Crowdfunding bid to publish anthology of care experienced writings
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 15 August, 2022
A crowdfunding bid to publish an anthology of care experienced letters, poems and stories has been launched.
Called Free Loaves on Fridays: The Care System As Told By People Who Actually Get It, the anthology aims to highlight the experiences of children currently in care and adults who have left it.
BASW professional officer Rebekah Pierre, who is putting together the anthology, said: “The care system has a terrible reputation – and by proxy, so do those of us who have lived through it.
“Headlines written about us, yet without us, entrench stereotypes - either we are viewed as objects of pity, or as troubled individuals, with no room for nuance.
“The media dominates the narrative, leaving care-experienced people with nothing but the crumbs.”
The anthology is named after the free donation of bread loaves Rebekah received from a local baker when living in a hostel as a teenager.
“It was always think-sliced white – plain, simple and loaded with cholesterol. Not that I’m complaining of course… But the thing is, we didn’t get a choice. Instead, like ducks in a pond, we were given whatever was left.
“This anthology aims to challenge the sliced loaf mindset. It is a safe space where care experienced people can have an element of choice, if not about bread then at least about the way our stories are told.”
Half the funding for the book has so far been raised. Click here to contribute and find out more