Jean Harkin's Blog - Posts Tagged "writers-mill-journal"

For Diversity's Sake! Readers Wanted

“Diversity” is an often-used word these days, for many reasons and themes from the environment to social culture to literature.

Anthologies are showcases of diversity, containing a variety of writings, genres, writing styles, and authors’ points of view. This month, I draw your attention to three anthologies to tempt you:

The first is brand new, even pre-new. To be released May 18, “Denial Kills” is published by Not a Pipe Publishing and contains the writings of 23 authors from around the world. The book description reads, “There is another sinister threat (besides fear) . . .when if not addressed before it sets in, can be deadly. Denial, when allowed to fester, can have various consequences.” Examples follow in the stories, showing how denial can cost women their happiness, sanity, and even their lives.

Authors from Sweden to Australia, from Pakistan to Zimbabwe are contributors to this collection of stories and poems. Styles are as varied as the writers themselves. Diversity rules even while “Denial Kills.”

Another anthology was published in November 2020 during the pandemic by the Writers’ Mill group during a Zoom meeting (lots of writing, editing, and decision making led up to this.) The group’s eighth volume is “Journeys through Chaos: an Anthology to Bring us Together.” To find this book on Amazon, input both title and subtitle or look under “Writers’ Mill Journal.” It’s the book with the bright pinkish color. And the journeys between front and back covers vary from humorous to serious and are brightly diverse.

An older anthology, but still a goodie (I hope) is my own 2016 anthology of stories, some quirkier than others, titled “Night in Alcatraz and Other Uncanny Tales.”

I’m thrilled that “Alcatraz,” my first publication will soon have a “sibling.” My novel, “Promise Full of Thorns” has been accepted for publication, and I’ve signed a contract with Sunbury Press. When proofreading time comes, I’d like a few readers to give my novel a quick but focused read for typos and goofs. Please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks!

I am sorry to note the passing of John Richards at age 97. He died March 30 in Lincolnshire, England. John, a retired journalist and copy editor, was a grand old warrior for correct punctuation and word usage; together with his son, he founded the Apostrophe Protection Society in 2001 to save a “poor defenseless” punctuation mark. He finally gave up the effort in 2019, stating that “barbarians” and lazy journalism had won out over his efforts to preserve the correct uses of the apostrophe.
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