Please follow this page for updates about the progress of work in press, accepted and upcoming publications, and related events, such as readings at bookstores and other venues. For additional updates, I invite you to follow Ann S. Epstein Writer on Facebook and Twitter (X).
EVENTS
There are no upcoming public events but please continue to check back for information about book readings, conferences, and other author appearances.
BOOK CLUBS
Do you belong to a book club? If you choose to read one of my books and your group is located in the Ann Arbor area, I’d enjoy meeting with you to talk about my work. If you are too far away, I’d be happy to arrange a Zoom or Skype video chat. To inquire via email, please see CONTACT.
Overlapping Myself. As I anticipate the April 30, 2024 release of my new novel The Sister Knot, I’ve already signed a contract with Vine Leaves Press to publish the next one, Who Cares? (due December 2025), the story of a lively place where old people go to die. Read more at NOVELS. (Posted 03/20/24)
Sneak Peek at The Sister Knot! An excerpt from my forthcoming novel The Sister Knot is featured in the March 2024 issue of the Washtenaw Jewish News (pp. 1 & 23), a free publication with a readership of 10,000 in Southeast Michigan. Those who subscribe to WJN can read the excerpt in print; the free publication is also available to everyone online. The Sister Knot, which will be released on April 30, 2024, is about two Holocaust orphans who survive on the streets of Berlin before a Jewish refugee agency brings the girls to the U.S. One is adopted and one is sent to a group home, but even as their lives diverge, they sustain a lifelong friendship. Read more about the book in NOVELS. (Posted 03/06/24)
“Snappily Ever After” published. “Snappily Ever After” was published in the anthology Anna Karenina Isn’t Dead (Improbable Press). The collection imagines better endings for women who have been ignored, vilified, or otherwise mistreated in literary works. My piece, “Snappily Ever After,” is a series of limericks about maligned females in fairy tales and classic children’s books. Each verse lauds the prowess of these undervalued girls and women. Read more about my other POEMS and SHORT STORIES. (Posted 02/25/24)
More Microfiction Published: Hand Me Ups. Another small treat to savor! 50 Give or Take has published another piece of my microfiction, titled Hand Me Ups, a testament to generations of women. For more fiction this length and longer, see SHORT STORIES. (Posted 02/08/24)
The Goldilocks Question. The Historical Novel Society (HNS) published my essay “The Goldilocks Question” about finding the “just right” balance between history and fiction in historical fiction. The essay is part of a feature promoting the HNS June 2025 conference. Read more in ESSAYS. (Posted 02/15/24)
Fifty Word Stories published “Uncle Joe.” My latest microfiction, “Uncle Joe,” appears in the January 10, 2024 issue of Fifty Word Stories, my first publication in this daily online journal. Read more in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 01/10/24)
“Dripless” published in Quill & Parchment. My poem “Dripless” has been published by Quill & Parchment. The December 2023 issue includes several pieces on the theme of Chanukah. My brother, Joel Savishinsky, also has a poem in this issue. Read the entire December 2023 issue of Quill & Parchment; “Dripless” by Ann S. Epstein; and “Eyeless in Gaza: A Chanukah Prayer for 2023” by Joel Savishinsky. Read more about the publication in POEMS. (Posted 12/02/23)
Can Death Be Brought to Life? My essay, “Can Death Be Brought to Life?” was published in the August 2023 issue of SPILL IT! Based on my work as an end-of-life doula, the essay describes how death, once a daily fact of life, has become a “forbidden” subject of conversation and asks whether, and how, death might be reclaimed as a normal part of life. Read more at ESSAYS and learn about my work with those facing death at END-OF-LIFE DOULA. (Posted 08/28/23)
More Microfiction Published: Wrinkles of Disappointment. More of my microfiction was published in 50 Give or Take. “Wrinkles of Disappointment” was prompted by a remark my daughter made about the “disappointed” face of a woman in a theater lobby where we were attending a performance. For links to my other microfiction, flash fiction, and longer pieces, see SHORT STORIES. (Posted 08/16/23)
Tiny Philosophical Treatise. More of my microfiction was published in 50 Give or Take on July 20, 2023. Read “The Last Time” and ponder. It’s not the first time, or the last time, I’ve been included in this unique online daily magazine. One reader said this 50-word piece was better than the 500-page philosophy tomes they read in college. (Why writers write: “A word after a word after a word is power.” – Margaret Atwood)
Befriending Old Age. My creative nonfiction essay “Riley and Lucille” appears in the May 2023 issue of The Blue Mountain Review (Issue 28, pp. 155-158), published by The Southern Collective Experience. Written on the eve of surgery to save my right eye, “Riley and Lucille” ponders how my habit of naming ailing body parts is a tool to confront, communicate, laugh about, and adapt to the physical challenges of aging. Read more in MEMOIR. (Posted 06/03/23)
End-of-Life Doula. After intensive training, I have earned a NEDA Proficiency Badge and Certification from The Dying Year as an End-of-Life Doula (EOLD). An EOLD provides a wide range of non-medical services and referrals to people preparing for death. They coordinate with, but do not replace, help offered by hospice, social workers, financial and legal advisors, funeral arrangers, home health aides, or other caregivers. Within their scope of practice, EOLDs are professionals bound by a code of ethics. The primary service I offer is helping people write their Life Review and Ethical Will. Learn more about my credentials and services at END-OF-LIFE DOULA. (Posted 12/26/22)
More Microfiction Published: Vintage Varmints. More mini-fun! I’m pleased to report that 50 Give or Take just published another piece of my microfiction, titled Vintage Varmints, and guaranteed to elicit a chuckle whether you prefer the newfangled or the old-fashioned. For links to my other microfiction, flash fiction, and longer pieces, see SHORT STORIES. (Posted 12/22/22)
“Snappily Ever After” to be in Anna Karenina Isn’t Dead: An Anthology. I’m tickled that “Snappily Ever After” has been accepted by the Improbable Press for their anthology Anna Karenina Isn’t Dead, which imagines better endings for women who have been ignored, vilified, or otherwise mistreated in literary works. My piece, “Snappily Ever After,” is a series of limericks about maligned females in fairy tales and classic children’s books. While the submission calls for prose, and these rewrites are technically poems, they can be read as micro-fiction, or very short stories. The anthology will be published in 2023. Read more at Improbable Press, a London publisher featuring books about “everyone and anyone from whom we don’t hear enough.” Check out my other short prose in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 12/20/22)
St. Lawrence Book Award Finalist. I’ve been named a finalist in the Black Lawrence Press 2022 St. Lawrence Book Award contest for my story collection Women, Working. See the list of finalists and semi-finalists. About the book: The fourteen stories collected in Women, Working dramatize women’s ongoing fight to balance work and family, intimacy and independence, tradition and progress. Spanning two centuries, the narratives highlight a forward march impeded by social upheaval, physical and psychological assault, and patriarchal resistance. The women — including an 1820 mill worker, a 1911 Triangle fire survivor, a Depression packhorse librarian, a chicken catcher in feminism’s early days, a contemporary trucker — are notably different, yet they share an unsinkable spirit, unflagging determination, and unwavering peer support. Read more about each piece in SHORT STORIES. The winner will be announced in the coming weeks. Wish me luck! (Posted 12/08/22)
CultureCult Magazine to Publish “Famine” in Haunted House Anthology HAUS. As Halloween approaches, I’m chilled that my first ghost story, “Famine,” will be published in the CultureCult Magazine haunted house anthology HAUS. In “Famine,” a single mother of Irish descent, worried how she’ll feed her daughter in the aftermath of the 2008 economic collapse, is visited by the ghosts of two immigrants who lived in her Bronx apartment: one whose daughter died in 1847 during the Irish potato famine and another who came with her daughter in 1970 during The Troubles. Given how I strive to “nail the ending” in my writing, I was especially gratified when the editor wrote, “The last line brought me to tears.” Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 10/23/22)
More Micro-fiction Published in 50 Give or Take. The one-a-day micro-fiction journal 50 Give or Take has published another of my stores, “Accidentally,” words to ponder for those who ask, “What is she waiting for?” October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, first declared in 1989. (Posted 10/06/22)
Feeling Your Age? Try Naming It! My creative nonfiction essay “Riley and Lucille” will appear in the Winter 2022 issue of The Blue Mountain Review, published by The Southern Collective Experience. Written on the eve of surgery to save my right eye, “Riley and Lucille” ponders how my habit of naming ailing body parts is a tool to confront, communicate, laugh about, and adapt to the physical challenges of aging. I’ll post the link when the essay is published. Read more in MEMOIR. (Posted 08/04/22)
Need a Quick Lit Fix? More Micro-fiction for All. I’m happy to announce that 50 Give or Take has published another piece of my micro-fiction. Read “Untitled Country Song” for a teary-eyed chuckle. Sign up for this online journal and get a daily story in your inbox. (Posted 07/15/22)
New Essay on “Hope” Published. See my latest SPILL IT! essay titled “Is Hope Hopeless?” “Hope” (noun) is a desire for something to happen, a wish for things to get better, or a dream or aspiration. Hope is also a feeling of optimism — trust, reliance — that what is desired will happen. “Hope” (verb) is to have that positive, expectant feeling. The virtues and futility of hope have been debated since ancient times. Today, faced with seemingly insurmountable problems, dystopian hopelessness is on the rise. Is this despair justified? Can it even be healthy? Or does hopelessness endanger individual well-being and pose a threat to society? Read the essay and choose your side. (Posted 06/27/22)
Announcing The Sister Knot. My novel The Sister Knot will be published by Vine Leaves Press, my fifth book with them! The Sister Knot unravels the fraught but resilient female friendship that endures despite the damage of childhood trauma. The story is told from the dual perspectives of World War Two orphans who survive on Berlin’s streets by cunning, theft, and prostitution. Brought to the U. S. by a Jewish refugee agency, their lives diverge when one is adopted and the other ends up in a group home. Frima, the adopted girl, appears to live the American dream. Yet later in life her trajectory reverses course. By contrast, Liane’s years are a downward slide. Not until middle age does she turn her life around. The novel follows their seesawing relationship through school and work, marriage and motherhood, incarceration and death. They drift apart or fight, but always come back together. Two sculptures that Liane makes for Frima — “Sisters” in childhood and “Knot” as they enter adulthood — represent the unbreakable tie between these unforgettable women.
The book is scheduled for release in April 2024. Meanwhile, you can look forward to reading my next book, One Person’s Loss, in just three months, on September 22, 2022. And a three e-book collection of On the Shore, Tazia and Gemma, and The Great Stork Derby will be available as Love, Loss, and Secrets on June 14th. It can be pre-ordered or you can purchase individual print and electronic copies of each book now. More about all my books at NOVELS. (Posted 06/05/22)
New Microfiction Online: Feline Believer. I’m delighted that 50 Give or Take just published another piece of my microfiction. Check out the story, Feline Believer. Watching birds is instinctive for cats, who regard them as easy prey. Cats often “chatter” when they see a bird. Why? Experts theorize that cats make this chirping sound as a means to mimic their prey, entice it to come closer, or possibly even hypnotize it and make it easier to catch. Is it possible that the sound we hear is actually felines praying? For links to my other microfiction, flash fiction, and longer pieces, see SHORT STORIES. (Posted 05/29/22)
SMOL 2022 Book Fair Event: Unhappy in Its Own Way. Please join me and five other Vine Leaves Press authors for our event at the SMOL 2022 Book Fair, titled “Unhappy in Its Own Way,” featuring novels and memoirs about dysfunctional families. The virtual session is on March 24, 2022 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time and the event is FREE and open to all via the Zoom webinar link. See a complete description on the SMOL Fair Events page. I’ll read and answer audience questions about The Great Stork Derby, in which a husband pressures his wife to have babies for a large cash prize, with disastrous results. I’ll also act as the event moderator. Thanks for attending! Please spread the word. (Posted 03/04/22)
If you missed the SMOL Book Fair event . . . Watch the videotape on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/uIwVxfCNLhSUVJ8MSp9o_vchaMWOcAfSIuDTzV96oogoj2Hzjeu_YLCQ-fVp7eUh.q11egjYTDO5C7QQD and Passcode: 05^ZPW?2 (Posted 03/28/22)
I’m happy to announce that Vine Leaves Press will publish my next novel, One Person’s Loss, which asks whether the marriage of young German Jewish refugees can survive their clashing personalities and the traumas of the Holocaust. Set in Brooklyn from 1937 to 1951, Petra and Erich Wedler’s parents send them to America to start a family before the Nazis systematically decimate their community. The novel is told from both perspectives, as the couple find themselves at odds over losses — a miscarriage, the abrupt end of a job, the slaughter of loved ones. Confronting birth and death, their relationship seesaws until a final crisis tests their ability to sustain a balance and stay together. Read more in NOVELS. (Posted 12/01/21)
I’m pleased to report that I was named a semi-finalist in the 2021 St. Lawrence Book Award for my story collection Women, Working. Visit the Black Lawrence Press website for the list of finalists and semi-finalists .
About the book: The fourteen stories collected in Women, Working dramatize women’s ongoing fight to balance work and family, intimacy and independence, tradition and progress. Spanning two centuries, the narratives highlight a forward march impeded by social upheaval, physical and psychological assault, and patriarchal resistance. The women — including an 1820 mill worker, a 1911 Triangle fire survivor, a Depression packhorse librarian, a chicken catcher in feminism’s early days, a contemporary trucker — are notably different, yet they share an unsinkable spirit, unflagging determination, and unwavering peer support.
Click on SHORT STORIES to read more.
The unexpected good news encourages me to submit the collection elsewhere. Wish me luck! (Posted 11/17/21)
My short story “Housewidow” is now online at The Woven Tale Press, 2021, Volume IX, No. 9. Set during the post-WWII housing shortage, “Housewidow” portrays how a third-grader’s world is upended when her family is evicted after her father’s uncharacteristic outburst against their demanding landlady. Read more in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 11/01/21)
The Great Stork Derby was praised in the latest issue of Historical Novel Review. Here’s an excerpt from the review: “Based on a true event, this is a touching and poignant look at family life and how it is never too late to effect change.” Read the full review in the November 2021 issue of Historical Novel Review. Read more about The Great Stork Derby in NOVELS and buy it at your favorite bookstore or order the book online. If you enjoyed this book, and my other novels, I’d be grateful if you wrote your own review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Thanks so much! (Posted 11/02/21)
I’m pleased to share that my short story “Housewidow” was accepted by The Woven Tale Press, scheduled to be published in their Fall/Winter 2021 issue. In “Housewidow,” set during the post-WWII housing shortage, a third-grader’s world is upended when her family is evicted after her father’s uncharacteristic outburst against their demanding landlady. Read more in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 07/29/21)
My creative nonfiction piece “Weatherproof Halloween,” published in Back in THE BRONX, Summer 2021, Volume 100, Issue 113, is about Trick or Treating in my Bronx apartment building in the 1950s, where we children were protected from more than the vicissitudes of the weather. Read more in MEMOIR. (Posted 07/29/21; updated 08/05/21)
My essay “Where Do Elders Belong: Shuffling in the Old Folks Home or Marching in the Street?” is now online in the May 2021 issue of Vine Leaves Press SPILL IT! The essay protests demeaning myths about aging and issues a call to social action by older people. Use the buttons at the bottom of the essay to share and voice your opinion. Follow the links to my other articles and check out the voices of other authors. Sign up to receive SPILL IT! every month. It’s free. (Posted 05/25/21)
More of my microfiction has been published at 50 Give or Take. This online publication from Vine Leaves Press emails a story of 50 words or less to each subscriber’s inbox every day. All are welcome to read, subscribe, and submit. FREE. Check out these stories of mine:
Hit SEND November 25, 2020
Test Results December 22, 2020
Fido’s Lament February 13, 2021
Window Seat March 17, 2021
Too Old for Grievances April 04,2021
(Posted 04/04/21)
I’m delighted to announce that The Blue Nib has published my creative nonfiction piece “Bear Watch,” which describes how my first encounter with antisemitism, on a cross-country camping trip to Yellowstone at age fourteen, taught me the true meaning of adventure. Here’s the link. Read more in MEMOIR. [P.S. I have a quill pen tattooed on my right hand but the nib is black, not blue.]
I’m thrilled to announce that my story “Death, Shmeath” will be published by North American Review, the oldest literary journal in the U.S., with a jaw-dropping roster of authors since its founding in 1815. Here’s the log line: In “Death, Shmeath,” set in 1932 Brooklyn and based on a real character, an Orthodox father struggles with his son’s worldwide fame as the first and only gay Jewish matador. Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. I’ll post the date and issue number when they are available. What a great piece of news to receive at the start of 2021. (Posted 01/06/21)
I’m happy to announce that my essay “Getting Above My Raisin’” is now online at The Blue Nib: The Write Life. The essay looks at why writers feel they don’t merit top-tier agents or publishing contracts. Unlike “imposter syndrome,” a psychological condition whose sufferers doubt their competence, “getting above one’s raisin’” is rooted in the conviction that one is from the wrong social demographic. I’d love to hear back if you do (or don’t) experience something similar and how you interpret your reaction. Please leave a comment on the essay link or on my blog. Read more about the publication in ESSAYS. (Posted 07/06/20)
I’m happy to announce that my novel The Great Stork Derby will be published by Vine Leaves Press in October 2021. Here is a brief synopsis: Inspired by a bizarre chapter in Toronto’s history, The Great Stork Derby asks whether an overbearing father deserves the chance to make amends with his alienated offspring. Widower Emm Benbow, told by his doctor he can no longer live alone, must move in with one of his many children or go to a dreaded old age home. Fifty years earlier, Emm pressured his wife Izora to enter the Toronto Stork Derby, an actual contest which offered a sizable cash award to the woman who had the most babies between 1926 and 1936. They had a large family, but it was hardly the happy one Emm envisioned. Now, living in turn with each of his adult children, Emm discovers that the true value of fatherhood is not measured in big prizes, but in small rewards. Read more about the book in NOVELS. (Posted 06/15/20)
I’m happy to announce that my essay “Revival” was published by The Blue Nib in its feature The Write Life at https://thebluenib.com/revival/. Here’s the log line: “Revival” investigates the literary and psychological reasons why writers revisit and revise very old stories they once considered finished, refuting the charge that it’s because they have nothing new to write about. Read more in ESSAYS. (Posted 05/12/20)
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. (Posted 03/29/20)
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. (Posted 03/07/20)
I’m happy to announce that my article “It’s Not Your Story: Citizenship Rules for Writers Groups” has been published by Black Fox Literary Magazine. Here’s the log line: The craft essay “It’s Not Your Story: Citizenship Rules for Writers Groups” acknowledges 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. Read more of my thoughts about writing in REFLECTIONS. (Posted 03/06/20)
I’m happy to announce that my short story, “A Mule of One’s Own” will be published in Orca (2020, Issue #3). Here’s the log line: “A Mule of One’s Own” is about a pack horse librarian who delivers books and hope to Kentucky’s rural families in the Depression while her own family falls apart because her job threatens her unemployed husband. Read about the history behind the story, including photos of these determined “equestrienne librarians), on my BLOG dated 02/03/20 and learn more about the publication in SHORT STORIES.
My creative nonfiction piece “My Name Could Be Toby Gardner” is now online as the featured essay at bioStories. The essay begins: “I lost my name. Perhaps the name was never mine to begin with. In which case, will I ever own one? Or, if the name was once in my possession, can I get it back?” Please read, enjoy, like, and follow. Learn more about my creative nonfiction in MEMOIR. (Posted 02/12/20)
I’m happy to announce that my short story “Over the Road Song” will be published by The Manhattanville Review in their January 2020 issue. Here is the log line: In “Over the Road Song,” women truckers (CB handles mothertrucker2, Grannygears, and tankertopper) from three generations have a testy debate about the pros and cons of life on the road. The story will be online at the end of the month on The Manhattanville Review website. Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 01/17/20)
I’m happy to announce that bioStories will publish the creative nonfiction essay “My Name Could Be Toby Gardner,” a seriocomic lament about the loss of my name in a family whose pathology included the obfuscation of their real names. Read more about the publication in MEMOIR. (Posted 12/09/19)
Pushcart Prize Nomination. Ponder Review submitted my piece “David’s Crossing,” about my father emigrating from Poland to America as a boy, to the nominating committee for the Pushcart Prize in creative nonfiction. Read more in MEMOIR. (Posted 11/30/19)
I’m happy to announce that my short story “Poppies Journal” will be published in The Minnesota Review (November 2020, Issue 95). Here is the log line: In “Poppies Journal,” a preschool teacher observes children at play. Is the troubling behavior she records in the classroom notes an indication of their disturbed minds, or hers? Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 11/19/19)
A BRAIN. A HEART. THE NERVE. Praise and Editors’ Choice Award from Historical Novel Review. The Historical Novel Review of A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve., which HNR selected as an Editors’ Choice, is now online. The magazine, a quarterly publication of the Historical Novel Society, typically reviews 250-300 books per issue, so I’m thrilled to be singled out for this recognition. The review concludes, “Epstein’s ability to create such a believable story demonstrates her skill as a novelist. Highly recommended.” Here’s the link to the full HNR review and you can read more about A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. in NOVELS. (Posted 11/03/19)
I’m pleased to announce that my novel A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. has been selected as an Editors’ Choice book for the November 2019 issue of Historical Novel Review, the quarterly publication of the Historical Novel Society. The magazine typically reviews about 250 books per issue, so I’m thrilled to be singled out by the recognition. I’ll post more information when the magazine is published. In the meantime, you can read about A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. in NOVELS. (Posted 10/03/19)
My craft article “Adverbicide: Must Writers Eradicate Adverbs?” is now online at The Woven Tale Press. The editors expect the article to generate a lively debate, so please leave your comments at the end of the posted essay and on my BLOG. Read more about my thoughts on writing in REFLECTIONS. (Posted 07/18/19)
I’m pleased to announce that my craft article “Adverbicide: Must Writers Eradicate Adverbs?” will be published on The Woven Tale Press website. Here is the log line: “Adverbicide: Must Writers Eradicate Adverbs?” challenges anti-adverb dicta by critiquing their roots and drawing on developmental psychology to help writers overcome prohibitions and inhibitions. The editors expect the article to generate a lively debate. Leave your comments on The Woven Tale Press website and here on my BLOG. Read more about my thoughts on writing in REFLECTIONS. (Posted 06/28/19)
I’m pleased to share that my short story “A Fifth Way” is now online at Spank the Carp, Pond (Issue) 50. Here is the log line: In “A Fifth Way,” set in 1922 West Virginia, a precocious young boy begs adults to help avert a tragedy he sees coming, but only the crazy old lady next door believes he is telling the truth. Sample Spank the Carp and read “A Fifth Way.” Learn more about this tale and others in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 05/01/19)
“The Goldilocks Question” was just published in SPILL IT! (March 2019). The Vine Leaves Press blog SPILL IT! invited and published my craft essay The Goldilocks Question: How Much History is “Just Right” in Historical Fiction? Here’s what the publisher says: “Ann S. Epstein discusses the balance between accurate detail and wrinkles, bends, and even fractures in the truth of historical fiction.” Read my opinion. There is no right answer so decide for yourself and SPILL IT!(Posted 03/26/19)
I’m happy to announce that my short story “Blood and Sand” will be published in Blue Moon Literary & Art Review (Volume 13, 2019). Here is the log line: Set in the Capone era, “Blood and Sand” portrays a young girl’s confusion when she discovers that her adored “Uncle Al” is responsible for killing her best friend’s father, a death she might have prevented. Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 03/13/19)
My short story “A Fifth Way” will be published in Spank the Carp, 2019. Here is the log line: In “A Fifth Way,” set in 1922 West Virginia, a precocious young boy begs adults to help avert a tragedy he sees coming, but only the crazy old lady next door believes he is telling the truth. Read more about the publication in SHORT STORIES. (Posted 03/02/19)
My creative nonfiction piece “David’s Crossing” was accepted for publication in Ponder Review, 2019, Volume 3, Issue 1. Here’s the log line: “David’s Crossing” captures my father’s uncertainty as a young boy aboard an immigrant ship, the SS Rotterdam IV, journeying from a Polish shtetl to an American city during World War I — a century-old tale with resonance for today. The publication is particularly meaningful to me because my late father’s acceptance into this country is in such stark contrast with today’s harsh policies toward immigrants, migrants, and refugees. Read more about the publication in MEMOIR. (Posted 02/04/19)
My father, David Savishinsky, as a boy
The SS Rotterdam IV, a passenger liner that also transported European immigrants and refugees to the U.S. from 1908 to 1940
I am happy to report that CultureCult Magazine will publish my story “The Eros Salon” in Spring 2019, Issue #11. Here is the log line: “The Eros Salon” is inspired by the bonds forged between Jewish professors fleeing Nazi Germany and the historically black colleges and universities that gave them jobs. In this story, a professor creates a social justice forum where whites and Negroes argue whether, if fear fuels fascism, love can sustain democracy. Read about the publication in SHORT STORIES.
Check the CultureCult Magazine website to find out when Issue #11 is published; meanwhile, Issue #10, which includes my short story “It Ends With Cake” will be available soon. (Posted 01/10/19)
I’m pleased to announce that my short story, “Orphan Camp” has just been published in The Summerset Review, Winter 2019. Here’s the log line: “Orphan Camp” examines how the resilience that allowed Jewish children to survive during WWII made them resistant to adoption afterwards. Although set seventy years ago, the story speaks to today’s many war orphans. Read the story online at http://www.summersetreview.org/19winter/orphan.html. (Posted 12/17/18)
My short story “It Ends With Cake” was accepted for publication by CultureCult Magazine — a journal of art, literature, and culture — for their Winter 2019 issue. Here’s the log line: Told in the first person plural, “It Ends With Cake” draws readers into the meeting of a death café, where participants seek closure about their own notions of mortality while revealing deep fissures between them. Read about the publication in SHORT STORIES. Learn more about the death café movement in BEHIND THE STORY (see 09/23/18 post). (Posted 11/17/18)
I’m doing a Tazia and Gemma book reading with a short documentary film on the Triangle Waist Company fire and refreshments at the Ann Arbor Jewish Community Center on Tuesday, December 04, at 7 PM, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor. The event is free and open to all. Learn more about the book at NOVELS). (Posted 10/11/18; Updated 11/19/18)
I’m doing a Tazia and Gemma book reading and signing at Nicola’s Books on Wednesday, October 17, at 7 PM, Westgate Shopping Center, 2513 Jackson Avenue, Ann Arbor. See the Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/349495879111737/ and Nicola’s calendar page https://www.nicolasbooks.com/event/ann-s-epstein-presents-her-historical-fiction-novel-tazia-and-gemma. Learn more about the book at NOVELS. (Posted 10/02/18)
I’m happy to announce that my short story “Orphan Camp” will be published in the December 15, 2018 online edition of Summerset Review. I’ll post the link in mid-December. Here’s the log line: “Orphan Camp” examines how the resilience that allowed Jewish children to survive during WWII made them resistant to adoption afterwards. Although set seventy years ago, the story speaks to today’s many war orphans. (Posted 09/20/18)
I’m delighted to announce that I now have a literary agent to represent my work. Her name is Sarah Yake, with Frances Collins Literary Agency. She’ll begin with my novel The Great Stork Derby, and keep my short story collection Between the Wars in her back pocket. The agency is well established (founded 1948 as Marie Rodell-Frances Collin Literary Agency); it represents the estates of Rachel Carson & John A. Williams, among others. Most important, Sarah seems like a great match for me. If you’re curious, you can read more about the agency and Sarah at:
https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/slyyake/
http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/sarah-yake/
(Posted 09/03/18)
I’m delighted to announce that my offbeat short story “Youngest Ever” was accepted by Koan Literary Magazine, an online journal of The Paragon Press, which “occupies the space between the real and the imagined.” Here’s the log line: “Youngest Ever” reports the panel’s decisions about submissions to the Guinness Book of World Records in the category YOUNGEST, ranging from the humorous to the questionable to the horrific. I’ll share the link when the story goes online. To read more, click on SHORT STORIES. (Posted 07/30/18)
I’m doing a Tazia and Gemma book reading and signing at Literati Bookstore on Tuesday, July 31, at 7 PM, 124 E. Washington Street, Ann Arbor. See the Facebook event page https://www.literatibookstore.com/event/fiction-literati-ann-s-epstein-0. Learn more about the book at http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html and see the trailer on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lijLhwR2Yb0. Hope to see you and your friends on July 31! To read more about my books see NOVELS. (Posted 07/27/18)
I’m delighted to report the enthusiastic Tazia and Gemma book launch & reading, Q & A, and signing event on June 3 at Bookbound Bookstore, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. I read narrative passages from the first Tazia section and my daughter Rebecca joined me to read the mother-daughter interview from the first Gemma section. Thanks to Bookbound owners Megan and Peter, and to all who attended the Tazia and Gemma event. I urge Ann Arbor residents and visitors to check out this friendly independent bookstore with a large selection of children’s books and wide-ranging adult literature. For a complete list of my publication events see NEWS; to read more about my books see NOVELS. (Posted 06/04/18)
The Tazia and Gemma book launch & reading is at Bookbound Bookstore on Sunday, June 3, at 2 PM, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. See the Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/813290068858590/. Learn more about the book at http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html and see the trailer on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lijLhwR2Yb0. Hope to see you on June 3! For a complete schedule of my publication events, see the list at the top of this NEWS page; to read more about my books see NOVELS.
The publication date for A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press) is August 14, 2018. A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. is a fictional biography of Meinhardt Raabe, a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people, yet his disability makes him mistrust even those who see past it. The narrative moves from Nazi Berlin through decades of social change in the U.S. to a return pilgrimage to Germany, where Meinhardt chooses between isolation and opening his heart. The book cries for justice in the face of discrimination. Meinhardt’s journey fortifies readers with the intelligence, love, and courage to follow the yellow brick road to the safe home we all deserve. // For more information about the book, see NOVELS. Pre-orders available May 2018. Check this website and the publisher’s https://alternativebookpress.com/ for updates about the book’s release, print and e-book orders, and related events. (Posted 02/21/18)
I’m happy to announce that Wilderness House Literary Review will publish my flash fiction piece “Space Cat” in its Spring 2018 issue (link to follow when the story goes online). Here’s the log line: “‘Space Cat,’” based on the true but unheralded story of Félicette, the first (and last) cat in space, is a cri de coeur for recognizing the important role of felines, and females, in science.” Please bestow belated honors upon the brave Félicette, 51 years after her sacrifice on behalf of humankind. (Posted 02/19/18)
My next novel Tazia and Gemma will be published by Vine Leaves Press on May 29, 2018. I’m delighted to share the cover and book jacket description:
Spanning 1911 to 1961, Tazia and Gemma is told from the perspective of an unwed mother, whose tale moves forward in time, and her daughter, whose search for her father moves backward. Tazia, a pregnant seventeen-year-old Italian immigrant and survivor of the Triangle Waist Company fire, flees New York, leaving her married lover to think she miscarried the baby he urged her to abort. To support herself and her daughter Gemma, Tazia takes low-wage jobs as she migrates westward. Gemma, now fifty, embarks on an eastward journey to find her father, eventually tracing her roots to Italy. In the end, Tazia no longer needs to escape her history while Gemma finds that her identity leads back to her mother. The narrative illuminates the tension between assimilation versus honoring one’s heritage, and confronts the struggle for self respect in the face of discrimination and demeaning work conditions, issues both timely and timeless.
To learn more about the book, see NOVELS and REVIEWS. Here is the link to the publisher’s webpage: http://www.vineleavespress.com/tazia-and-gemma-by-ann-s-epstein.html. Please check back to find out when print and e-book versions will be available for preorder. (Posted 02/18/18)
My article “Free Their Inner Child” is online at The Artist Unleashed as of February 14, 2018. Artists and writers are told to “free your inner child.” At the same time, we fret that the circuitry of screens has replaced the inner wonder of children today. As parents, teachers, and mentors of tomorrow’s creative class, how do we guarantee that the next generation enjoys a full aesthetic life? Learn strategies to give young children meaningful experiences across the arts (visual, music, movement and dance, dramatic, literary, plus art appreciation) and see how play can recapture and nurture the inner child in adult artists and writers as well. Read the article at http://www.theartistunleashed.com/blog/free-your-inner-child-by-ann-s-epstein. To see more of my publications on young children and the arts, visit my Amazon Author Page at http://www.amazon.com/author/asewovenwords. (Posted 02/14/18)
I’m pleased to announce that “A Poli-Sci-Fi Whiff of Skullduggery,” my review of the satirical novel Mr. Neutron by Joe Ponepinto (7.13 Books, March 2018) has been accepted by Wilderness House Literary Review for publication in its Spring 2018 issue. Check out WHLR’s stories, poems, articles, and art work at http://www.whlreview.com/. And if you need a reason to laugh in the current political climate, read Mr. Neutron when it comes out this spring. (Posted 12/20/17)
I’m delighted to share the news that The Madison Review will publish my short story “Golo’s Transport” in the Spring 2018 issue (see SHORT STORIES). Here’s the story’s log line: In “Golo’s Transport,” an angry old man confronts the trauma of his parents sending him away on the Kindertransport from Germany to England on the eve of WW II. Soon after I finished the story, humanitarians suggested a “kindertransport” for children of Syrian refugees, adding to the manuscript’s timeliness. Here’s the website of The Madison Review if you’d like to see what else they publish: https://www.themadisonrevw.com/. (Posted 11/14/17)
I’m pleased to announce that Saranac Review has published my short story “Shoot the Chute” in the Fall 2017 issue (see SHORT STORIES). Here’s the log line: In “Shoot the Chute,” an obsessive woman, whose husband doubts her maternal fitness, is fixated on adopting the smallest “incubator baby” on display at Coney Island amusement park in 1937. The journal is not online (hard copy only) but visit their website http://saranacreview.com/ to read about the fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and artwork in this issue.
I’m pleased to announce that my craft essay “The Five Percent Rule” has been accepted by The Artist Unleashed, an online journal that publishes short articles (1,000 words maximum) aimed at inspiring, motivating, and/or advising writers and artists in all media. My piece describes how I narrow down the vast trove of historical research I collect to the small amount that actually makes it into a work of fiction (including how the unused information does not go to waste, but appears in other NOVELS, SHORT STORIES, and/or BEHIND THE STORY). Check back here for the link when the essay goes online November 1st. Meanwhile you can read published pieces at The Artist Unleashed website http://www.theartistunleashed.com/. (Posted 09/06/17)
Production is underway for my next novel, A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press). Set 1935-1980, the novel is a fictional biography of the midget who played the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz. Read more in NOVELS. (Posted 08/12/17)
On the Shore meme. Vine Leaves Press is promoting its current publications with memes selected by the authors. Here’s the On the Shore meme: “Shame made my father envious, envy made him feel guilty, guilt made him angry.” Discover other Vine Leaves Press publications — literary novels, story collections, vignette collections, memoir, poetry, writing reference books, creative nonfiction, and essay collections — at http://www.vineleavespress.org. (Posted 08/08/17)
There were wonderful questions, a lively discussion, and (the best part) shared stories at the On the Shore reading at the Ann Arbor Jewish Community Center on June 7, 2017. The JCC offers a wide range of arts and cultural programs and is open to everyone in the community. (Posted 06/09/17)
There was a welcoming audience and a lively discussion for the On the Shore reading at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor yesterday evening (May 11, 2017). Thanks again to Literati for the invitation and to everyone who came to the event. Ann Arbor is so lucky to have this terrific independent bookstore. (Posted 05/12/17)
We had a warm reception for my On the Shore reading, Q & A, and signing event at Bookbound Bookstore in Ann Arbor yesterday (Saturday, May 6, 2017). This independent bookstore is a gem worth visiting, with a large selection of children’s books and wide-ranging adult literature. Thanks to Bookbound owners Megan and Peter, and to all who attended. (Posted 05/07/17)
We had a great On the Shore book reading, signing, and Q & A event at the Temple Beth Emeth library in Ann Arbor yesterday (Sunday, April 23, 2017). Thanks to all who attended. (Posted 04/24/17)
Read the interview about my novel On the Shore and my writing in general by Danielle Lavaque-Manty in Fiction Writers Review. Here’s the link: http://fictionwritersreview.com/interview/the-virtue-of-fiction-an-interview-with-ann-s-epstein/ (Posted 04/12/17)
The Virtue of Fiction: An Interview with Ann S. Epstein
My novel Tazia and Gemma has just been accepted by Vine Leaves Press (publication date May 2018). Spanning 1911 to 1961, Tazia and Gemma is told from two perspectives, that of an unwed Italian immigrant mother, whose tale moves forward in time, and her daughter, whose search for her father’s identity moves backward through those fifty years. Read more about Tazia and Gemma on the Novels page. Check here and on my Blog for updates on publication. Read the Behind the Story feature for historical gems about the book’s eras, geographical settings, and populations. See Reviews for advanced praise. (Posted 03/22/17)
I’m happy to announce that my short story “Milkorno” is being published by the literary journal Ascent. Here’s the log line: In “Milkorno,” a food scientist risks her job by enlisting President Roosevelt’s help to challenge the cheap, but tasteless, foods being foisted on the public, especially school children, during the Depression (recipes included). You can read the story online at http://www.readthebestwriting.com/milkorno-ann-s-epstein/. For more information see the Short Stories page. (Posted 03/21/17)
Reviewer copies of On the Shore (release date April 21, 2017) were sent out today by Vine Leaves Press. Digits crossed, I’ll be posting some positive comments in REVIEWS in the near future. (Posted 03/13/17)
I’m delighted to announce that my historical novel On the Shore now has a book trailer on YouTube. Thanks to Gash Productions and Vine Leaves Press. To see the YouTube trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXKrHdL59Hs&feature=youtu.be. To order print and ebook copies of On the Shore: www.vineleavespress.com/on-the-shore-by-ann-s-epstein.html. (Posted 02/28/17)
I’m delighted to announce that I am the winner of the 2017 Walter Sullivan Prize for Rising Talent, selected by George Core, long-time editor of Sewanee Review, for my story “Undark.” See Short Stories page for details. (Posted 02/23/17)
Production is now underway for my novel A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press, 2017), a fictional biography of Meinhardt Raabe, a midget who plays the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz. The book is about Meinhardt’s search for dignity in the face of discrimination, a call that resounds today. Stay tuned for updates on production and publication. (Posted 02/06/17)
There’s something about having an ISBN number that makes a book real. Check out the front & back covers for On the Shore, to be published by Vine Leaves Press in April. Info on ordering available soon. (Posted 01/29/17)
Exciting news. Vine Leaves Press just announced that On the Shore is one of five new books due out soon. My book will be published in April. See the announcement on Twitter @VineLeavesLJ and @asewovenwords. (Posted 01/11/17)
My short story “Shoot the Chute” will be published in Saranac Review, Issue #13. The story, set in 1937, is based on the “incubator babies” displayed at Coney Island (a real phenomenon). To read more about the publication, see Short Stories and Behind the Story pages. (Posted 10/24/16)
The short story “Jamming” is out in PRISM International (Fall 2016, pp. 41-68). See Short Stories page for details. (Posted 10/23/16)
My short story “Ants” has now been published in the latest issue of Earth’s Daughters (Issue #88, pp. 56-57). The theme of this issue is EBB, defined as “cycles, rhythm, continuation, or cascades.” See Short Stories page for details. (Posted 10/09/16)
My short story “The Cannibal Hall of Fame” is now out in the latest issue of The Offbeat (Volume 16, Spring 2016, pp. 82-83). See Short Stories page for details. (Posted 09/12/16)
Five thoughtful and much appreciated pre-publication blurbs (puff quotes) for On the Shore from writers Laura Kasischke, Dan Mueller, Deepak Singh, Amy Gustine, and Jeanne Sirotkin. See Reviews page for details. (Posted 09/12/16)
I’m pleased to report that my short story “Ants” has been accepted for publication in Earth’s Daughters, Issue #88. Earth’s Daughters (http://www.earthsdaughters.org) is a feminist literary arts periodical published by a multi-generational women’s collective in Buffalo, New York. The theme of Issue #88 is EBB which is defined as cycles, rhythm, continuation, or cascades. For more information, see the Short Stories page. (Posted 08/03/16)
Make that two presses that have expressed interest in seeing the full manuscript for Tazia and Gemma. (Posted 07/30/16)
Ta da! I turned in the final edits for On the Shore. The novel is now ready for copy editing and then production. Vine Leaves Press is on track for April 2017 publication. (Posted 07/25/16)
I started sending out my recently completed novel, Tazia and Gemma, to agents and publishers. One press has expressed interest and ask me to send the full manuscript. I’ve been here before and been disappointed, so I don’t want to get my hopes up, but “hope is a renewable resource” (a coinage I’m pleased to take credit for) so why not be optimistic? (Posted 07/25/16)