Our Mission
After 9/11, many people said the world would never be the same. They were right. With the horror of the collapse of the World Trade Towers we witnessed how instantly our lives can dissolve. Life is fleeting…and even steel structures don’t last. The tragedy made us aware of this ever-present reality. The fact is, we are always teetering on the edge.
Writing a poem or looking at a painting is an act of self-realization. We stop to “smell the roses” through poetry and art, and connect with nature and eternity. A renewal of spirit takes place that is akin to coming home. Here at SF Peace and Hope, we believe that examining global change and celebrating the changeless aspects of life are both essential.
Since 9/11 the U.S. has become embroiled in conflicts in the Middle East, and the political climate has become increasingly polarized. We believe that these transformational times require creative thinking outside polemical or partisan boxes. We struggle, both for survival and social reform. And then there is the continual shortage of time and resources that we all face.
Less dramatic, but no less revolutionary, have been the changes in global communication created by digital technology that alters how we experience time and space. The benefits of these changes are many, and are seen via Twitter, Facebook, iPhones and the Internet. However, we risk becoming mechanical drones with media devices as they claim ever-increasing roles in our lives. Balance between the technical and the creative is clearly needed.
Given all this constant change and turmoil, are peace and hope even possible? Evolution will ultimately tell the tale. Albert Einstein said, “Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions.” I hope the poetry and artwork in this journal will help you through hard times and perhaps even offer a preview of what’s to come. Thank you to all the talented contributors to SF Peace and Hope for creating this vision…and possibility.
The Beginnings
September 11th, 2001, was personally devastating, as I had always thought of New York City as a home away from home. Since my father was in the military, my family moved constantly throughout the U.S. and abroad, but we always returned to visit relatives there, and even after I relocated to the Bay area, those strong links remained. I started blogging on September 12th as a way of connecting to New York and San Francisco, east and west, past and present — and, perhaps, through writing and art, making a small contribution toward improving the world situation.
The Bay area poets Kit Kennedy, Frances Spencer, Claire J. Baker, Ken Saffran, Mary Rudge, and Richard Angilly responded immediately to that challenge, and the Peace and Hope enterprise has grown and matured during the past decade, expanding to become an online publication informed by the idealism of the 1960s. It remains a labor of love produced by the poets and visual artists of the San Francisco Bay area and beyond.
Acknowledgments
Heartfelt thanks to all who have been so generous with their time and talent, including supporter and advisor,
Al Young, who has contributed the inspiring foreword, to my amazing mentor, Niya C. Sisk, Creative Director, to Marty Wood for his wonderful tech support and to Kit Kennedy, who has brought in many fabulous poets.
We received so much fine work. The submissions of the poetry and artwork were particularly poignant for me due to the recent loss of my mother. A huge thanks to all the poets and artists.
Elizabeth Hack
Berkeley, California 2012