March 2020 – Ann S. Epstein Writer

Amid COVID-19 Learn History Through Fiction: Gunnison “Gunned” Against Spanish Flu

In late 1918, the Spanish flu advanced towards the farming and mining town of Gunnison, Colorado. The town was afraid because two railroads connected it to Denver and other population centers that were hit hard. “The flu is after us” the Gunnison News-Champion warned in October. Town officials declared “a quarantine against all the world” and erected barricades, sequestered visitors, arrested violators, closed schools and churches, and banned parties and street gatherings. The lockdown, which lasted four months, worked. Gunnison emerged without a single case. Read more about the deadly Spanish flu pandemic a century ago in On the Shore (1917-1925), a tale of conflict between generations in a Lower East Side immigrant family (see NOVELS).

Generations of immigrant family in conflict

Amid COVID-19 Learn History Through Fiction: Onions Head Off Spanish Flu

Americans were told it was their patriotic duty to “Eat More Onions!” in a drive against the Spanish flu. A placard proclaimed: “An onion car arrived today // Labeled red, white, and blue // Eat onions, plenty, every day // And keep away the flu.” One mother, who took this command to extremes, fed her daughter onion syrup and wrapped her in onions head to toe. The outcome was successful, likely because no one came near the child. Read more about the deadly Spanish flu pandemic a century ago in On the Shore (1917-1925), a tale of conflict between generations in a Lower East Side immigrant family (see NOVELS).

Jewish Fiction to Publish “The Women of Tahiti”

My short story “The Women of Tahiti” was accepted for publication in Jewish Fiction (Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 issue). Here’s the log line: In “The Women of Tahiti,” an elderly man, convalescing after heart surgery, fantasizes the healing caresses of tropical beauties while recalling his troubled life as a cripple working for the Kosher Mob. In the early 1900s, the Jewish Mafia transformed organized crime from a thuggish activity carried out by hoodlums into a big business. Some elements in the story are drawn from my father’s life. Read more in SHORT STORIES.

Prominent members of the Jewish Mafia, a.k.a. the Kosher Mob

An English language journal of contemporary writing on Jewish themes

What I’m Reading: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

My Amazon and Goodreads review of The Dutch House: A Novel (Rating 5) – As Many Twists and Turns as a Spiral Staircase. Many years ago, I was forced to flee a one-of-a-kind home that I loved. While the circumstances were nothing like the eviction of the brother and sister in Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, my ouster was also precipitated by an unimaginable act of cruelty. Unlike the protagonists, I wasn’t able to go back to the house, but I’ve often wondered what it would be like to once again step inside. I can only hope the visit would be as gratifying as the tale in this novel. The plot has as many twists and turns as a spiral staircase, each a surprise, yet also as inevitable as a well-drawn blueprint. Vivid characters spill intense emotions: love, hate, longing, guilt. As a writer myself (see my Amazon author page and my Goodreads author page), I am filled with admiration for Patchett’s memorable storytelling. The Dutch House is ultimately about letting go, but readers won’t want to let go of this book.

A story of two siblings and the three-story house that haunts them

“A good book is an education of the heart.” – Susan Sontag

Ramblr to Publish “Sophie’s Confession”

I’m happy to announce that my short story “Sophie’s Confession” will be published in the next issue of Ramblr (2020, Issue 3). Here’s the log line: In “Sophie’s Confession,” Sophie Tucker, The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, makes a surprising admission on her death bed and leaves the public to ponder its response to discovering the truth behind an illusion. Read more in SHORT STORIES.

Sophie Tucker: Grande Dame and The Last of the Red Hot Mamas

#supertuesday4me2

Fourteen states hold primaries today and my essay “It’s Not Your Story: Citizenship Rules for Writers Groups” goes online at Black Fox Literary Magazine. The article argues that while some literary tenets beg to be broken, writers group etiquette rules are worth following to derive the benefits and avoid the pitfalls of membership. Please leave a comment about the blog. Read more of my thoughts about writing in REFLECTIONS.