The Vol. 76, No. 3 issue of New Letters – the University of Missouri-Kansas City‘s (UMKC) international magazine of writing and art – showcases photographs of banana-fiber dolls made by orphans in Uganda. Brought to Kansas City in the suitcases of volunteers in December 2009, the dolls were distributed to area artists, art educators and students to adorn. Then, in June 2010, they were auctioned to raise funds for the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood in Uganda. Photographer Gloria Baker Feinstein created the project.

Similar expressions of compassion appear throughout the 184-page issue. As editor Robert Stewart notes, these New Letters contributors reflect upon events – political, global and personal – and struggle toward empathy.

“We ask of literature that it look outward, rather than to the writer’s own interests,” Stewart said. “We ask of art that it have a stake in the world.”

To that end, Edward Morin conjures the shaky economy of the Nixon era in his poem, “Valentine’s Day, 1972.” In “Cooking with Medicine,” former lawyer Chad McCracken takes on Americans’ current zeal for pharmaceuticals.

This issue also features Michael Downs’ story, “The Greatest Show”; Gary Gildner’s essay, “Juventutem Mean”; new poems by Andrea Hollander Budy, Alice Friman and Norman Lock; and photographs by Roger Pfingston.

Subscriptions to New Letters are $22 per year (four issues), with discounts for longer subscriptions. Call (816) 235-1168 or visit www.newletters.org to order.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience.