_{Photo courtesy of Paul Davis}

The heart of the Mindfulness Bell is the creative expression of mindfulness practice offered by practitioners throughout the world. The Mindfulness Bell invites submissions of prose, poetry, photography and artwork for our upcoming issues. Material should include specific examples of how mindfulness practice in daily life is helping to transform suffering, create peace, and improve relationships and well-being. Please share from your personal practice and from your heart.

We welcome your stories, essays, poems, and teachings. Material of 500-1500 words are most frequently printed. Longer articles of 2000-3000 words are also needed. We especially request stories, artwork, and writing from young people.

The beauty of each issue comes from the creative fruits offered by our readers. We can use photos and all kinds of artwork, including illustrations and cartoons. Please send photos as JPG or TIF files, 1 MB or larger.

Issue: Summer 2013
Submission Due Date: March 1, 2013

Theme: Mother Earth

"It’s wonderful to realize that we are all in a family, we are all children of the Earth. We should take care of each other and we should take care of our environment, and this is possible with the practice of being together as a large family. A positive change in individual awareness will bring about a positive change in the collective awareness. Protecting the planet must be given the first priority. I hope you will take the time to sit down with each other, have tea with your friends and your family, and discuss these things. Invite Bodhisattva Earth Holder to sit and collaborate with you. Then make your decision and act to save our beautiful planet. Changing your way of living will bring you a lot of joy right away and, with your first mindful breath, healing will begin."

- Thich Nhat Hanh, The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology (2008, Parallax Press)

How does your practice inspire you to take care of Mother Earth? As an individual or with your Sangha, how have you been able to help protect and save our planet? What brings you joy when you care for Mother Earth? What have you learned, and how have you transformed, when you've helped take care of nature? Please share your personal story, offering specific details about the ways you live in harmony with this earth, our home.

Personal essays, poetry, artwork, and photographs are welcome. Submissions from children and teens are especially encouraged.

How to send:

• Preferred method is to email files to editor@mindfulnessbell.org. Artwork should be sent as JPG or TIF files, 1 MB or larger.
• You can also send original art, photos, or a cd of digital images to:
  
  The Mindfulness Bell
  c/o Natascha Bruckner
  PO Box 1201
  Capitola, CA 95010-1201
  USA