Sapling Shadow (Canon Rebel) by Madeline Male, 14; published in the January/February 2024 issue of Stone Soup A note from Laura Moran Dear Readers, I hope this message finds you well and that you’re settling into the rhythm of the new year with renewed energy and focus for the year ahead. In that vein, I have some exciting Refugee Project news to share. Firstly, I’m so excited to share that Caroline Gao, a member of the Stone Soup community and frequent participant in Refugee Project initiatives, won first place in the San Jose Library Fall into Fiction contest (10-12 age group) for her short story, titled “To My Penpal.” As Caroline explains, her story was inspired by her participation in the Stone Soup Refugee Project pen pal exchange and Half-Baked Art Collaboration. Drawing inspiration from the handwritten letters she received from young people in Kakuma Refugee camp, and the subsequent independent research she conducted on the UNESCO website, Caroline constructed a fictionalized narrative of a refugee family’s life in Kakuma Camp, seeking to represent the unique writing style of the young people with whom she corresponded. Read Caroline’s story and share in our heartfelt congratulations on this fantastic achievement! In other news, the Refugee Project is the recipient of the 2023 ruth weiss foundation School Poetry Award grant. In the words of the funding body: “The poet ruth weiss was a child survivor of World War II and dedicated her entire life to raising awareness of the ramifications of war on children. Her poetry often expresses a child’s war trauma and the joy of being safe and free to grow as a child. This year’s poetry prompt focuses on the effects of war on children and what is good for children. We feel the work that your organization is doing is incredibly important and wish to support it.” We are so honored to receive this award! To see some new Refugee Project writing, please check out the web page for our new Refugee Project collaborators, Humanitarian Service Team. Thank you for your continued support of the Stone Soup Refugee Project—without it, collaborations such as those featured here would not be possible—and happy winter writing! Yours sincerely, The Stone Soup Refugee Project 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.
refugee project news
Saturday Newsletter: August 19, 2023
Lazy Cat (oil pastel) by Tutu Lin, 13; published in the July/August issue of Stone Soup A note from Laura Moran Hello all, I start this week’s newsletter with exciting news! Refugee Project contributor Parwana Amiri, has just published her collection of poems, We will fly higher. Parwana is a young refugee poet from Herat Province, Afghanistan. Her book is available at Barnes & Noble and other major booksellers. Congratulations on this exciting achievement, Parwana! I imagine the majority of our readers will receive this week’s newsletter on the cusp or at the start of a new school year! I can also imagine the myriad of emotions that accompanies this time of year. Indeed, I don’t even have to imagine—the air is thick with nerves and excitement in my house as my daughter is about to begin her first year of high school and my son is set to enter the third grade, both in new schools. Whether you are excited or nervous, or a bit of both, I hope you had a fun and restorative summer. One of the highlights of my summer was teaching Anthropology of the Everyday as an offering of Stone Soup’s Young Author’s Studio Camps hosted in collaboration with Society of Young Inklings. It was inspiring work to see what students came up with as they set out to explore and think critically about their everyday lives and environments. I am so excited to be working with our new Refugee Project collaborating organization, Humanitarian Service Team, to offer elements of this workshop to young people in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda this fall. Following the workshop, we hope to provide an opportunity for young writers in both sessions of the course to share their work with one another. I look forward to telling you more about it soon! Until then, best of luck with the start of your school year, and while you’re feeling that tangle of emotions that comes with new beginnings, why not take a moment to write a poem about your experiences? As always, if you like what you’ve written, we hope you consider submitting it to Stone Soup. Best wishes, From Stone Soup July/August 2023 The Sun’s Sister by Katja Muckle Eizenberg, 9 I am the sun So big and bold My seeds leave me When I’m old I stand and sway watching them fly away to freedom Bobbing in the breeze And finally landing in the shade beneath The trees But now it is Spring And I am blooming bright Now it is Summer and I am still a lovely sight Fall is here and I look like the moon All of my seeds will leave me soon Soon is here as they blow away Soon is here as one little one stays The moment is here The moment is sad but happy Bad but good The moment is here as the last seed blows away The moment is here as I close my eyes And enter a long winter’s sleep Click here to read more from the July/August issue… Don’t wait until it’s too late! This fall, we’re offering an all new course: Novel Writing! Class begins Saturday, September 16th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time, and seats are filling up quickly, so register today! Join us this fall for Novel Writing, a multi-week, virtual course instructed by writer, translator, and professor Conner Bassett that will teach you how to write a novel. We will focus on the basic techniques and tools of good storytelling: voice, description, setting, character, plot, conflict, and dialogue. The course will consist of brainstorming activities, in-class writing exercises, readings, and workshops. By the end of our time together, you will have a complete novel draft. Register now! 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.
Saturday Newsletter: June 17, 2023
Silver Specks, collaborative piece (mixed media) by Georgia Marshall; created during the Half-Baked Art Exchange and published on the Refugee Project site 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. Buy one, get one half off! Share the gift of Stone Soup with your friends and family! Free submissions to the magazine, access to 20+ years of digital archives, and new issues bimonthly. When you buy one Annual Print + Digital subscription to Stone Soup, we’ll send you a coupon code to purchase a second, half off! Don’t miss your chance to save on the magazine 100% written and illustrated by kids since 1973. Shop our Summer Sale 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.
