Saturday Newsletter: June 17, 2023

A note from Laura Moran

Greetings all,

I hope everyone’s summer vacation is officially off to a great start!

This Tuesday, June 20th, is World Refugee Day, a day of observance to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and to demonstrate a commitment that the world’s forcibly displaced people are not left behind.

We at Stone Soup are committed to providing a platform to showcase the creative works of refugee youth. Through the Stone Soup Refugee Project, we have collected over 300 pieces of creative works—including paintings, photography, poetry and plays—from children living in refugee camps and host countries around the world. I invite you to take some time this month to explore the wealth of material displayed on the Refugee Project web portal.

The Stone Soup Refugee Project has also facilitated a number of initiatives to encourage engagement between our Refugee Project contributors and our broader readership. Among these is the Half-Baked Art Exchange, the work produced in which you can now explore on our newly created web page! This workshop, offered in collaboration with My Start Project, provided an opportunity for Stone Soup participants to engage with a piece of artwork created by a young person living in Kakuma Refugee Camp.

If you are interested in the Refugee Project and are looking for a way to get involved while also sharpening your writing skills, please consider joining me in my virtual studio summer camp, Anthropology of the Everyday: The Art of Creative Nonfiction, July 24th through 27th. In this camp, students will learn to write personal narrative essays using the techniques of ethnographic writing, which emphasize storytelling and “thick description,” and are a staple of anthropologists in their research and writing. As part of the Refugee Project, participants in this class will have a follow up opportunity to participate in an exchange of the creative writing they produce in class with young people living in refugee camps. Additionally, participants' writing will be displayed on the Stone Soup Refugee Project portal.

Finally, please consider donating to the Stone Soup Refugee Project in order to ensure the continuation of this creative outlet for refugee youth and the further development of Refugee Project initiatives such as those described above.

With thanks and best wishes,

Donate to the Refugee Project today

Register for Anthropology of the Everyday

Anthropology of the Everyday: The Art of Creative Nonfiction
July 24–27; 1–3 pm PT

Taught by Laura Moran, cultural anthropologist and Stone Soup's Refugee Project director, this course instructs students in a method of personal writing called autoethnography that combines storytelling with details about your daily life.

Explore more summer camp offerings

Intro to Publishing
June 19–22; 1–3 pm PT

Once your story is written, where does it go? Join Carmela Furio, Stone Soup's production coordinator, in a deep dive into the basics of publishing. Campers will also learn how to start and run a literary magazine!

Intro to Poetry: The Image and the Line
June 26–29; 9–11 am PT

In this class, Emma Wood, Executive Director & Editor in Chief of Stone Soup, invites you to immerse yourself in what a poem is and what it can do. Students will write their own poetry, shaking themselves out of established modes of thinking.

Genre 101
June 26–29; 1–3 pm PT

Carmela is teaching a second camp about some of your favorite types of fiction! Explore science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, and magical realism, and learn new techniques to confidently write in different genres.

The Art of the Personal Essay
July 10–13; 9–11 am PT

Emma's second course will introduce you to the beauty of creative nonfiction as well posit some ethical questions for consideration and discussion—such as "What if my mom reads it!" Campers will also experiment with the form by writing their own essays.

Advanced Novel Writing
July 17–20; 9–11 am PT

In Writing Instructor Conner Bassett's course, learn the basic techniques of good storytelling, such as setting, plot, character, dialogue, and more! Brainstorm concepts and share ideas for your novel that will keep readers hooked from start to finish.

Freedom through Constraint: Experiments in Poetry & Prose
July 24–27; 9–11 am PT

In this workshop taught by Stone Soup Blog Editor Caleb Berg, campers will study and use self-imposed constraints such as omitting specific letters and patterns of repetition in order to maximize the untapped potential of their work. The goal is not necessarily to make sense but to excite the senses!

Playwriting
August 7–10; 1–3 pm PT

Conner will also teach a class about the history and craft of writing drama. Campers will ponder the practicalities and philosophies of the art form as well as work on developing their own 10-minute play!

Click here to see more course offerings from Society of Young Inklings.

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