Word of the Day:

Pugnacious.

1) That which is about the mannerisms and/or characteristics of the pug-nosed dog. E.g., "That dog is sure pugnacious!"

2) George Will.

The War on Poverty

Steve Liss: Photojournalist and Humanitarian

Steve Liss is a highly accomplished photojournalist, with an impressive 43 Time Magazine cover photos to his credit.

However, it is not just his professional success that Liss takes the most pride in. Steve Liss is a humanitarian who uses photo essays to shed light on tough topics. His subjects have included poverty in the Mississippi Delta, runaway youth living on the streets of Hollywood, and studies of the Nuns of Mankato and Alzheimer's disease. He has been honored with the Soros Justice Media Fellowship for his work on juvenile justice and the Alicia Patterson Fellowship for his work on domestic poverty.

We are thrilled and honored to be invited to participate in his latest project, titled In Our Own Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st Century. This unique poverty awareness initiative is being undertaken by more than 15 preeminent American photojournalists. The project's goal is to utilize the visual power of large-format documentary photography to elevate the discussion of making the fight against poverty a national priority.

This project is in partnership with Catholic Charities and their campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020. Starting in the fall of 2009, nine major photographic and multimedia exhibits, each featuring 50 emotionally moving large-format photographs, will tour throughout the United States.

The project will kick off at a leadership summit on April 20, 2009, at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. For more information, you can register here and view the invitation postcard here.

Poverty has many faces, and it is impossible to ignore when seen up close and personal. It is projects like this that make our work feel less like work and more like purpose.