In just over a week, a group of professional and citizen journalists collaborated via Twitter to source, edit and publish a book of first-person accounts of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The goal: to sell the book and donate all monies to the Japanese Red Cross earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.
A former British journalist residing in Japan who blogs under the pseudonym Our Man in Abiko (check it out – he’s a very funny fellow) wanted to do something for the hundreds of thousands of people that have been affected by this event, from those directly in the earthquake zone, the path of the tsunami, in the evacuation area around the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, to those in many other areas of Japan, whose lives have been disrupted by rolling power blackouts, poor road conditions, food and water supply difficulties, and more. Our Man thought up 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake, and spread word on Twitter via the hashtag #quakebook. He gathered stories from around the country about people’s experiences of people in the thick of the disaster and its aftermath.
Contributions to the book—essays, artwork and photographs—poured in from writers, artists, and photographers all over Japan, as well as elsewhere in Asia and North America and Europe. In addition to narratives by the journalists and people who braved the disaster, the book contains writing created specifically for 2:46 by authors William Gibson, Barry Eisler, Jake Adelstein and artist/musician Yoko Ono.
“The primary goal,” Our Man in Abiko says, “is to raise awareness, and in doing so raise money to donate to the Japanese Red Cross Society to help the thousands of homeless, hungry and cold survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.” The collection reflects the fear and confusion caused by Japan’s unprecedented disaster. “But #quakebook isn’t all gloom and doom. By the time you finish reading it, you’ll have a sense of hope, and even optimism.”
2:46 is now available as a Kindle ebook here. (The Kindle app is free for use on your computer,
Please support the Japan Red Cross and buy a copy today. For updates and press coverage of the book, please visit the Quakebook blog, the official Twitter account, or join the Facebook group.
