The Lost Children Charity Anthologies: a little about... Susan Gibb

Monday, October 24, 2011

a little about... Susan Gibb

Susan Gibb wrote the powerful story "Keisha" for the Lost Children challenge:

What inspired your story?
As with most of us, I think we looked into the eyes of this child and merely wrote down what was drawn out of us. No one can look into those eyes and not feel the depths of humanity. For me, lucky to have been born into a loving middle-class family, I try to understand the lives of others who haven't had the luxury of a stable home.

What makes this cause important to you?
Because it's been an opportunity offered to writers to be able to do something more than just write about the trauma and pure poverty that so many children suffer in this world. It's easy enough to write a story but when it's back by your generous efforts to dedicate funding to charity, it's just all the more important. It offers help. It's both personal and focused and so much more than caring without action.

Tell us a bit about yourself and where to find more of your writing.
I've always written poems and stories and knew that someday I'd make it a more serious effort than just self-satisfaction or a means to communicate. There's a writer and poet in all of us. It just takes some time to give yourself the permission to put the effort and feeling into it and let it out into the world.

1 comment:

Fiona JohnsonOctober 25, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Susan - your sentiment is truly lovely. Thank you so much for taking part and I'm delighted that you felt so inspired by Danielle's amazing photo.
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What's the story behind the project?

Protectors:
The Lost Children Charity Anthology was such a success, that Thomas Pluck decided to collect stories from a variety of authors to benefit PROTECT, a lobby whose victories against child abuse include the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, the Hero to Hero program, and Alicia's Law. He collected 41 stories from all new authors. Thanks to the inspiration of goodhearted people like Fiona Johnson, and the people of PROTECT who fight the abuse and exploitation of our children every day, the book is a reality, and 100% of proceeds benefit PROTECT.

For the first anthology:
The challenge began on Flash Fiction Friday, when author Fiona Johnson was guest writer for the fiction prompt, and asked us to write about the lost children. She asked photographer Danielle Tunstall for permission to use the arresting photo shown in the right sidebar, and said:

Some children are lost before they have even started living. Some children are a throw-away commodity like a burger box that’s left to blow down the street in the wind and rain.

I offered to donate $5 for each story submitted to PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children, and Fiona would donate $5 to Children 1st, a children's charity in Scotland. Together we raised $300 for each of the charities thanks to the generous and creative writing communities of Flash Fiction Friday, Fictionaut, and the crime fiction community on Twitter.

It was such a success that we thought we could go further. Ron Earl Phillips, Fiona and I chose 30 of the best stories to put in a charity anthology, all proceeds of which will go to PROTECT and Children 1st.

100% of royalties donated to two causes:

OUR DONATION RECORD

PROTECT and The National Association to Protect Children (USA)

The National Association to Protect Children is a national, pro-child, anti-crime membership association founded on the belief that our first and most sacred obligation as parents, citizens, and members of the human species is the protection of children from harm.

PROTECT is a bipartisan pro-child, anti-crime lobby whose sole focus is making the protection of children a top political and policy priority at the national, state and local level.

You can read about PROTECT's Victories here.

100% of the proceeds of Protectors, and 50% of the proceeds of Lost Children: A Charity Anthology, are donated to PROTECT.

This is an independently organized event, not officially sponsored by [NAPC/PROTECT]

Children 1st (UK)

Children 1st has 125 years experience of working with children and families, previously as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (RSSPCC). Today, they support families under stress, protect children from harm and neglect, help them to recover from abuse and promote children's rights and interests. You can read more about their work with children here.

50% of proceeds of the Lost Children Charity Anthology go to Children 1st.

This is an independently organized event, not officially sponsored by Children 1st.