Press Release:

Beyond Borders Press - Reykjavik, Iceland

In light of the tragedies of the past few months Beyond Borders Press, Iceland's cutting edge publishing firm, has gathered together writers, poets and artists from around the world to express their sorrow and their unwavering hope for peace. With the anthologies, The Book of Hope and The World Healing Book, Beyond Borders hopes to begin the healing process the world so desperately needs at this time.

"Our world needs words and images of love, not hate. We need to reach out to each other, take each other's hand and rejoice in being alive. These books are meant to be a celebration of the artistic, a celebration of each other, both our differences and our commonalities."
- Co-Editor Michael Lohr

"What really keeps me going putting this project together, is the content and the people that created this content, it is like a tapestry of all the best qualities of the human heart. The books are already an inspiration for people from around the world to have faith in our future as a human race and to carry on no matter what is going on around us. The role of the artists and poets has never been more clear. To make a difference in our world. To plant the seeds of hope, where there is hopelessness , to offer healing where there is hurt."
-Editor Birgitta Jonsdottir

Among the authors and artists taking part in the project are works by H.H. Dalai Lama, the poet laureate of San Fransico Lawrence Ferlinghetti, former poet laureate of USA Rita Dove, John Kinsella, Icelandic musical phenomenon Sigur Ros, The Poetry House of Morocco, Sufi Master Muhammed Zuhri, Rabbi Michael Lerner and members of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Muslim world communities. As well as new voices and established poets and artists from around the world. It is in this great diversity that the seeds of hope and healing are being sown for our future.

Larry Jaffe and Ram Devineni, both whom work in association with the UN Dialogue Among Nations Through Poetry project, are taking part in making these books a reality with their assistance: http://www.dialoguepoetry.org

Both books will also be published in e-book format by Rattapallax.

All proceeds from the sales of The Book of Hope and The World Healing Book and the e-books will go to UNICEF with the focus to help Afghan children.