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There is Us
The There is Us anthology was born from a desire to find a tangible way for small creators to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. It operates using the stone soup principle— many hands make light work, and a little bit from everyone makes a beautiful thing. One creator might not have the time, tools, or enough material to put together an entire not-for-profit collection, but if everyone chips in, a few weeks later you’ll have almost a 200-page book.
The hope is that even while sales from this collection are going to organizations providing much-needed aid around the world, the pieces inside will uplift and soothe the souls of those trapped inside and longing for human connection.
In just a little over a month, this project has brought together over a dozen poets, writers, artists, and photographers from multiple countries and all levels of experience. For some, this is their first published work, while others have been doing this for years.
These creators join together to share their voices in a collection that rings with the truth that while our experiences are not universal, our humanity is.
There is more than death here. There is us.
The hope is that even while sales from this collection are going to organizations providing much-needed aid around the world, the pieces inside will uplift and soothe the souls of those trapped inside and longing for human connection.
In just a little over a month, this project has brought together over a dozen poets, writers, artists, and photographers from multiple countries and all levels of experience. For some, this is their first published work, while others have been doing this for years.
These creators join together to share their voices in a collection that rings with the truth that while our experiences are not universal, our humanity is.
There is more than death here. There is us.
- GenresPoetry
226 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2020
About the author
S.J. Blasko
22 books46 followersSJ Blasko is a poet and fantasy writer from Massachusetts, USA. As an LGBTQ Christian, much of their work revolves around the intersection of faith, love, and identity. They have a deep appreciation for "weird" fiction, and love getting lost in worlds that are not our own.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 15, 2023
Fifth read through: probably the most impactful read so far. I was annotating my colour edition and preparing to donate all the extra copies of my black and white editions…and I just love the thought of this book being out and about.
Fourth read through:
I read my previously annotated copy and really focused on the things I'd highlighted. It's so interesting looking at my past self in that way. This collection is always going to blow me away. We're still not fully out of the pandemic, but we're definitely in a different place than we were back then. Seeing the hope in the darkness makes me so happy. We were surviving back then and we are surviving now.
Third read through:
Picture me with a massive headache, lying in bed and needing some comfort. I pick up my poetry anthology and a highlighter and decide to challenge myself. I am going to hunt through this book and find comforting lines and beautiful art and highlight it so that I can flip through it whenever I need some joy in my life. I begin, and it all goes amazingly. For the first time, I am actually devouring every single word, every little poem, analyzing every picture. I read it like I have never read it before and I fall in love with it in a million different ways. Things jump out at me and touch my very soul and I want to weep because I have a bad headache (and I am in one of the most beautiful poetry collections in the world).
I am feeling so grateful for the fact that I am in this book. More grateful than I have ever felt. This is an absolute MUST READ and I would die if more people picked it up.
Second read through:
I got myself a colour copy so I reread this with emphasis on looking at the art. Some of the art in here is whimsical and I don't really understand it but the photos and paintings are gorgeous. I love them a lot more in colour since I can get the full image of what the artist was trying to portray. I still love this anthology a lot and I can't wait for the second one to release!
First read through!
I'm giving this book five stars for several valid reasons:
1. I'm one of the authors of this book! I love it to pieces, even though it's not something I would normally read, and I'm so proud to have my name in here.
2. This is based off of a good cause. It's small creators trying to reach out and help the world through the money coming in by sales.
3. Everyone in here is so talented. The art, the poetry, and the short stories and all from the heart and it really resonates with me. I joined this anthology as a stranger but left with a group of amazing writing friends and I'm so grateful for that!
I hope that everyone reading this review will consider picking up a copy of this. It's available on Amazon and is really easy to purchase so please go check it out!
Fourth read through:
I read my previously annotated copy and really focused on the things I'd highlighted. It's so interesting looking at my past self in that way. This collection is always going to blow me away. We're still not fully out of the pandemic, but we're definitely in a different place than we were back then. Seeing the hope in the darkness makes me so happy. We were surviving back then and we are surviving now.
Third read through:
Picture me with a massive headache, lying in bed and needing some comfort. I pick up my poetry anthology and a highlighter and decide to challenge myself. I am going to hunt through this book and find comforting lines and beautiful art and highlight it so that I can flip through it whenever I need some joy in my life. I begin, and it all goes amazingly. For the first time, I am actually devouring every single word, every little poem, analyzing every picture. I read it like I have never read it before and I fall in love with it in a million different ways. Things jump out at me and touch my very soul and I want to weep because I have a bad headache (and I am in one of the most beautiful poetry collections in the world).
I am feeling so grateful for the fact that I am in this book. More grateful than I have ever felt. This is an absolute MUST READ and I would die if more people picked it up.
Second read through:
I got myself a colour copy so I reread this with emphasis on looking at the art. Some of the art in here is whimsical and I don't really understand it but the photos and paintings are gorgeous. I love them a lot more in colour since I can get the full image of what the artist was trying to portray. I still love this anthology a lot and I can't wait for the second one to release!
First read through!
I'm giving this book five stars for several valid reasons:
1. I'm one of the authors of this book! I love it to pieces, even though it's not something I would normally read, and I'm so proud to have my name in here.
2. This is based off of a good cause. It's small creators trying to reach out and help the world through the money coming in by sales.
3. Everyone in here is so talented. The art, the poetry, and the short stories and all from the heart and it really resonates with me. I joined this anthology as a stranger but left with a group of amazing writing friends and I'm so grateful for that!
I hope that everyone reading this review will consider picking up a copy of this. It's available on Amazon and is really easy to purchase so please go check it out!
August 22, 2020
Hello friends <3
This project has a special place in my heart (the first anthology project I put together) so I'm so excited to announce that There Is Us is now available in pay-what-you-can ebook form here: https://payhip.com/b/kYW1
All proceeds will be donated to covid-19 relief funds! We've already raised over $300, which absolutely blows my mind. Please consider snagging a copy and helping us add to that total, and check out our upcoming anthology: Faces to the Sun which will be raising money and awareness about mental health.
We're all in this together-- take care of yourself!!
-SJ Blasko
This project has a special place in my heart (the first anthology project I put together) so I'm so excited to announce that There Is Us is now available in pay-what-you-can ebook form here: https://payhip.com/b/kYW1
All proceeds will be donated to covid-19 relief funds! We've already raised over $300, which absolutely blows my mind. Please consider snagging a copy and helping us add to that total, and check out our upcoming anthology: Faces to the Sun which will be raising money and awareness about mental health.
We're all in this together-- take care of yourself!!
-SJ Blasko
October 23, 2020
I've read and been in my fair share of Anthologies. I know what they normally look like. But this one? This one was nothing like that. Or maybe it kinda was, but not in the way that I expected.
This book is a combination of all the beautiful forms of art and literature that mankind has to offer. I saw amazing drawings, next to edits, to photographs and poems, chat messages and more. It had a variety of things that - although they were all so different - had one thing in common: Passion. You could really tell, that every single person, that was responsible for a piece in this book - had put all of their heart in it. And the result? Well, it's great!
Do I love every single thing in it? No. But that doesn't change the fact, that others really amazed me. Therefore I'm really happy that I got a copy of this.
I'm by the way NOT an author of this anthology.
This book is a combination of all the beautiful forms of art and literature that mankind has to offer. I saw amazing drawings, next to edits, to photographs and poems, chat messages and more. It had a variety of things that - although they were all so different - had one thing in common: Passion. You could really tell, that every single person, that was responsible for a piece in this book - had put all of their heart in it. And the result? Well, it's great!
Do I love every single thing in it? No. But that doesn't change the fact, that others really amazed me. Therefore I'm really happy that I got a copy of this.
I'm by the way NOT an author of this anthology.
August 11, 2020
I'm not a big fan of poetry but I thought it was a really cool collection. I don't really know what else to say.
December 27, 2021
It's a nice collections of stories, poems, and arts. What is really nice that we all came together to support the fund raising for the good cause.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews