What do you think?
Rate this book
Confidence: Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2022
Confidence features winning and commended entries from the inaugural Minds Shine Bright writing competition. After a couple of topsy-turvy years, forty-six writers from eight countries explore the theme of confidence through stories, script and poems. Each piece stands alone yet together they weave a narrative: starting with the elements, following the life cycle and ending with redemption and hope.
254 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2022
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 14, 2022
An incredibly diverse and thought-provoking anthology of stories, poems and a script, all exploring the theme of Confidence. Some of my favourites (in order of publication) are:
Red Bikini SS
A woman rebounding from a serious health problem is taking some time out with her partner and a few other friends when nature sends a warning signal. Her reaction to the situation reminds her that although her body has changed, she has experience and worth that can never be diminished.
Flying Free FF
Three teens, brimming with vitality and the youthful certainty of immortality, take on the force of Mother Nature on Stradbroke Island.
Rite of Passage SS
A young man is building up the courage to have an important conversation with his parents. Has he left it too late?
Distorted Lens SS
An aspiring photographer feels her ambitions are being stifled by her own mother. But then she learns her mother's secret.
Poached FF
Perfectly poached eggs are the focal point of a woman's ruminations on the goodness of men.
Dahlias P
An antidote (or middle-finger!) to all the negativity in our world at the present time.
Victory Memorial SS
A beautiful story about loneliness and Christmas, with a twist.
Gone South FF
An older gent with little left to lose, plans a great adventure. "You couldn't hoard life: you had to spend it freely." (I'd love to read this one developed into a longer format.)
Tree of Knowledge SS
Eva has had a long, good life but is at that point where she might not be able to live independently for much longer. But she's thought about it - she will go quietly if she can return to the small coastal town where she spent the happiest years of her youth.
Many of my favourites are from Australian writers and it excites me to know that we have such a wealth of talent in this country. Looking forward to future anthologies from Minds Shine Bright.
With thanks to the editor for a copy to read and review.
Red Bikini SS
A woman rebounding from a serious health problem is taking some time out with her partner and a few other friends when nature sends a warning signal. Her reaction to the situation reminds her that although her body has changed, she has experience and worth that can never be diminished.
Flying Free FF
Three teens, brimming with vitality and the youthful certainty of immortality, take on the force of Mother Nature on Stradbroke Island.
Rite of Passage SS
A young man is building up the courage to have an important conversation with his parents. Has he left it too late?
Distorted Lens SS
An aspiring photographer feels her ambitions are being stifled by her own mother. But then she learns her mother's secret.
Poached FF
Perfectly poached eggs are the focal point of a woman's ruminations on the goodness of men.
Dahlias P
An antidote (or middle-finger!) to all the negativity in our world at the present time.
Victory Memorial SS
A beautiful story about loneliness and Christmas, with a twist.
Gone South FF
An older gent with little left to lose, plans a great adventure. "You couldn't hoard life: you had to spend it freely." (I'd love to read this one developed into a longer format.)
Tree of Knowledge SS
Eva has had a long, good life but is at that point where she might not be able to live independently for much longer. But she's thought about it - she will go quietly if she can return to the small coastal town where she spent the happiest years of her youth.
Many of my favourites are from Australian writers and it excites me to know that we have such a wealth of talent in this country. Looking forward to future anthologies from Minds Shine Bright.
With thanks to the editor for a copy to read and review.
October 5, 2023
I curated this collection of stories, script, and poems on the theme of confidence so I will leave the ratings to other readers.
Each piece stands alone and together they tell a narrative starting with the elements, moving through the life cycle and ending with redemption and hope.
Each piece stands alone and together they tell a narrative starting with the elements, moving through the life cycle and ending with redemption and hope.
January 21, 2023
I embarked on this particular journey into the tangled recesses of trained writers with the usual dread. A compendium of unintelligible poetry, plus some very short stories by bored housewives bitter about the Patriarchy and how unfair gestation is.
There is a little bit of that, but fortunately there are some enjoyable reads here, too. The standouts are 'BEAUCOPU BILLS' by Jed Stanley, a script for a short film that hums along really well, although the ending is a bit abrupt and comes out of nowhere; and 'All The Pain and All The Joy' by Alexandra Svoboda, a story about a suddely empowered woman that, for once, isn't a shrill anti-male rant.
The book itself could've used an independent eye to check fro things like titles, some of which are in ALL CAPS and other in sentence case, and the order of the stories seems arbitrary, or even random. But this is a one-woman operation and very creditable given that these things aren't normally put together without a big team.
There is a little bit of that, but fortunately there are some enjoyable reads here, too. The standouts are 'BEAUCOPU BILLS' by Jed Stanley, a script for a short film that hums along really well, although the ending is a bit abrupt and comes out of nowhere; and 'All The Pain and All The Joy' by Alexandra Svoboda, a story about a suddely empowered woman that, for once, isn't a shrill anti-male rant.
The book itself could've used an independent eye to check fro things like titles, some of which are in ALL CAPS and other in sentence case, and the order of the stories seems arbitrary, or even random. But this is a one-woman operation and very creditable given that these things aren't normally put together without a big team.
September 30, 2022
It’s been a while since I’ve read an anthology - who knows why? So entering the read with an open heart and mind, I was immediately immersed in wave after wave of images and emotions, captivated again and again.
I smiled, I mused, I cried, I reflected, I laughed, I engaged, I resonated. My heart broke, my heart opened. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and wanted more.
Such diversity upon the theme eloquently woven into a beautiful tapestry.
Everyone involved in this anthology's creation should be proud of it.
I smiled, I mused, I cried, I reflected, I laughed, I engaged, I resonated. My heart broke, my heart opened. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and wanted more.
Such diversity upon the theme eloquently woven into a beautiful tapestry.
Everyone involved in this anthology's creation should be proud of it.
January 27, 2023
my Mum is in a writers group and gave me this book to read first she know I usually have a few books on The go at once and she likes to read one at a time lol I really enjoyed this collection except for the script I just couldn’t get into it ,
December 29, 2022
An exceptional anthology, with unexpected gems to shift your perspective, engage your senses and enable you to embrace the theme of confidence, shining brightly!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews