Tony Simmons

Survivors Tony Simmons

When the skies cleared over the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018, the strongest storm ever to strike the state had left thousands devastated, and dozens dead. The survivors struggled without power, clean water or working sewer, literally digging their homes and businesses out of rubble, or from underneath fallen trees. In that raw moment, artists and writers and photographers began to process the pain. The Syndicate Studio, a Panama City-based cooperative, reached out and asked for their poems, essays, short stories, drawings, paintings and photographs created in the wake and wreckage of Hurricane Michael. The idea was to gather that pain and turn it into something positive - a compendium to be used to raise funds for local hurricane relief efforts. While the wounds were still open and raw. Before we managed distance or perspective. As we climbed out of the darkness. We wanted to understand what this world-changing, life-changing event means in the moment. To the survivors, their loved ones and friends. We were walking out of the wilderness together. Taking those first steps. This is what the first steps of the journey showed us.