Journal: Volumes I – IX
Volume I: The Pilot Edition is the first publication of our annual collection of participants’ writing, generated from our first-ever workshop, held at the St. Francis House homeless shelter in Boston.
Volume II: The ReVisionaries Edition is the second publication of our annual literary journal generated from workshops held at homeless shelters, community health centers, addiction rehab programs, prison re-entry facilities, alternative youth programs, and neighborhood libraries throughout Greater Boston.
Volume III: The Lost & Found Edition is featured in the 2019 documentary, In Their Shoes, and showcases 7 returning contributors and 28 new authors from 5 of our workshops in Greater Boston. Perhaps the most predominant theme is discovery, or in some cases recovery, which in all cases appears through various forms of wisdom when one is open and observant, too often after loss or hardship.
Volume IV: The Human/Nature Edition showcases 37 authors, 13 returning writers submitting from 6 of our workshops in Greater Boston, presenting as our biggest and boldest edition yet. And, although the following pages may demonstrate a year of stability and growth in our programs, they are also a window into the complicated, and often dangerous world we inhabit.
Volume V: The History Lessons is our most voluminous and diverse edition yet. This year’s annual journal contains 50 contributors, with 13 returning authors from our five workshops across Greater Boston. And, just like in our workshops, the writing here is shared with a sense of hope and trust, and a belief that the mere act of writing, itself, might provide some insight, clarity, or wisdom to the self as well as, perhaps, the reader.
Volume VI: The Unlocked Edition, with 40 contributors and 13 returning writers submitting from five of our workshops in Greater Boston, and beyond, showcases what we discovered in a neo-dystopian America. We learned about what connected and divided us most under adversarial, and inequitable, conditions.
Volume VII: Letters to a Friend is the seventh addition to our annual journal of poetry and prose, featuring contributors from our highly successful first-ever series of exclusively virtual workshops. It was year two of the global pandemic, with nearly every external convention and institution called into question, our writers have taken the opportunity to also challenge their own personal imprints and influences in order to evolve.
Volume VIII: The Self Inkquiry Edition showcases 38 contributors and 15 returning writers, from our live programs in jails, recovery centers, medical facilities, mental health programs, community groups, and neighborhood branch libraries. This collection highlights the deeper questions that might be as important as any answers.
Volume IX: Urban Elegy showcases 33 writers from Greater Boston workshops. This collection is divided into five chapters mirroring the stages of grief, it invites readers to explore themes of addiction, racism, poverty, and personal loss. The recurring presence of nature amid urban settings offers hope, while the non-linear approach to grief allows for individual interpretation and reflection.