Official Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Website:
http://www.myspace.com/littleredbookofpoeeetree http://www.africanwellfund.orgThe Little Red Book of Poe-ee-tree Makes a Splash for the African Well Fund
MARCH 20, 2007 – The Little Red Book of Poe-ee-tree will be launched on March 22, 2007, World Water Day, in conjunction with the African Well Fund’s 5th Annual Build a Well for Bono’s Birthday fundraising drive.
The Little Red Book of Poe-ee-tree is a collection of poems and short stories written by ten U2 fans scattered across the globe. The contributors are from completely different walks of life, and were brought together by U2’s music and a love of words when they stumbled into “The Heartâ€, an Internet poetry forum, in 2001-2003. The Heart was a wealth of creativity, a place where people felt comfortable to write and share their poems; however, when the forum closed in 2003, it seemed as though that moment and all the words were lost forever. This book was born out of a desire to document a moment in time and Internet history among the U2 fan community. As the book began to take shape, it developed into a constructive project that would benefit others, with the realization that we can all make a difference.
Editor Mrs Fields wanted to explore how the poems would work together when simply juxtaposed, without being limited by a contrived theme. Would the poems bounce off one other, vying for attention and space? Or, through their interaction, would they create something magical, a “whole†greater than the sum of the parts that would take the reader on a journey through a landscape of hearts and minds?
All royalties will be donated to the African Well Fund, a registered 501©3 non-profit organization, founded in 2002 by a group of U2 fans inspired by Bono’s activism on behalf of Africa. Since its inception, a fundraiser has been held each spring in honor of his birthday. Donations to the past Bono Birthday fundraisers have totaled over $80,000, and have been used to build and implement clean water and sanitation projects in Uganda, Angola and Zimbabwe. Two AWF board members traveled to Uganda last September, and visited wells that were built with AWF donations. These projects have benefited thousands of people in the communities where they are located. A clean water source makes a huge difference in a community. This impact extends beyond the immediate health benefits, creating new sources of income, such as the vegetable garden in Nyingozi, and the fruit-drying project in Kyangara.
All donations to the African Well Fund go directly to Africare (one of the leading private, non-profit, charitable organizations assisting Africa) to fund water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The African Well Fund believes that water is not merely a basic human need, but a basic Human Right.
The book will be available on March 22, 2007.
http://stores.lulu.com/littleredbookofpoeeetreeI just got my copy and it's extremely well done. Some very fine writers. Check it out!
