What is the Before Project?

This is a partial transcript of an email I sent very late at night on September 10, 2002:

Where were you on September 10th? I want to know. Please send me your thoughts, your memories, your stories of a time before. They can have something to do with the 11th, or even better, they could have nothing to do with the 11th.

This is not meant to take away from the sanctity of today (September 11, 2002, when most people would be reading this email), but in all the people I have heard talking about September 11th, writing about it, singing about it, painting about it, I have heard very little about the 10th. It's almost as if our lives before are somehow less important, and I don't think that's true – I think if anything, our hopes and dreams and loves and aspirations are MORE IMPORTANT, now more than ever (as they say).

Also, with so much of the focus on New York (at least from my vantage point here in New York) it's seems something significant has been lost on the media. We all, across the country and across the world, have been affected and changed by the events of September 11th 2001. I ask you, my friends, to please help me remember and honor a time before, which I think will help create a path ahead.

I received some interesting responses to that email, and then I sent this one:

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have responded to my original email about the project i'm working on tentatively titled "sept. 10" (now called THE BEFORE PROJECT) I have really enjoyed reading your responses and am really touched by your participation. Also, for those of you who are not interested in sharing, I TOTALLY understand. This email is really just a friendly reminder to those of you who want to participate, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Tonight I saw "The Guys," a dramatization of what happened the week after Sept. 11th when a reporter was asked to help a fire captain write eulogies for the men he lost on that day. While I didn't LOVE it, I'm glad I saw it. It reminded me how important it is for all of us to tell our own stories. If we don't write them down now, they may be lost forever. Please don't be self-conscious of your writing and don't worry if you don't remember Sept. 10th exactly -- many people have sent me stories or "journal entries" about what they did every monday, or most mondays, last year.

What you will find on the following pages are answers to the question: Where were you on September 10th 2001?