30 December, 2020
Hello Friends of Wake Up And Smell The Poetry,
As this challenging year of 2020 comes to an end, I hope this email finds you well.
I have not been sending out notices for Wake Up And Smell The Poetry since March as the series ended with the onset of COVID in the U.S. However, the program was going to come to an official end anyway in May after 14 wonderful seasons which I am so grateful to have hosted.
What surfaced in it's void for me during the months of pandemic and social distancing was the invitation and opportunity from my very creative and visionary friend Cynthia Franca to collect, compile and co-edit an anthology titled Hope Through Community: Words and Images in Response to a Global Pandemic.
We put a call out for submissions in April and received over 120 submissions by the end of May. We were able to create an anthology consisting of 72 submissions of poems, stories, prose and song lyrics as well as photographs contributed by people of community, near and far.
Thanks to Cynthia's persistence in vision and drive and know-how of book-making and the excellent publishing work of Damianos Publishing, we were able to get this book finished, published and printed in 7 months time.
Here is what poet-friend Ron Whittle had to say about the book recently:
It is always amazing how the people of this country can pull together in times of need. Many who have least to give often give the most. There is hope in the words published in this book from people across all races, religions and political influences. I love it.
Furthermore, although we could not host an in-person book launch, thanks to the crew at HCAM-TV Studios, we were able to host a virtual event over Zoom with 34 Anthology contributors who offered an intimate reading/performance of their submissions from their homes.
I have to say...although initially a little weary how this all would work virtually via Zoom, I loved every single bit of this special, more intimate event. I want to send a thank you out to all who participated.
And if you did not get a chance to view this virtual event, I want to offer to share this with you! To me it feels like inviting 34 writer friends into your home to share their art and words of hope with you.Here is the link in case you are interested in viewing. . https://youtu.be/dI3xepRbgP0
Also, we are thrilled to announce that the first edition of our book is just about sold out and the publishers have now started a second edition of the anthology!
if you wish to order a copy of the anthology book, you will find details at https://www.hopkintonthroughpoetrybook.com/buy-now. Or you can contact the editors (Cynthia and myself) at the email: hopkintongenerationbook@gmail.com
So now, as we face a new year and new possibilities for what we hold hope for...perhaps consider writing and sharing out your own words and images of hope and envisioning for a better healing world to come in this new year.
Also in this new year coming, I am making plans to host a new program via Zoom, Common Ground True Storytelling that will be hosted by HCAM-TV beginning in January with it's debut on the 15th.
You can tune into www.hcam.tv for details and also stay tuned for an upcoming announcement.
Until then, take good care each day.
Very best wishes to you all in the soon-coming New Year of 2021 too.
Cheryl Perreault
