I’ve always been fascinated with literary and artistic groups and movements, individual writers and artists who come together to make art, united by their vision.

Magic can happen when creative people join their energy and intention. Groups such as the Bloomsbury Group, the “Beat Generation” poets, the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, the Dadaists and Surrealists challenged expectations and made ripples felt to this day. Like them or not, they created something new, made possible only by their collaboration.

No longer limited by the constraints of physical space, writers and artists are coming together via the internet to exchange ideas, to write and create. I experienced this with my involvement in the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The online community that was forged in the forum maintains contact to this day. It was that ABNA community that made Conclave: A Journal of Character possible, most of the editors were writers I met through the contest. We continue to work on the journal primarily via email, evaluating submission through our online submission manager. It allows writers, photographers, and editors from around the world to work together to produce our international literary magazine.

I’m also a part of other groups virtually connected: some made up of friends and family, others creative or literary. During the years I’ve spent in Germany, I was nourished and inspired by them.

When I read about the collaboration proposed by photographer Kyle Cassidy, I was immediately interested. Yes, it’s a chaotic time in my life, with the move back to the States, my own writing projects, and Conclave submissions. However I agree with Nietzsche that “you need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.”

So this morning Kyle Cassidy posted the list of partnered creatives. Our only guideline is to make something together. I’ve been partnered with mutantenemy. I’ll keep you posted.