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In these tumultuous times, we need to carve out time and space for ourselves. So we don’t lose our sanity. So we don’t lose our empathy. So we don’t lose our voice. So we can keep finding little things that bring us joy and happiness. It could be a gratitude journal or morning pages. It could be a video game, the gym, the supper club, the open mic, the dance class, an art practice. It could be a poem. It could be a book. It could be absolutely anything that allows you to be you, even for a little while.

For us, it’s always been books. Ever since that first Enid Blyton, books have been a space we could retreat to and shut out the world. Ironically, it was books that helped us learn more about human flaws and potential alike. It’s as James Baldwin says: “You think your pain and heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”

With the Hope Box, we want to share books that have sparked the embers of optimism again. That have made us look to the skies, go on walks, on travels, expanded our knowledge and made us want to try again. For our first edition, we have chosen Orbital by Samantha Harvey and Devotions by Mary Oliver. Orbital was the Booker Prize winner last year. It’s a stunning book not just for the imagery but also for its examination of human nature. Devotions is a compilation of Mary Oliver’s poetry over the years. It was arranged by Oliver herself shortly before her death in 2019. If, like us, you find resonance in Oliver’s words, this is the volume for you.

The box also includes a notebook, 3 poetry cards from our collection, handmade bookmarks, stickers and some surprises.