You, Me & a Bit of We: A Celebration of Writing in First and Second Person

by S. Philip (Editor)

'You, Me & a Bit of We' is a showcase of 42 stories written in either second, first or first person plural point-of-view. Through a selection of flash fiction and short stories, readers are invited to discover their favourite seat in a story. Is it front row centre, in the midst of a crowd, or from a more personal vantage point? Where second person thrusts the reader into an active role, first person offers experience through the eyes of an individual or group. Although the use of first person is common, second and first person plural perspectives are relatively rare.

Written by an international cast of authors, this collection includes a broad range of themes. There are tales of transition, conviction, lost love, grief, conflict, domestic strife, tragedy, second chances, and stories about letting go and moving on. There are worlds where it is rare to be sighted, skin tells a story, past lives haunt, deadly viruses and parasites threaten humanity, and death is personified.

From the poignant to the fantastical, dark, witty and uplifting, each story in this anthology is original, thought provoking, and reflective of the versatility of perspective as a literary device.

'You, Me & a Bit of We' includes stories by Hettie Ashwin, Kim Bannerman, Cath Barton, Sharon Birch, Miki Byrne, Walter Campbell, Charlotte Comley, Annemaria Cooper, Meriah L Crawford, Stefanie Dao, Simone Davy, Laura Dunkeyson, Sarah Evans, Anne Fox, Robert Lee Frazier, Martin Gamble, Susan F Giles, Heidi Gilhooly, Anne Goodwin, Margaret Gracie, Cathryn Grant, E A M Harris, Dora L Harthen, Kati N Hendry, Debz Hobbs-Wyatt, Julia Hones, Amy Hulsey, Alexis A Hunter, Michelle Ann King, Deborah Klée, Tanya Jacob Knox, Meg Laverick, Diane Lefer, Diandra Linnemann, Nina Milton, Monika Pant, Emma Phillips, Barry Pomeroy, Zena Shapter, Jay R Thurston, Abigail Wyatt, Zarina Zabrisky.

Genres: Short Stories

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2013

Reviews

[Brown Girl Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection was suggested reading on my online creative writing course. It is a collection of short stories told in the second person point of view. I must admit I'm not really a fan. i can see it's utility at times in writing but I still would have a problem with reading an entire novel in the second person. This book illustrated lots of different ways to use this point of view and when different genres. If anything that was the most interesting part; reading all the different genres in this point of view. I'd suggest picking this up if you're a writer and looking to explore writing in the second person. You'll get some ideas and understand from the stories what works and what doesn't. This book definitely would need to be read over a month the way I did it - a story a day. Boring reading trying to read straight through. You risk to miss something.

[Lizzy Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these short stories were gripping. The "we" stories were a bit weird but one about rocks worked well.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impossible to be objective when the collection features one of my own short stories, but I'm pleased as punch to be associated with such a diverse array of talented writers.
Come and see my blog posts on writing in the first person plural at http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
with a post on pitching
http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
and second-person point of view writing here: http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...