Community
15 February, 2023
FNQ Authors go to Hollywood
THE Power to Rise Above, an anthology by several local and global authors, will be a part of the coveted Hollywood Swag Bags gifted to Oscar Nominees over The Oscars Weekend on March 12.
The Power to Rise Above is the first release by Ozark Press. The anthology is about overcoming bullying, abuse, heartbreak, and trauma.
The project is the dream of positive ageing women’s advocate Sandy Davies with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey’s favourite guest of all time, humanitarian Dr Tererai Trent.
Acclaimed Kuku Yalanji Artist Sheryl J. Burchill collaborated with local designer Sally Weavers to create a stunning cover.
Local writers Sandy Davies, Tahlia Burchill O’Brien, Jasmine Marshall and Lesley van Staveren have bravely shared stories of overcoming bullying, abuse, trauma and family suicide to remind others you are never alone.
In addition to the local authors, women from six First Nations groups, Australia, Nigeria, Micronesia, Jamaica, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Peru, the UK, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands, and mainland USA have come together to prove the inner flame never extinguishes.
Dr Tererai Trent said the book would inspire people going through tough times.
“If you are yearning to discover your greatness in this life, this book is for you,” Dr Trent said.
“These brave storytellers have broken the silence by providing us with a template to own our voices.
“When we are brave enough to break the silence, we break it for other women, too.
“These thirty women have interwoven their fingers to form a collective circle to promise you that you are not alone and you, too, can rise,” she said.
The Power to Rise Above has been shared with local nonprofits, women’s legal services, transitional housing, outreach programs and domestic violence shelters across Cairns and Australia, the USA and UK.
Additionally, on the weekend of March 12, The Power to Rise Above will be shared with Oscar nominees as a part of the famed Hollywood Swag Bags.
The Power to Rise Above’s Editor, Sandy Davies, said it was an honour to have their book at an event of the scale of the Oscars.
“For this story of healing and strength which began in the remote tropics of Australia’s Daintree Rainforest, to be received by some of these Oscar nominees over the Oscar weekend is a dream come true,” Ms Davies said.
“Our vision for this book is to give hope. So how exciting to have a Hollywood name or two amplify our message of hope. Proof that dreams really do come true.”
The stories in the anthology aim to resonate within the reader’s soul long after closing the cover.
Five days after its inclusion in the Hollywood Swag Bag, The Power to Rise Above will celebrate a formal launch on The International Day Against Bullying and Violence on March 17 at the Clink Theatre in Port Douglas.
The venue is a historic jail and has been chosen as a symbolic reminder that we each hold the key to the cell that confines us.
The Power to Rise Above is available from the authors, the website, or all the usual online platforms.
The thirty co-authors ask readers to buy one and donate it to a transitional housing centre, domestic violence centre or anti-bullying non-profit in their neighbourhood.
For more information about The Power to Rise Above, visit www.thepowertoriseabove.com.au
