Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea Soup Kitchen

After reading "Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea Soup Kitchen" by Ian Frazier, I at first did not know why we were assigned this article because it seemed to be about homeless people in New York City. Reading further, I quickly found that the author of the article, Ian Frazier, utilized these soup kitchens in New York City to get homeless people to participate in a Writers' Workshop. On this idea, he stated, "There are so many hungers out there; the soup kitchen deals, efficiently and satisfyingly, with the most basic kind. I consider it, in its own fashion, a work of art" (Frazier 1). Basically, he wanted to satisfy the desires of those who wished to express themselves artistically through writing.

Utilizing this outlet for others' expressions, his idea to encourage these tired and hungry homeless people to participate in a Writers' Workshop seemed like a very inspiring one. He wanted them to tell their story so that others could understand. The examples he gave of his Writers' Workshop participants proved to be interesting and funny at times. I especially enjoyed the story about "Jeff, who disappeared one year and returned the next saying that he had been travelling internationally as a player on a homeless men’s soccer team (a claim that turned out to be true)" (Frazier 2). The fact that Jeff's story turned out to be true made it even better! Frazier definitely worked with his participants to encourage and inspire them to write out their stories, and I feel that every teacher should follow his lead.

Another part of the article that I felt exemplified an excellent way of writing was in Frazier's talk with another homeless man who came into contact with the Workshop Approach previously. He stated, "'When he wrote something, he always had two things going on at a time. He told us, when you writin’, you got this surface thing, you understan’, goin’ on up here'—he moved his left hand in a circle with his fingers spread apart, as if rubbing a flat surface—'an’ then once you get that goin’ on, now you got to come under it'—he brought his right hand under his left, as if throwing an uppercut—'come under this thing here that’s goin’ on up here, you understan’. That was how John Cheever said you write'" (Frazier 2). John Cheever's description of how to write a powerful piece is absolutely true. The works of literature that are considered to be classics all have a plot on the surface, but when one delves deeper into the text, the true meaning of the story shines through. For this reason, I felt this part really touched me as a teacher and writer. Overall, I really enjoyed Ian Frazier's article about his Writers' Workshop because it inspired and intrigued me to do the same in my classroom and community!