Shannon Galpin founded Mountain2Mountain in November 2006 to work towards connecting communities to combat the apathy that prevents action, and to change perceptions. After four years working in various parts of Afghanistan working with women and girls, Shannon developed long-term strategies that focused on cyclical solutions in conflict zones globally that focused on connecting communities and sparking conversation. Shannon writes regularly for Huffington Post and Matador Network, and is currently writing her first book. She has been featured on Dateline NBC, Today Show, Huffington Post and in Outside Magazine. Her first TEDx talk was in 2012 on the Power of Voice which best illustrates the thread that links all of her work together. She was also recently chosen as one of the National Geographic Adventurers of the Year for 2013. Libero Di Zinno was first introduced to the world of working with non-profit foundations through co-teaching a prototypical ACCD class based upon the UN's Millennium Development Goals. Currently a Los Angeles-based photographer/documentary filmmaker and a professor at the Art Center College of Design, since early 2008, Libero has been an advisory board member at large for Mountain2Mountain. In addition, he has contributed his own images from Tibet, Nepal, and Afghanistan to M2M's group photo exhibits such as, the Views of the Himalaya (2008), Views of Afghanistan (2009), Dreams of Kabul (2010), and the most recent Streets of Afghanistan (2011-2012). His book projects include Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes, Surviving the Toughest Race on Earth by Martin Dugard, and For the Love of the Game by Michael Jordan. His work has also been featured in Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, and ESPN. For further examples of Libero's stills or motion art, go to www.dizinno.co.uk.
The beautiful photographs in this book vividly capture the daily lives of ordinary Afghans and serve as a powerful reminder of the power of art to inspire, to bring people together, and to allow for moments of transcendent grace amid struggle and suffering. -Khaled Hosseini, Author of The Kite Runner