Signs of Hope: In Praise of Ordinary Heroes: Selections from Hope Magazine

by Jon Wilson (Editor)

A collection of stories by and about uncelebrated people who make a positive difference in their communities and the world. Several years ago, Jon Wilson, editor of acclaimed WoodenBoat magazine, decided he'd had enough of the constant barrage of violence and misery in the media. His answer was the magazine Hope, dedicated to stories by and about uncelebrated people who make a positive difference in their communities and the world.

Signs of Hope gathers the best of that journal, and restores our faith in the power of individual acts. For a widow writes about the death of her husband and her struggle to endure; a counselor describes the transformative power of summer camp for children with a fatal blood disease; a psychologist discovers the vital human beings behind his patients' diagnoses; a father reveals what his newborn daughter taught him about men, women, and family. This is a collection to remind us of our common humanity and our capacity to give and to love. The magazine Hope is the winner of Utne Reader 's 9th Annual Alternative Press Award and was named one of the "10 Best Magazines" by Library Journal .

253 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Professor Jon Wilson joined the History Department in 1999 as Lecturer in British Imperial and South Asian History. He was awarded a DPhil from Oxford University in 2000, following two years in New York studying for an MA in Anthropology at the New School for Social Research.

He was Deputy Head (External Relations) of the School of Arts and Humanities from 2008-11, where he initiated the King’s Arts and Humanities festival. He is now Professor in Modern History,
Head of Department, History. He has also worked as a parliamentary researcher and been a local councillor.