One week ago, a massive tornado tore through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of a vibrant writing community associated with the U of A’s esteemed MFA program.  Brevity has been gifted with stellar essays from Tuscaloosa students and alums over the years, and their next issue will feature essays from Michael Martone and Wendy Rawlings.

Martone’s essay was written just days after the deadly tornado touched down, killing at least 40 individuals and leaving many, town and gown alike, homeless; Rawlings’ poignant look at her Tuscaloosa neighborhood was written before the storm, and sat in our submissions queue on the evening the tornado turned the city’s neighborhoods inside out.

Brevity has decided to extend the reach of their Tuscaloosa benefit by releasing these two essays one week early: MARTONE ESSAYand RAWLINGS ESSAY.  Please spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, or whatever method you choose.  These beautiful essays deserve as wide a readership as possible, and the editors of Brevity hope that after reading them, you will make a donation to Give Tuscaloosa tornado relief or to the West Alabama Food Bank.