The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020–21 has been characterised by a suspended state of fear and confusion; political discourse has been pernicious, relationships strained, and the far-off notion of the new dawn promised for autumn is proving just about enough to keep the embers of hope burning. New Beginnings is a poetry collection with a difference – resulting from an international competition seeking to find those whose voices were silenced in 2020, the resulting anthology forms a celebration of the end of the toxic aspects of 2020 and the pandemic, a glimmer of hope for the future and a manifesto for change.