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Indy Writes Books: A Book Lover's Anthology
Indy Writes Books is an anthology of some of the wonderful and generous authors who have been a big part of the first two years of Indy reads Books. Indy Reads Books is a community bookstore located in downtown Indianapolis, and is a part of the non-profit organization Indy Reads.
369 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 28, 2014
Some of the stories contained in this little collection of Indiana writers are 5 stars. Some are 2 (none are 1). But the beautiful thing about this book is how the editors ordered each poem, story, essay, or play. Together they create their own story about reading and writing in Indiana and it's capital circle city, a story any proud Hoosier would love to read.
Some of my favorites:
"Your Book: a Novel in Stories," Cathy Day
"College," John Green
"Sitting at the Feet of my Flanner House Elders," Darolyn Jones
"Black Like...Me?: Thoughts on Reading, Teaching, and Literacy of the Heart," Barbara Shoup
Some of my favorites:
"Your Book: a Novel in Stories," Cathy Day
"College," John Green
"Sitting at the Feet of my Flanner House Elders," Darolyn Jones
"Black Like...Me?: Thoughts on Reading, Teaching, and Literacy of the Heart," Barbara Shoup
January 18, 2015
Support local reading and enjoy this collection of varied works!
January 7, 2015
This book is so much fun! A delightful way to share you love of reading and writing with some of Indy's favorite authors.
November 29, 2023
I had so much fun with this- a beautiful collection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry from some of Indy's best authors! A book for book lovers.
July 22, 2015
An outstanding collection of stories, and each by an Indiana author, or an author with Indiana connections. Congratulations to Indy Reads Books for bringing this project to publication.
November 30, 2018
I found that this was something I really couldn't read right through the way I have often been able to with collections from a single author or with a more narrow focus, but once I decided to read a little each morning I connected with it a lot better. In theory, all of these stories, essays, and poems have something to do with books or writing, but in several cases it's really a very tenuous connection. I did enjoy the range of styles, subjects, and moods, and I enjoyed learning about Hoosier authors I didn't know about alongside reading pieces from authors I already know. This would be a good coffee table or guest room book to pick up whenever the mood strikes rather than something to sit down and read in a short span.
March 4, 2021
A lot of the short stories are about death. Put together like this, they were a little depressing. I liked some of them. Mostly I liked the poetry.
June 8, 2021
(3.5 but closer to 4 than 3)
Some were hit-or-miss with me but there were some I quite enjoyed and a few contributions to this anthology that really moved me.
Some were hit-or-miss with me but there were some I quite enjoyed and a few contributions to this anthology that really moved me.
November 27, 2023
A lovely collection of short stories and some poetry, all written by my fellow Hoosiers. I learned things and I felt things and what more can one expect from literature?
July 27, 2024
I love books like these because you’re sure to find some new authors to look into. This one definitely has something for everyone.
December 30, 2016
The only story I loved was by Darolyn Jones.
February 11, 2016
How ironical it seems, when viewing this rich and varied volume, consisting mainly of fictional, nonfictional and poetic pieces, but also including examples of drama, puzzles and translations, that Indianapolis-born Margaret Anderson, in the early decades of the 20th century, left the state of Indiana in search of what she saw as more intellectually inspiring grounds in Chicago because, as she described it, “there was no creative spirit in Indianapolis.” Going on to found The Little Review, which became famous for promoting a spirit and approach that was relentless in its search for truth, audacious in its language usage, anything but provincial in its concerns, and with a keen eye to the subtleties of idiosyncratic utterance, Anderson showed that being Indiana born and bred can give rise to the outpourings of what amounts to prodigious talent. In fact, all the elements heretofore mentioned are shown to be plentifully present in the modern-day Indianapolis dweller (as witness the oral history community project described by Carolyn Jones in her essay entitled “Sitting at the feet of my Flanner House elders: A lesson after dying”).
The pride and dignity with which all authors represented in this compendium of wide-ranging and, in many cases, soulful expression reflect the disparate elements that serve to unite the Hoosier soul, while evidencing the widely diverse nature of their own personal makeup, serves to support the philosophy that serves as a binding gel for all those who believe in the founding principles of the not-for-profit organization, Indy Reads Books. As an outstanding believer in the redemptive and healing power of the spoken and written word, Indy Reads Books is dedicated to promoting and improving the literacy of adults and families in Central Indiana, for the good not only of themselves, but for the well-being of the nation as a whole. All the contributors to this work, of whom several are already extremely well-known both in conventional print as well as through their ongoing output on the Internet have generously donated at least one of their pieces of writing for inclusion in Indy Writes Books (with the internationally renowned John Green leading the nonfiction pack with three essays rather aphoristically entitled “Moving”, “Uncle Tom” and “College”).
The range of content is fascinating, spanning the light-hearted and joyful (such as the word puzzles of Will Shortz, David J. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek) all the way through to the darkly troubled world of noir (with the most notable instance in this work being “What Once Was”, by Frank Bill). With all pieces being relatively short (for how else could one possibly include the offerings of 29 authors, poets, essayists, puzzle-makers, and artists within the ambit of 369 pages?), the chance to glimpse into the depths of, and searching insights into, different aspects of the human psyche, as impacting on, and as derived from, the written word should be inescapable and unavoidable not only to every Indiana bibliophile, but also to anyone who believes that the Indiana spirit of venturesomeness and raw guts and hide have been key to making the American spirit what it is today.
In his Preface to the book, M. Travis DiNicola, Executive Director and Founder of Indy Reads Books, expresses the wish that, through this compilation, readers should become aware of authors whose works have previously not drawn their attention. Further reading of the works by each contributor to the anthology is encouraged by the inclusion of a short and selective one-page biography for each, with reference to some of their major writings, and an indication of their online presence in the form of websites and blogs. Indy Writes Books is, in short, to be treasured, not only for the altruistic spirit with which it was compiled, or for its ongoing contribution to the support of an extremely worthwhile cause, but also for the richness of the culture that it represents and the depth of the humanity that it portrays.
The pride and dignity with which all authors represented in this compendium of wide-ranging and, in many cases, soulful expression reflect the disparate elements that serve to unite the Hoosier soul, while evidencing the widely diverse nature of their own personal makeup, serves to support the philosophy that serves as a binding gel for all those who believe in the founding principles of the not-for-profit organization, Indy Reads Books. As an outstanding believer in the redemptive and healing power of the spoken and written word, Indy Reads Books is dedicated to promoting and improving the literacy of adults and families in Central Indiana, for the good not only of themselves, but for the well-being of the nation as a whole. All the contributors to this work, of whom several are already extremely well-known both in conventional print as well as through their ongoing output on the Internet have generously donated at least one of their pieces of writing for inclusion in Indy Writes Books (with the internationally renowned John Green leading the nonfiction pack with three essays rather aphoristically entitled “Moving”, “Uncle Tom” and “College”).
The range of content is fascinating, spanning the light-hearted and joyful (such as the word puzzles of Will Shortz, David J. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek) all the way through to the darkly troubled world of noir (with the most notable instance in this work being “What Once Was”, by Frank Bill). With all pieces being relatively short (for how else could one possibly include the offerings of 29 authors, poets, essayists, puzzle-makers, and artists within the ambit of 369 pages?), the chance to glimpse into the depths of, and searching insights into, different aspects of the human psyche, as impacting on, and as derived from, the written word should be inescapable and unavoidable not only to every Indiana bibliophile, but also to anyone who believes that the Indiana spirit of venturesomeness and raw guts and hide have been key to making the American spirit what it is today.
In his Preface to the book, M. Travis DiNicola, Executive Director and Founder of Indy Reads Books, expresses the wish that, through this compilation, readers should become aware of authors whose works have previously not drawn their attention. Further reading of the works by each contributor to the anthology is encouraged by the inclusion of a short and selective one-page biography for each, with reference to some of their major writings, and an indication of their online presence in the form of websites and blogs. Indy Writes Books is, in short, to be treasured, not only for the altruistic spirit with which it was compiled, or for its ongoing contribution to the support of an extremely worthwhile cause, but also for the richness of the culture that it represents and the depth of the humanity that it portrays.
October 1, 2015
As a native southerner, I of course place no stock in the premise that a disproportionate number of great writers come out of the great state of Indiana. So right off the bat, I picked up this book as a challenge. This anthology contains plenty of vanilla works of fiction, but that is the power of an anthology: Out of 20-30 stories, some will shine. Here are my favorites:
- Between the Lines, by Ben H. Winters: A very clever, lighthearted story, right up my alley, treading the line between sci-fi and literary fiction.
- Moving Again, by John Green: This very kooky author cracks me up. I liked the story because it reminded me of my own recent moving experience. Books weigh a lot!
- Romancing the Book, by Liza Hyatt: Another very close-to-home treatment of the love affair so many of us enjoy with the written word.
- What Once Was, by Frank Bill: Haunting and violent, reminded me of the "Country Noir" of Daniel Woodrell
- Anna's Wings, by Angela Jackson Brown: The only story in the collection that made me cry. Not just sad, but beautifully crafted and written.
- Black Like... Me? by Barbara Shoup: A very powerful treatment of race. She touches on something I've recently read from Steven Pinker too, that books help make the world a more peaceful place because they teach us empathy.
I cannot say that I know enough about the editing & publishing process to rate & review the efforts of M. Travis DiNicola to compile this collection. As a writer I of course give the bulk of the credit to the writers. However, I am very glad that collectors are out there, trying their ear on new & upcoming writers, so that a short read like this can lead a humble reader like myself to discover a half dozen new talented voices.
- Between the Lines, by Ben H. Winters: A very clever, lighthearted story, right up my alley, treading the line between sci-fi and literary fiction.
- Moving Again, by John Green: This very kooky author cracks me up. I liked the story because it reminded me of my own recent moving experience. Books weigh a lot!
- Romancing the Book, by Liza Hyatt: Another very close-to-home treatment of the love affair so many of us enjoy with the written word.
- What Once Was, by Frank Bill: Haunting and violent, reminded me of the "Country Noir" of Daniel Woodrell
- Anna's Wings, by Angela Jackson Brown: The only story in the collection that made me cry. Not just sad, but beautifully crafted and written.
- Black Like... Me? by Barbara Shoup: A very powerful treatment of race. She touches on something I've recently read from Steven Pinker too, that books help make the world a more peaceful place because they teach us empathy.
I cannot say that I know enough about the editing & publishing process to rate & review the efforts of M. Travis DiNicola to compile this collection. As a writer I of course give the bulk of the credit to the writers. However, I am very glad that collectors are out there, trying their ear on new & upcoming writers, so that a short read like this can lead a humble reader like myself to discover a half dozen new talented voices.
Read
December 23, 2019This anthology has its ups and downs. I am not personally a fan of the short story, so this whole volume took me a long time to read. Still, as an introduction to uniquely Indianapolis-based literature and writers (with a focus on reading/writing!), this is an excellent piece. Each of the writers hails from a different genre, and I found a few that I never would have otherwise read and will certainly enjoy reading in the future! Plus, the book and its profits are dedicated to urban literacy efforts. I'd say it's a must-have on any Midwestern reader's shelf.
June 23, 2016
Especially because I live abroad, and I'm an English teacher, and I like supporting good, local initiatives, this was an amazing Christmas gift from my sister Beth a couple years ago. Sales go to support adult literacy programs in Indy.
This book is filled with poetry, essays, and short stories from authors from Indianapolis. Truthfully, I didn't love any of them, but it still felt right to read this, as I am a fan of all things Indy too.
This book is filled with poetry, essays, and short stories from authors from Indianapolis. Truthfully, I didn't love any of them, but it still felt right to read this, as I am a fan of all things Indy too.
December 21, 2015
What a stunning set of stories! This is a book that can be cherished over time. You can sit down and read one story or make your way through many! There are so many voices contained in this book that there is certainly something for everyone! I took my time working my way through and had a delightful time doing so! 4 stars
December 28, 2015
A great anthology of interesting writing. There are short stories. Interesting history from Indiana. Poetry. Word games. And more. All from a variety of authors. If you are looking for an unusual blend of creative penmanship, pick up a copy.
unfinished
December 15, 2017not my cup of tea. blah
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews