According to author Maggie Stuckie, there’s nothing better than a bowl of soup to bring people together. “Soup makes people feel at ease, feel at home. And then they’re more comfortable sharing a bit of themselves with people they don’t know well and pretty soon it becomes apparent that they know each other,” she says. Join Stuckie for a discussion about her bestselling book, Soup Night: Recipes for Creating Community Around a Pot of Soup, at the East Bend and Redmond Libraries and sample some soups prepared by Tate & Tate. The presentations are free and open to the public and books will be available for sale.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 | 11:00 a.m.
East Bend Library

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 | 6:00 p.m.
Redmond Library

“Any gathering built around food brings people together,” says Stuckie. “And soup, by its very nature, ramps up that feeling of cozy goodwill. It's warm, it's comforting, it's simple (not like a fancy dinner party), and it's homey,” she says. Stuckie says her go-to soup recipe right now is African Peanut Soup. “You can make it with or without chicken and it's made from things you almost always have on hand,” says Stuckie.

Stuckie is passionate about neighborhood soup nights. “Everyone is so busy these days; it seems we never have time to visit with neighbors or even get to know them,” she says. “I'm pretty sure people would like to change that, but aren't sure how to go about it. Soup Night is a simple, easy way to break through that and begin to create a feeling of community,” says Stuckie. The benefits of a neighborhood soup night are many says Stuckie. “There is current research that demonstrates that being isolated is bad for your health. Being lonely can literally make you sick. So when you start a soup night, and your neighbors get to know each other, pretty soon no one is alone,” she says. “I don't want to sound too sappy here, but the kind of closeness that comes with Soup Night fosters an overall feeling of goodwill that absolutely changes people,” concludes Stuckie.

Maggie Stuckey is the author of 11 books including best sellers Soup Night: Recipes for Creating Community Around a Pot of Soup and The Bountiful Containers. Soup Night was the 2014 recipient of a Silver Nautilus Award, the prize awarded to “well-written and -produced books with messages about caring for, understanding, and improving every aspect of our lives and relationships.” From her home in Portland, Maggie grows all sorts of edible plants in a tiny patio garden and develops new recipes from the bounty of her containers.

For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities