MIA KIRSHNER'S BLOG
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An update from Mia and the I Live Here team
- Posted on 11.12.08
Related causes: Human Rights
Hi-
I Live Here has been out for a month now and Paul, Mike, James and I are amazed by the response so far. The reviews have been great, cool publications are writing about what we're doing, and the feedback we're getting from people that we meet has been overwhelming.
I've been on the road for the last few weeks, trying to sum up seven years of life-changing travel. To those of you who have come out to hear me speak, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I realized something: How lucky I am to get to share what I have seen. It's a great exercise in humility and gratitude for the opportunities I've been given to work on this project. Each person that comes out to hear about the book is crucial. The event in Santa Cruz was wonderful and we actually sold out of the books! Then the same thing happened in Toronto, NYC, Portland and Seattle.
People are asking: "What can we do?" Here is what I know: All that matters is what you are doing. If there is a change you want to see in the world, do it....Read More -
"I LIVE HERE" the book launches October 14!
- Posted on 10.13.08
Related causes: Human Rights
It's hard to believe that I LIVE HERE is done. When I first met with Michael Simons and Paul Shoebridge in a café in Vancouver, I told them this would be an easy project and would take seven months to finish – maximum. Seven years later, after what feels like a lifetime of experiences, I am so proud to announce that I LIVE HERE is on the stands!
I can truly say that I put everything I have into this project, and so did my touchingly brave coauthors Michael, Paul, and J.B. MacKinnon. Many other artists and writers, too, showed almost unbelievable generosity and patience to make this happen. Joe Sacco was the first person to say yes to this book and he never gave up on this project.
I LIVE HERE is about how we are connected to one another. The direction in which the world is heading.
Working on the book has changed how I see the world. We were allowed into the secret worlds of child soldiers, underage sex workers, orphans left behind by AIDS. The experience stripped away the ...Read More -
"I LIVE HERE" Book Signing Tour Schedule
- Posted on 10.07.08
Related causes: Human Rights
Wednesday, October 15—Los Angeles
7:00 pm- Book Soup in-store signing. 8818 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Sunday, October 19—Madison, WI
Wisconsin Book Festival interview with Leigh A. Payne (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Monday, October 20—Minneapolis
7:30pm-- Magers and Quinn reading and signing. 3038 Hennepin Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
Tuesday, October 21—New York City
Idlewild Books book party. Moet wine/Amelia Durant
Wednesday, October 22—New York City
7:00pm-- Barnes and Noble Tribeca reading and signing.
270 Greenwich St. New York, NY 10013.
Monday, October 27—Seattle
7:30pm-- Elliott Bay Book Company at Town Hall reading and signing (with all four authors).
1119 8th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101
Tuesday, October 28—Portland
7:30pm-- Powell’s Books reading and signing. 1005 W. Burnside Portland, OR 97209.
Wednesday, October 29—San Francisco
7:30pm-- Books Inc in the Castro...Read More -
"I LIVE HERE" Book Signing Tour Schedule
- Posted on 10.07.08
Related causes: Human Rights
Wednesday, October 15—Los Angeles
7:00 pm- Book Soup in-store signing. 8818 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Sunday, October 19—Madison, WI
Wisconsin Book Festival interview with Leigh A. Payne (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Monday, October 20—Minneapolis
7:30pm-- Magers and Quinn reading and signing. 3038 Hennepin Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
Tuesday, October 21—New York City
Idlewild Books book party. Moet wine/Amelia Durant
Wednesday, October 22—New York City
7:00pm-- Barnes and Noble Tribeca reading and signing.
270 Greenwich St. New York, NY 10013.
Monday, October 27—Seattle
7:30pm-- Elliott Bay Book Company at Town Hall reading and signing (with all four authors).
1119 8th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101
Tuesday, October 28—Portland
7:30pm-- Powell’s Books reading and signing. 1005 W. Burnside Portland, OR 97209.
Wednesday, October 29—San Francisco
7:30pm-- Books Inc in the Castro...Read More -
The I Live Here Foundation is born!
- Posted on 09.05.08
Related causes: Human Rights, Arts
I Live Here came out of a creeping realization that I knew little of how most of the world lived. My ignorance felt selfish.
After nine months of intensive reading, I made my first research trip, to the Russian republic of Ingushetia, where tens of thousands of refugees had fled from the war in Chechnya. Next, I visited the Thailand-Burma border zone, then the Mexico-U.S. border, and the African nation of Malawi. The goal was to better understand what happens in between moments of crisis, and maybe to see how we all remain connected. I hoped to put together a book where survivors of war, famine, isolation, rape, and neglect would tell the stories of their lives. Seven years later, the book is complete. It has turned into something like a paper documentary. I’ve never worked so passionately on anything in my life.
The book was ultimately a team effort by myself, J.B. MacKinnon, Paul Shoebridge, and Michael Simons, and together we created the I Live Here Foundation. Our goal is ...Read More
