Though it is difficult to bear witness to destruction and pain of the magnitude caused by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster (東日本大震災 Higashi Nihon Daishinsai), the stories of valour and resilience continue to encourage me in spite of the overwhelming rubble, grief and fear I see.
Also heartening are the stories of people around the world who staged concerts, mobilized independent support teams, collected pocket change, baked cookies, offered their homes and did what they could to raise funds to support the relief effort.
During my reading I discovered a group of writers world-wide who created the Write for Tohoku Project. “The writers…give shape to the memories, encounters, insights and pleasures we’ve accumulated in Japan.” Setting down “small, personal testaments to what this country is” they have created a collection of stories, You Are Here: Writing for Tohoku, now available in PDF format for $9.99 USD. In a few days it will also be available in eBook and iPhone App format.
A sample preview of the Table of Contents, Introduction and excerpted stories is available on the project’s website: http://fortohoku.org/.
All funds raised from sales of the book will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross in support of the survivors of Higashi Nihon Daishinsai.