Tamara Ellis Smith, featured in the August issue of Bartography Express for her debut novel, Another Kind of Hurricane —

Another Kind of Hurricane

— has asked me to share this with you. I’m so glad she did, and I’m happy to pass it along:

HELPING NEW ORLEANS

lowernine.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the long-term recovery of the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the levee breaches of 2005. lowernine.org is working to bring home more Lower Ninth Ward families than any other single organization. A portion of the profits from the sale of Another Kind of Hurricane goes directly to lowernine.org.

Big Class is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating and supporting the voices of New Orleans’ writers ages 6-18 through creative collaborations with schools and communities. Big Class offers a variety of free, innovative programs that provide under-resourced students with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. Readers all over the country are donating copies of Another Kind of Hurricane — as well as other vital books — to Big Class, getting meaningful stories directly into the hands of the community they represent.

Information about both of these organizations — and how you can help — can be found at www.tamaraellissmith.com.

THE ANOTHER KIND OF HURRICANE PROJECT

In collaboration with disaster relief organizations and educators, I have developed The Another Kind of Hurricane Project -— a community service project for schools. Students in one school in one part of the country learn how to identify another school somewhere else that needs assistance. They learn how to organize a drive, advertise it, run it and, finally, send needed items. A collaborative art project is woven into the project, exploring community, landscape and meaningful objects. By participating in a reciprocal learning experience, students from both schools can -— hopefully and ultimately -— gain a sense of understanding of how they are similar, and how they are connected.

The Another Kind of Hurricane Project guide invites schools to support other schools in disaster areas by donating copies of Another Kind of Hurricane, marbles, and more concrete relief supplies. It also invites schools to collaborate on an art project.