Last year, James Anshutz exhibited “;Portraits of Survival,”; a photography show of breast cancer survivors that celebrated their victories and raised funds for the cause. He and a team of other photographers, stylists and makeup artists—every one a volunteer, including himself—created portraits of emotion, color and imagination to document the women doing what they love, which included everything from hula and taiko to simply posing with loved ones.

One day not long after the exhibit was up, Anshutz was in Starbucks at Ward, his usual hangout, talking about the project to a fellow photographer, when book publisher Cynthia Derosier introduced herself. “;You're that photographer,”; she said, referring to the exhibit and the fact that she'd overheard their conversation.

Their chance meeting was serendipitous because Derosier had a proposition for Anshutz: a collaboration that would produce a book telling stories of breast cancer survivors through portraits and the written word.

Needless to say, Anshutz took her up on the offer: “;The Survivor Spirit: The Beauty, Passion and Power of Breast Cancer Survivors”; (The Big Juju Co., $24.95), featuring 20 women and designed and written by Derosier herself, hit the shelves yesterday with a big kickoff by Neiman Marcus. It accompanies the second year of “;Portraits of Survival,”; showing through October at both the Cathedral Gallery and Borders Ward Centre.

“;I love this year's project because Cynthia did such a good job of tying the stories to the photography,”; Anshutz raves. “;The book is amazing and extremely powerful—I was sitting at Starbucks reading my own book and crying.

“;These women are inspirational for how they've gone through this. One woman has survived cancer nine times. We shot her in a boxing ring with pink gloves and dramatic lighting. She's a fighter; she's not giving up.”;

Anshutz encourages those interested in buying the book to do so at Neiman Marcus, where every penny of profit will be donated to Kapiolani Medical Center's High Risk Breast Program and Lance Armstrong's Live Strong Foundation.

Call James Anshutz Photography at 561-6727.