Confession time. There's a reason I usually write speculative fiction: I'm not very good at writing about reality and my own life. But when Trisha Faye put out a call for poems about sisters, I had to try, and I'm thrilled to say that "I Cherish Allegra" is included in the just-released anthology IN CELEBRATION OF SISTERS. Trisha stopped by to tell us more about the project.
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Why I Created IN CELEBRATION OF SISTERS
by Trisha Faye
Anne, thank you for the invitation for a guest blog. I’m
excited about my newest release, In Celebration of Sisters, which is a
collection of many stories and poems from talented writers. In fact, that’s how
Anne and I connected. She has a poem in this anthology, honoring her sister
Allegra and the sister memories she has, even though Allegra left this earth
many years too early.
That’s been my favorite part of working on this anthology –
meeting new authors and reading the delightful tales that celebrate the
wonderful world of sisterhood. There’s some old friends in this book too.
Several of the featured authors also had stories in my first anthology, In Celebration of Mothers, which was
released a year ago. A new book about sisters seemed to be a natural follow-up.
Publishing an anthology brought about a whole different set
of challenges than simply writing a story or a book. There were coordination
issues between almost forty authors, getting permissions, collecting pictures,
formatting, and trying to keep it all on schedule. I felt like I needed to put
on a totally different hat for these tasks. But, you know, it’s in the working
with new challenges and opportunities that we all experience growth – both
personally and professionally. And at the end, when we can look back and see
that we accomplished something we set out to do, it makes it all worth it.
The best part about the experiences of publishing two
anthologies (with a third underway and set for publication in March 2018) is
the new friendships that are formed. Through this, I’ve met an array of
fascinating people who craft with words to touch others with their tales. And through
the virtual world of email, the internet and social media, we can connect and
interact in ways that were unthought-of not that many years ago. We’re not
limited to having fellow authors – or readers – in our circle that we meet at
book signings, in the bookstores, or on the physical path of life.
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| Anthology editor Trisha Faye and her sister |
With Anne in Brooklyn, as I sit in Texas I most likely
wouldn’t have crossed paths with her with her YA and Middle Grade books. I
wouldn’t learn that she writes poetry also, nor that she had an older sister, Allegra,
who had a perfect hiding place in the woods and didn’t like the ladder going to
the upper bunk bed. But thanks to this anthology, and the virtual world we live
in, my life is richer from meeting these wondrous new friends across the globe.
In Celebration of
Sisters rejoices in the dynamics of sisters of all phases of life – those
that have had a falling out and been reunited, other sisters, like Allegra,
that were gone from life too soon, sisters from another mother, and the most
glorious of all – sisters that are golden threads in the meaning of life. You
can find their many stories, memories, and recollections here. Meanwhile, I’ll
keep on celebrating sisters…and mothers…and the new friends I meet along the
journey of this magical writing life.
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You can order In Celebration of Sisters on Amazon.
