Beyond FINESSE: STORIES OF STRENGTH

It’s been more than two months since Hurricane Katrina struck, yet people continue to come up with incredible ways to support on-going relief efforts. Jenna Glatzer, executive editor at AbsoluteWrite.com, spearheaded a remarkable project to publish a book that celebrates the human spirit and donate proceeds to relief efforts. Thanks to the help of writers in the AbsoluteWrite community and beyond and with support from print-on-demand publisher Lulu, Stories of Strength: An Anthology for Disaster Relief blossomed from the root of one woman’s idea into a 300+-page collection of pure inspiration and is now for sale. But wait! There’s more! Go to the Stories of Strength website to see how much this project has already earned for disaster relief. Then add on a percentage for what Lulu might have made off Glatzer’s brainchild, because it’s donating all its profits to disaster relief, too. THEN, buy a copy and feel good about the purchase. Maybe buy two or three. Talk about a holiday gift with a story behind it. Many stories, actually.

For a review of what the people of New Orleans endured in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how our government failed to help, check out the Think Progress blog’s Katrina Timeline. Then consider how many lost their homes, how many lost loved ones, how many lost everything they ever had. Buying a book is the least each of us can do.