Synopsis "The Year of the Poet VII December 2020 (in English)"
Foreword: The present volume marks the end of a year - the pandemic-stricken 2020. COVID-19 is out in full force in numerous countries, with the U.S. having the highest active cases and fatalities. Diverse data suggest that some countries have either not reported anything specific regarding the virus or their population has not been affected. Turkmenistan and North Korea are two instances where related reports are suspected to have been suppressed; hence, displaying zero incidences. There are, however, island nations in the South Pacific - Palau, Micronesia, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa and Tonga, which seemed to have been spared by the virus' spread due to their isolated locations. Still, Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon have been under its impact. While the Damocles' sword continues to swing this year over the majority of nations - disguised not only as a highly contagious virus but also in various forms of persistent political turbulences, thoughts of enduring peace worldwide have maintained their place in countless hearts. 2020's final issue of The Year of the Poet is its own evidence. Writers from across the globe have once more come together as a collective voice through the uniting power of poetry to contemplate on peace for humanity. The poems in this collection speak for themselves. As for this month's focal defender of peace, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Abiy Ahmed Ali, a considerable amount of information is being provided through the poetic constructs but also as introductory prose. There remains one point that needs to be emphatically stated: even the mere conceptualization of peace for the sake of an oppressed populace is of vital importance. Abiy Ahmed Ali's dedication to the actual application of that concept and his ensuing initiatives against his country's oppressive regime have, after all, materialized as peace not only in his native land, Ethiopia, but also in the neighboring Eritrea.Albert Einstein has been quoted as having said the following: "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Together with Abiy Ahmed Ali and innumerable other defenders of peace - recognized worldwide or not, we thus join hands yet once again toward a comprehensive understanding for the only alternative that there is when the survival and betterment of humanity in its entirety is concerned: a growing platform of peaceful coexistence where oppressive powers that be are not allowed any place or space. hülya n. yılmaz, Ph.D.Professor Emerita, The Pennsylvania State University (U.S.A.)Director of Editing Services, Inner Child Press International (U.S.A.)
