep at around 11:00. (Actually, that’s probably why I’m always so tired….) Anyway, I’m going to finish up some of my homework until dinner at around 6:30-7:00, finish eating probably around 7:30-8:00 depending on how easy it is to eat (i.e. I eat chicken nuggets faster than I eat chili or soup), do my violin for 30 minutes, get ready for bed in 10-15 minutes, and sleep until the end of time. Alas, I won’t be able to start my story for Stone Soup today. Bye! I’ll write again tomorrow! Wednesday, 1/4/2023 Okay, so I feel really guilty about this, but my extracurricular Spanish teacher was sick with Covid today, so I didn’t have to go, and now I feel terrible about being happy that she couldn’t teach. My brother, Importunus, has a different Spanish teacher, so he went to class. Since he couldn’t find his phone, my mom let him take mine against my will. Do you know what Importunus did to my phone? HE LOST IT! HE LOST MY PHONE AND IT’S GONE FOREVER! ARGHHH! The little jerk! Anyway, on a slightly less terrible note, I wasn’t able to start the Stone Soup thingy today either. First, when I would’ve been in Spanish class, I hit my shin on the table REALLY HARD and I laid in bed for an hour contemplating my life choices. Then, once Importunus came home and I interrogated him about where my phone was, he said he didn’t know. I was then too angry to do anything other than frantically search the house for my phone, interrogate Importunus some more, and write this journal entry. I’ll start my Stone Soup story tomorrow, though, because my mom’s going to let me stay home since I have a pediatrician visit. Josefina —> out. Thursday, 1/5/2023 Today I was the happiest I’ve been since Christmas. Do you know why? I went to the doctor for a quick well check, and I didn’t have any shots due this time. Phew! Then I got to stay home alone with my mom without my brother bothering me! I got to watch some shows, and I finally caught up on all my schoolwork! Then I was too busy fighting with Importunus to do anything else other than my violin
