Brief update...

Well it looks as if Frankie is alive and well, she has been spotted on twitter and one of the other editors has heard from her!  So hopefully she picks things back up and the project goes forward.

Those who asked about which email to use - as Frankie is back then please continue to use the above email (editor@booksthathelp.org) as before and address any queries regarding your submissions to Frankie. It is her project and she remains at the helm!

Glad to know you're well Frankie & good luck with the anthology!

Best wishes,
Susan

ToC & where we're at...

The following is a list of accepted pieces as in the editing proof of New Sun Rising.  

From the initial response to last week's post I gather that (extrapolating broadly from the replies I received) those who had work accepted were notified by Frankie.  Those who did not have work accepted were not notified.

If you still have not heard about your submission, I can only apologise on behalf of Frankie Sachs and the rest of the editors.  Unfortunately the project was left hanging and details were not passed on.

Please do double check the following list of 72 accepted pieces to see if your work is there.

We do have the names of those who contributed written submissions (I just haven't posted them here).  However we do not have contact details for said contributors.  So if your work is in the following list, please get in touch!

A note on artwork

While we still have access to submitted artwork we do not have any contributor names or contact details.  If you submitted artwork, please contact us.

A big thank you to all those who submitted, the quality and breadth of work was impressive.

~

FAMILY BUSINESS

The Brewer’s Son

Himitsu Bako 

The Ambassador of Foreign Affairs

As Leaves Fall

Cherry Blossoms Never Die

Flash, Bullet Train 

Birds in the Trees

Rite of Spring

SCHOOLGIRLS & SALARYMEN

Bunraku Doll

Something For Hanako

Five Seasons in Japan

Kibou

two haiku by Elle Lawliette

Worm House

Junko’s Smile

Kimika and the Ants

Buttons

MYTHS, FABLES, & LEGENDS

Fox Fire

Ningyodashi

Ice Maiden

The Stonecutter

How the Fox Gained Entrance to Paradise

Silver Arrow

Moon Kisses

Satori vs. Non-Satori

OLD & NEW

The Unfortunate Incident of the Broken Weenie

Struck by the Temple Bell

Godzilla’s tea

Cherry-Blossomed Reverie

Shogun Dreams

Butoh In A Stone Garden 

Sendai Space Elevator 

A Piece in History

Summer Tofu in Kyoto 

The Road to NeoSendai

Japanese Arts

Origami

CITY STORIES

Ninja

Ueno Park 

What is freedom?

The Hankyu Line

This Space

Walking on Roofs

Shitamachi

haiku by Brigita Pavsic

Blue Hearts

Kyoto Moss

Silver Lining

two haiku by Michelle Goode

Steps and Bows in Tokyo

The Poetry Game

Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall

Tokyo Love Story

VISITORS

Riding the Killer Fish

I’m with Baka

three haiku by Neil Schiller

Persimmon

Three posters from Japan

Bento Boxes

Somewhere South of Tokyo

Write What You Know

On the train to Otsu Station

Osaka Underground

OUTSIDE JAPAN

The Present Fallen From the SkyGreen Tea

Gyoza Express

Firefly Child

His Japanese Student Speaks to Him After Class

Watching 'The Seven Samurai’

Please Help Me Find the Dollar I Lost

Out Of The Blue

haiku by Jennifer Domingo

Kitsune

~

New Sun Rising Anthology

At this stage it saddens me to report that contact between Frankie Sachs and her fellow editors on this project has been lost.  Despite numerous attempts to contact her, she has not been in touch for many months. New Sun Rising was initiated by Frankie, it was her brainchild.  All submissions went through Frankie.  She then removed names and contact details and posted them in a private forum so editors could vote.  After selections were made Frankie was to contact all contributors.

It was at this point that we started to lose touch with Frankie.  We do not know if she contacted everybody or not.  We do have a proof (text only) that was put forward for editing but we do not have any contact details for any of the writers involved.  Nor do we have contact information to go with any of the artwork that was submitted.  

During the last few weeks a number of us have rallied together to try to save the project.  A new publisher has been found and we are looking for a way forward.  It has been agreed that if the project goes ahead it will be marketed as an anniversary anthology.  In which case, the launch date will coincide with the anniversary of the disasters in Japan.

However many loose ends remain.  If anyone has any information on Frankie, or knows her personally, please get in touch.  If you contributed to the anthology in any way, again please get in touch.

It is disheartening when things like this happen.  Many people put a lot of time into this anthology.  The submissions were fantastic and it was a pleasure to read them.  We'd like to thank everybody for their hard work.  

The  high number of submissions for such a worthy cause was truly heart warming. 

~

Quick Update

First of all, I'd like to give a brief shout out to all those involved in the New Sun Rising anthology.  It has been an honour to work alongside such a fantastically dedicated team!

I'd also like to point out that we couldn't have wished for a better crop of submissions.  Quality has been high and it has been an absolute pleasure to read the many entries.

Rest assured, progress is being made as we reach the final stages of a very long task.  Having seen this side of the submission process, I now understand why so many publishers often stipulate a 3-6 month waiting period on submissions.  There's a phenomenal amount of work with this type of project and editors are working hard to get through it as quickly as possible.  However, we also want to ensure the high quality of the final product.

A big thank you to all those who have submitted work.  Your generosity and patience is very much appreciated. 

If you haven't already, please visit the site of R.B Wood for a taster of the stories to come! (See previous post for the link to the podcasts.)
 
Best wishes,

Susan

New Sun Rising on the Word Count Podcast

The fantastic RB Wood generously devoted an entire episode of his podcast to the New Sun Rising project. The special Word Count Podcast for Japan has a lengthy (girthy) interview with Frankie and a selection of readings from the book: stories, flash, poems, and haiku.

You can it via iTunes or download it as an mp3. Links are on RB's page:

The Word Count Podcast for Japan

Leave a comment letting us know which is your favorite excerpt from the book.

Cover Art!

I know everyone has been dying to see it, so here it is, the beautiful cover by Daniel Werneck for New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan:

If you'd like to see some of the rough sketches from Daniel's creative process, they're in his Flickr stream.

(I love it so much!)

Also! Interview on Fictionaut with the lovely Katrina Gray!

While you're waiting

I know, we're slow. I am so sorry, and I hope that we haven't caused too much inconvenience. Our number one priority (after raising lots of money to send to Japan, of course) is to create a beautiful book that pays tribute to a beautiful country and its people. I hope you'll find the results worth the wait.

In the meantime, have you seen Ninjai: The Little Ninja?

(Click the picture to go straight to the episodes.)

Update and Artwork from Japan

First, I want to say thank you so much for all your submissions. It is way, way more than we expected, or could've anticipated. Our volunteers are finishing the second read through this weekend, and we all really appreciate your patience.

via @LouFreshwater, Immense paper cut tapestries by Tomoko Shioyasu

That's paper!

If you're in New York, you can see it in person between now and June 12th at Japan Society. From now until June 30th, 50% of admissions and tickets go to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

That's a wrap.

Submissions are closed now, and we thought this would be a great way to say "thank you" to everyone for your beautiful work and generosity.



Children Full of Life -- Toshiro Kanamori instructs students in compassion and empathy in this documentary about a fourth grade class in Japan.

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Last day to submit

It's the last day for submissions, so if you've been working on something for the book, or have something that you've been planning on sending but haven't, get it emailed to us by midnight tonight, okay?

submissions@booksthathelp.org

(Remember, written work should be pasted into the email, we aren't opening attached .doc files. Only art should be submitted as attachments.)

If you've sent a submission and haven't heard back yet, you should get  a response by next weekend.

On the creation of a book

I am learning a lot about what goes into putting together an anthology. It's not just slapping a bunch of stories between some covers and calling it a book. There's has to be balance, an internal structure. And one of the most amazing things is reading the work people have sent and being able to see themes developing. Of course we're still reading, still taking submissions, and the shape is not complete. But I'm starting to see the outline.

With that in mind, I'd love to see some more stories (especially stories, but also art) about:

• Schoolgirls and salarymen and subcultures and modern Japanese pop culture.
• Japan outside Japan (we have two beautiful submissions that capture the delicate way Japanese culture touches the rest of the world; I would love one more of these set in LA.)
• Animals -- foxes and catfish and koi and herons and cats.
• Food. (If someone has a story built around an actual recipe, that would be amazing.)
• Folklore and legends -- I would love to see some of vibrant characters from Japanese folktale and mythology brought to life in new stories. 
• Cherry blossoms and origami. ('Nuff said.) 

Some things I would love to see, that we have not seen much of yet, are:

• Futuristic Japan--robots, cyberpunks, high-tech. (Go ahead, send us that near-future science fiction!)
• Manga! I know there are some coming our way--but we haven't seen it yet. We would love at least one story in manga.

I think these stories must be out there, and we would love to see them.

(Please do not send stories about the tsunami and the earthquake; we have received so many eloquent, touching stories about the disaster, but if we included them all, this book would read like a dirge when it is meant to be a celebration--a reminder that Japan is still a beautiful country.)

Thank you, everyone, who has already sent us something. It's because of you that this book is going to be beautiful.

Inspiring quote by Barbara Bloom

"When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful."

~Barbara Bloom

By submitting your beautiful poetry, art and stories, we're working together to fill those cracks with gold.

Submissions close April 11th!

Statistics: What does the submission pile look like?

The New Sun editors have been hard at work reading through all your wonderful written and hand-crafted work. Thank you so much for your submissions - keep them coming!

You may be wondering what the submission pile looks like... Well, it's looking pretty! The standards are high and there are some wonderfully descriptive and emotive pieces coming through.

We love to read stories/poems and look at art that ignites the senses and paints a vibrant image of the Japanese, their country and their culture. We hate to have to reject a well-crafted piece of work because it dwells too much on recent events or emanates too much negativity, but we must keep to our intended purpose; to celebrate and honour the Japanese with this beautiful anthology.

So what are the statistics so far?

Stories (flash and longer works) : 31%
Poetry (haikus and longer poems) : 53%
Art (drawings, paintings, photography etc) : 11%

Over 50% of submissions are poetry, closely followed by 31% stories and a mere 11% art.

We'd love to see more art work coming in to accompany the beautiful written works in our anthology. Do you have a creation you'd like to share? Do you know any manga enthusiasts who could be informed about this opportunity?

Don't feel as though we no longer want or need stories and poetry - we are after more of all the categories, so keep them coming and keep spreading the word!

The closing date for submissions is the 11th April.

Good luck!

Your Questions Answered

We've got a form on our website where people can ask us questions. I promised to answer on the blog. So here they are!

So first, a bunch of you guys want to know if we take non-fiction.

No, we are collecting fiction and poetry and art. There are some other projects going that are open to non-fiction, especially Write for Tohoku. They are asking for non-fiction from authors in Japan.

Lindsay asked: How many submissions have you received already?

Over a hundred, and that's not counting the ones that have sent document attachments (which we can't open, only art should be attached) or multiple submissions (please wait to hear from us before you send more work).

A lot of people have asked to know more about the project, and the people behind it.

We've got an About page on the website where you can read more about who we are. I'm sorry it took so long getting it up; I didn't really feel like editor bios were the most important information about this project. But now you can read all about us. (Though I have no idea why so many of you want to!)

And finally, James asks do I retain the (C) copyright?

Yes. To be perfectly clear, we are asking for permission to use your work in our ebook and print book. We may also ask that you let us make video or audio adaptations of your work in support of this project, permission for it to be read aloud, etc. But only for things that support the New Sun Rising anthology project. All funds in perpetuity go to the Red Cross. We aren't asking to hold onto the rights to your work or limit reprints.

I hope those are good answers! If you've got any additional questions, you can ask them from the website, post them in the comments here, or shoot me an email. (The address is on our Helping Out page.)

New Yorker Cover, March 2011

Submission Guidelines: World Poetry Day Edition

For your delight and general edification on World Poetry Day

Our Submission Guidelines

Rendered in unpalatable verse

by the inimitable _{(and why would you want to?)} Frankie Sachs

Please send us a story,
just one, and no more.
Three flash or three poems,
up to five haiku.
Please no attachments,
.doc your virus at the door.
We'll take .jpg of your art,
send lots of manga too.

No tsunamis or radiation,
and please no earthquakes,
Sad is okay, scary is too,
but no more disaster,
we're begging you.
We all have to read it,
and it makes our hearts ache.
(You'll get an answer faster
without weeping breaks.)

We want stories of Japan,
the old and the new.
Write what represents
the country to you.
Subs close on April 11
so send your work soon.

-----

The full guidelines are on our website.


Do not send us poetry like this. I am serious. -Frankie

Tanka, a Photo and a Haiku

This week, for obvious reasons, I decided to turn my hand to writing haiku and tanka.  A challenge which I quickly found fun and somewhat addictive!  I expect I'll be further exploring this form.  So, in honour of World Poetry Day, and with thoughts of Japan never far from my mind, I offer up the following.

inert we watch news

drowning in waves of anguish

’til ideas dawn

first whisper, then shout, a book

galvanized, New Sun Rising

***

an ancient culture

flows into charity book

see, smell, hear, taste, touch

capture tradition, rejoice

Japanese essence abounds

***

here in London streets

Japanese cherry blossoms

glimmering moon shared

***

Haibun

For World Poetry Day, I thought it would be fun to look at haibun. This is a lesser known form which incorporates haiku and prose. Any discussion of this form should probably start with The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior by the Japanese master Matsuo Bashō. It is considered to be one of the most important texts in Japanese literature.

This is a section:

I patched my torn trousers and changed the cord on my bamboo hat. To strengthen my legs for the journey I had moxa burned on my shins. By then I could think of nothing but the moon at Matsushima. When I sold my cottage and moved to Sampū’s villa, to stay until I started on my journey, I hung this poem on a post in my hut:

kusa no to mo
sumikawaru yo zo
hina no ie

even a thatched hut
may change with a new owner
into a doll’s house.







Bashō's hut on Camellia Hill. No. 40 of the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo by Hiroshige (1856-58)
















You can find more about Basho and his haibun here.

There are many contemporary writers embracing the form with great success. I found this haibun at Simply haiku and I thought it was quite beautiful.


Snap

the smell of the sea
a memory
in black and white

A classic snap. Three of us in deckchairs on the shore of Aberafan beach—Dad in sunglasses framed by my sister and me—and Mammy invisible behind the shutter's click. These are the years when his hair was dark and he could still pick us up and spin us around. When Mammy could run faster than anyone we knew.

They will never be the same again. My father will learn to walk slower, his slippers dragging along the garden path. My mother's heart will grow tired.

But for now the horizon behind us is clear. The sea calmer than I can ever remember, and if I close my eyes I can hear them both laughing when the sea, unexpectedly, licks around our feet.

the old songs
sunlight breaks through
winter rain

~By Lynne Rees


Do you have a journey to tell us about?

World Poetry Day

It's World Poetry Day. Did you know we need your poetry? It would be awesome to get 100 poems about Japan for world poetry day. (That would be enough for a whole other book, right?)

If we do get that many, we'll do something awesome. I don't know what yet, but it'll be awesome. You can make suggestions in the comments if you've got an idea.

I would like to do something awesome, so please send poems.

---

As a special feature, I am letting the editors out of the submission salt mines long enough to post about poetry and post poems of their own right here on the blog. So check back. We'll be updating with poems periodically.

(As you can see, Vaishali kicked us off with a tidy little haiku!)

My open arms...

She sits by the pavement,
begging for alms
and some thought
with open arms

The farmer looks up,
asks for some rain
and hope
with open arms

A child learns to walk,
asks for a finger
and strength
with open arms

A soldier raises his gun,
asks for guts
and peace
with open arms

Mother bosoms families,
asks for nothing,
simply gives
with open arms

with open arms
I wait for yours…

Only three steps...

a child's drawing
ladder to the sun
only three steps

...this is how goes my favourite Haiku by Scott Metz of the Haiku Foundation. A Haiku is characterised by its sheer simplicity. In as little as 5 syllables (1/3/1)or as many as 17 syllables (5/7/5), one can express and capture myriad emotions, messages, and moments.

Basho, Buson, and Issa, amongst others, are considered as the Masters of this fine art of Japanese poetry.

The Haiku Foundation (http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/) is one of the most informative sites to learn more about Haiku; the Masters and Poets behind all forms of Haiku, be it traditional, urban, or modern.

New Sun Rising honors Haiku as one of Japan’s most revered literary forms and solicits your entries for our book. So let's celebrate Japan, its culture, its people, its art!

And as for my answer to Scott Metz's Haiku:

only three steps
in a journey of miles;
a child’s play

...and I'm on my way!

More Charity Writing Projects!

Wow, yes, okay. I have just heard about Write for Tohoku. My only excuse is that I've had my head down behind the scenes, trying to streamline our submission handling and begging for contributions from some amazing writers, and get the last bits of the site up.

It is so great to see how the literary community is organizing its resources to try and help people. And for Write for Tohoku, this is really close to home; they're in Japan. So, here is what they need:

We are a group of writers in Japan who are publishing an ebook to benefit survivors of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku-Kanto earthquake and tsunami. This project has two goals: to raise money for earthquake victims and to help overseas readers understand more about Japan and the kindness and hospitality of its people.

We invite all writers and translators in Japan to submit short pieces of writing (500-1000 words). We welcome travel stories, humor pieces, essays, translations from Japanese or other languages, interviews, profiles (of people or places) or other non-fiction work. Subject matter is up to you; we would like your writing to convey your take on the joys of traveling in Japan or the spirit of cooperation and togetherness demonstrated by residents of Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

All proceeds from the sale of the ebook will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

Got that, guys? They want non-fiction and essays from writers and translators in Japan.

---

Also!

I have just heard of the mad-dash book project from Our Man in Abiko, JAPAN EARTHQUAKE: GET WRITING NOW!

He's aiming to get his book out TONIGHT!

He says:

I'm looking for contributions from anyone who has something to say about the earthquake. (eg where were you when it happened, what did you feel? How have you helped? Did it change anything in the way you live your life? Are you coping with grief? Or just bewildered behind a barrage of media images?)

I'm not looking for windy poetic stuff, just honest stuff.

Aim to write 250-300 words or so - equivalent to a short blog post (or one page of a book)

If you can contribute original (ie you have the copyright) artwork, a sketch drawing or cartoon that would be awesome too)

If you have any great tweets to submit - that would be great too.

Photos (that you took) would be really awesome.

Remember, he wants to publish ASAP, so if you got it, get it to him now.

Go. Help. Do good.

More Banana, Please

There are many reasons I have come to love Japanese literature, but if I had to list a few of the top things which I am drawn to I would have to say the deceptive simplicity and the way some of the Japanese writers tend to go around and around things leaving you stunned at the end when you realize you were actually looking directly at it all along.

One of the writers I most admire is Banana Yoshimoto. I think the following graph from Elizabeth Wadell's review of Hardboiled & Hard Luck in The Quarterly Conversation really does a fantastic job of summing up the magic that is Banana Yoshimoto:

The narrators are in a fragile, undetermined state of trying to figure out how to pay tribute to their tragedies while still finding some way past them. At times, they express nostalgia for the real, clear pain of the tragedy, and all moments when feeling was genuine and clear. Describing the aftermath of her sister’s cerebral hemorrhage, the narrator of “Hard Luck” explains, “Kuni hadn’t only given us pain, she also created moments for us that were so much more concentrated then usual. In the world we lived in, the good times were a hundred times better. If we couldn’t catch that sparkle only the agony would remain.”

This is what I would love to see more of in our submissions.

This attempt to transcend the horrifying tragedy still unfolding in Japan.

New Sun Rising - Call for Submissions

New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan is an anthology of writing and imagery celebrating Japan, proceeds of which will all go to Japanese disaster relief.

Watch the video and learn how you can get involved in this amazing project.

What we're looking for

It is so hard for me, for all of us, to read your submissions. They are beautiful, they are poignant. They are heartfelt; we know how deeply you care. We read it in your words, as you try to make sense of this terrible thing that has happened and try to understand how the world did not end, how life can go on.

Last night I went to bed and cried.

We've been talking, as editors, about our vision for this book.

It's not a book that makes people go to bed and cry. It is too soon for that kind of tribute. We do not need to remember the tragedy; it's still happening.

This is not a book of mourning. This is a book of hope.

This book is of Japan.

It is about sushi and salarymen and samurai. It is about emperors and ASIMO. It is about gyaru and cherry blossoms and love hotels. It is about temples and tatami mats and tea ceremonies. It is about the past, and the future. It is about the present too, but not only The Disaster.

We aren't going to ignore the earthquake, the tsunami, the nuclear emergency. How could we? But there must be balance. It's going to be a very small part of the book. Just like it's a very small part of all the things that have made Japan Japan.

So send me poems about Chiba cyberpunks and armies of giant robots commanded by schoolgirls. Send me The Merchant of Venice set in Twenty-first century Tokyo. Send me a story about how a paper crane saves the world. Send me a story about how a boy and a girl fall in love. Send me J-horror and 50's sci-fi. Send me manga--we haven't seen any yet, and how can we have a book about Japan without?

We don't need stories about what's happening in Japan, we need stories about Japan.

(And, thank you.)

-Frankie

Video, Love.

You guys, I love you so much right now. All of you. There has been so much support, I think we've got enough editors. It's volunteer, and life comes up, so if people have to drop out, I will ask again. But for right now we're okay.

What we need, now, is your work -- and your word of mouth. But Greg really says it right here:




Did Greg inspire you to send us something? Well, That Girl Tyson has you covered. She's done a video of our submission guidelines:



You guys are so awesome.

Thank you so much.

Questions about Submissions (1)

I'm getting a lot of questions about submissions--thank you so much, guys, for being excited about this project and so generous with your work.

(And to the people that are getting in touch with me, saying "I don't have any work, but is there anything I can do to help?" -- you rock. If I haven't already put you to work, I'll be in touch shortly. ;)

I've updated the guidelines slightly. We'll look at slightly longer stories--up to around 7,500 words.

The previously published question

For the people that have been asking, we will consider previously published work. Just tell us where and when. We're biased toward previously unpublished work, but I don't want you to hold back sending us something awesome because it was in a now-defunct webzine three years ago. I don't consider work posted on your blog or in an online workshop published.

The simultaneous submission question

Please don't do this to us. It is so much work, going from idea to book in a matter of weeks. Submissions are only open until 11 April, you'll hear from us within 6 weeks for sure. I have nightmares about having to root through our submissions, finding withdrawals, and scrambling at the last minute to readjust the book around gaping holes where someone else has scooped up a work we love. I know it's hard, but please be patient.

Artwork and Photos

As much as I would love beautiful color artwork and photos, it adds a layer of complexity in the "printing" and we just do not have the time. It is okay to attach your art submission--.png, .jpg, or .gif format. Please select one to send--your best, your favorite, something that you feel embodies Japan.

I love the offers to select anything we'd like from your photo blog or your Flickr album; by all means, if you would like to extend that offer, mention it with your submission. (This also applies to people who use their blogs as a place to post poetry or stories.)

But.

We are working really hard on the submissions coming into our email, and some of you are amazingly prolific. We just do not have the time to browse hundreds or thousands of your photos. Have pity, at least send us a sample so we can see what your work is like. If what you send is great but just doesn't quite fit, then we know there's more on offer and we'll get back to you about it.

And thank you guys, again, for all the work you are sending our way. You are amazing.

-Frankie

Haiku

Pampas grass, now dry,

once bent this way

and that.

~Shoro

I believe that every person has the ability to be a poet, whether you think you can or not. ~Jane Reichhold

We are hoping to include some really beautiful haiku in New Sun Rising. I am a huge fan of the form, and I jump at any opportunity to evangelize about how meaningful haiku can be in your life. It truly is a total experience, and can lead to a whole new way of looking at the world.

If you've never tried it before, why not give it a shot now? What better way to help than to contribute something which also honors the Japanese culture?

I thought it would be a good idea to post a few helpful haiku links. You can find tons of wonderful information at Jane Reichhold's Aha Poetry site. I wrote an essay which people seem to find helpful and it is at Escape Into Life.

You also have:

The Haiku Society of America, Modern Haiku Magazine, Frogpond and Acorn.

And if you can take the time to watch this video featuring Jane Reichhold, I believe you'll find yourself rewarded in so many ways.

By the skin of my teeth

I cannot believe it is only Tuesday. Well, Wednesday now. A few hours in.

This project, it started out on Sunday afternoon with just the slip of an idea for this thing, and you guys reached out with open arms and embraced it.

I am overwhelmed, I do not have words for how grateful I am to all of you. Maybe I would be able to find them if I were not so tired, but I doubt it. Sometimes the magnitude of a thing defies expression.

The facebook page is up, finally. (I swear, I meant to do it yesterday, but I just didn't get there.) I was getting ready for bed. Then I realized I forgot to blog about some other fund-raising projects for charities working in Japan.

I thought about going to bed anyway, but I don't know when I would find the time. And it's too important to get lost.


There's the Authors for Japan auction going on. They have some fabulous stuff. Like a signed copy of The Man Who Painted Agnieszka’s Shoes and the original cover art. (Dan Holloway's encouragement and support was instrumental in starting the New Sun Rising snowball on its journey down the mountain.)

Go. Look. Spend unwisely.

Also in author related fundraising, Stella Deleuze is giving 100% of the sales from her Kindle book to the British Red Cross. Go on, check it out.


(Now I'll go to bed. I promise, Sessha.)

Origins

On March 11, 2011 a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the north of Japan. In the wake of one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in the history of Japan, a state of nuclear emergency was declared, forcing the evacuation of thousands more.

The world watched, stunned.

We wanted to help. Just giving money didn't seem like enough.

The idea for New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan, a collection of stories and poems and art honoring and celebrating Japan, was born.