Anthologies Launched This Summer

The weather is getting colder (and hopefully bringing rain to put out the outrageous fires raging over my entire state, holy moly), which means Summer is officially over. Before the seasons fast-forward any more, I want to highlight a couple of anthologies that launched this Summer, ones in which I was fortunate to be included! 

Inklings Book 2017

The annual Inklings Book is the culmination of the annual Society of Young Inklings contest for young writers in first through eighth grade. Winners get editorial feedback from a grown-up writer, and share their thoughts on the revision process in interviews included in the book. Each Inklings Book serves as an entertaining anthology of short stories and poems for children and educators, and "Dear Reader" letters from mentors encourage anyone to try revision techniques on their own.

I wrote a letter on "Building toward a Twist" in poetry, and how my delightful young poet turned his already-wonderful poem into something with an extra punch. I also copyedited the anthology and did the interior and cover design (featuring an illustration by Lea Lyon). If you are a writing teacher for K-8, a parent of a writerly child, or simply a children's writing enthusiast, you can grab a copy from the SYI Book Store, or on Amazon. 

PEN America Best Debut Short Stories 2017 

This is a brand-new anthology series by Catapult, featuring the twelve winners of the (also brand-new) annual PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Prizewinners had their first-ever fiction publication nominated by the editor of the magazine/journal that published it. In my case, I had the honor of nominating Amy Sauber for her hilarious, heartbreaking story, "State Facts for the New Age," and writing an introduction for it in the anthology. Nab it at Catapult's store, or basically anywhere.