The world seems like a callous place sometimes, with strangers cutting each other off in traffic, neighbors arguing about fence lines, and people fighting about everything from favorite sports teams to political views. But things change in times of crisis. Almost instantly, we forget our pettiness and remember that we all belong to the human race and are, in some way, brothers and sisters. And we long to help even when we don’t have much to give.

This book was born on the AbsoluteWrite.com message boards, where many writers gathered during the days after Hurricane Katrina and agonized over how helpless we felt. Those who had money to give did so, but it didn’t feel like enough. Those who didn’t have money donated blood, or sold things on eBay to raise money, or gathered items to send to evacuees. But we kept watching those images on television, and the problem didn’t go away. It became clear that it wasn’t going to go away soon, and we wanted to find a way to help long-term.

I suggested this anthology project. If we could get enough compelling stories to fill a book, I figured, that book’s sales could go on for years to come and keep donations rolling in to charities to help with disaster relief. My simple suggestion was met with amazing enthusiasm and we got to work immediately. This project belonged to all of us, and we were going to make something beautiful happen.

What you’re about to read comes from writers the world over. Some are long-time professional authors whose names you may recognize. For others, this is their first publication ever. I asked writers to submit essays, poems, and short stories about strength, and within a week, we had more submissions than we could ever fit in this book.

But the generosity didn’t end there. No one just submitted a piece and disappeared. Instead, people stuck around and offered help in other areas. A graphic artist offered to do our cover art. Numerous editors wrote to offer to share the duty of editing the work on a quick deadline. Writers spoke to their colleagues and friends to ask for help with formatting, advertising, publicity, corporate sponsorship, and bookstore distribution.

The book matters to us because people matter to us. This is one way for us to use our love for writing to help others, and we are so thankful that you’ve become part of that effort.

May you always find the strength you need, and enough strength left over to lend to others. I hope the stories you read here will inspire you and remind you of just how little it can take for strength to blossom in unlikely places.

Jenna Glatzer, Editor