January 19, 2019
Dear Writers & Readers,
We want to thank each and every one of you for all that you do for literature and art, for sending us your words, and for supporting Origins from the start. We are proud to have published your poems and stories and honored to have interviewed so many extraordinary poets and writers.
After four and a half years, we are closing up shop. The demands of “day” jobs and the need to stay current and connected in order to ensure that a literary magazine succeeds are very real conflicts that our team can no longer ignore.
For the time being, we will keep Origins online and all content will be accessible. If you would like to purchase a print copy of one of the issues, you may still do so here. We also invite you to donate to Origins to help us defray the costs of maintaining the website for the foreseeable future and to contact us at originsjournal[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions or just want to stay in touch.
Diversity is fast becoming the norm in publishing, as it should be. We hope that we’ve played a small part in achieving this long-overdue goal.
Happy New Year!
Dini & the Origins Team
Interviews
Narrative 4 fosters radical empathy in individuals from myriad backgrounds and different walks of life to change the way they interact with their communities and the world. The story exchange is the core methodology of Narrative 4. In this process individuals trade and retell each other’s stories in the first person. This builds empathy by giving participants the singular experience of walking in another person’s shoes and seeing the world through their eyes. The story exchange can be put into action almost anywhere, from schools seeking to decrease bullying to groups of adults engaged around certain issues The story exchange creates safety, openness and a level playing field for all participants, giving them the opportunity to experience personal narratives with understanding, and without judgement.
Since 2009, Barrio Writers has worked to empower teens through creative writing instruction, higher education and cultural arts programming.
At Origins, one of our goals is to publish the work of writers and artists who might not otherwise have access to publishing. This has given rise to Project Amplify, a new initiative and collaboration with nonprofit arts programs around the globe. Here's the inaugural Project Amplify issue featuring poetry and art from Xhosa students in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
