30 October, 2020
Hopkinton Residents Cynthia Franca and Cheryl Perreault Announce New Book
Hope through Community: Words and Images in Response to a Global Pandemic
Hopkinton residents Cynthia Franca and Cheryl Perreault feel that with all challenges the people face in this year of 2020, the timing is right to announce the release of their collaborative anthology project, Hope through Community. The project got started six months ago when Franca and Perreault decided to create a book offering a collection of writings about how people experience hope during this year of pandemic and quarantine. They put a call out to poets, songwriters, and other wordsmiths of the community, asking for poems and stories about hope.
The editors found people's responses diverse and powerful.
People wrote not only about facing current times and struggles of the pandemic and quarantine/lockdown of 2020, but also addressed other topics of life challenges.
The compilation of these writings offers a unique, multiperspective, and uplifting collection of poems and stories by 72 writers of differing ages, life experiences, and communities from as close as the MetroWest area of Massachusetts and as far as Africa, Australia, and outer space (a poet from California who has had one of his poems sent into space by NASA).
The anthology also includes photos of "The Front Steps Project," where three photographers share photos of families posing in front of their homes during the pandemic/quarantine time.
As a whole, the book offers stories, songs, poems, images, advice, humor, wisdom and a whole host of other felt emotional and experiential offerings from the people...for the people facing these times of global pandemic. In these days of limited social interaction, Franca and Perreault believe this book is like inviting 72 writers into our homes to gather round to tell stories, show photos, and share poems about what got them through, which might help to uplift and get us all through the hard times of this year and future challenges as well.
The editors are planning to organize a Virtual Poetry Launch in partnership with HCAM-TV in November.
All proceeds earned for book sales will be donated to charitable organizations assisting with hunger, including Project Just Because in Hopkinton, Feeding America, and Action Against Hunger.
Hope Through Community is $20 and available for purchase by contacting the editors by email at hopkintongenerationbook@gmail.com
(in this option, the editors will sign the book to you) or ordering books by going to the project website at www.hopkintonthroughpoetrybook.com/buy-now
Hope through Community
Words and Images in Response to a Global Pandemic
Compiled by Authors Cynthia Franca and Cheryl Perreault of Hopkinton, MA
Designed by Cynthia Franca and Lisa Breslow Thompson
Featuring Photographers Tom Sloan (cover), Chelsea Bradway, Lynne Damianos, and Christine Strickland
Published by Damianos Publishing (October 28, 2020)
Paperback, 160 pages, 21 photographs
6 x 9", $20.00, ISBN 9781941573334
