Ann S. Epstein Writer

The Blue Nib: The Write Life Publishes “Getting Above My Raisin’”

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 here or on the essay link. Read more about this article and others in ESSAYS.

The Blue Nib: The Write Life publishes craft and personal essays

Why writers write: “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” – E. L. Doctorow

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “Who’s for Hire?”

“The sky is light enough for Tazia to read the signs: NIGGER LOVER, NO COLORED IN KANSAS, NO SLAVES FOR HIRE. The marchers swig from jugs of whiskey.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Self-styled local Kansas militia armed and liquored-up for a race war

Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press) by Ann S. Epstein

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism and Poverty 100 Years Ago: “It Takes a Community to Feed Empty Mouths”

“Lula Mae ladles deep into the pot. ‘We can always feed another couple of mouths.’” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “Lynching North of the Mason Dixon Line”

“Just cause this ain’t the South, don’t mean white folks aren’t afraid to burn and lynch Negroes.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaved Press) by Ann S. Epstein

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “No One Else Will Hire Us”

“The farmhands ain’t only men. We’re all of us Negroes too. Mr. Tapper is the only one who’ll hire us.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Blacks moved North in search of farm work, but many Midwestern farmers wouldn’t hire them

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “The Boss Man Lives in Fear”

“‘Mucha’s got in for everyone.’ Tazia shuddered. Denton frowned. ‘Harder for a dark man. People like that foreman are scared of us.’” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Fear drove whites to declare blacks inferior

COVID-19 Literary Mantra: EMBRACE WORDS, NOT WORLDS

My safety mantra for writers and readers during the COVID-19 pandemic is Embrace Words, Not Worlds. Words are clear yet enigmatic, purposeful yet versatile. They heal and irritate, inspire and frustrate, prevent and push, encircle and divide, and divert and focus us. We bend words to our needs and desires; words mold us to their design and will. Please harness the power of words to care for yourself and others during these precarious times. For more of my literary thoughts, see REFLECTIONS.

Words: A safe form of contact during the pandemic

Why writers write: “All writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.” – William Carlos Williams

Why writers read: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” – Joyce Carol Oates

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “Rare Sight: A White Among Blacks”

“The children stare. Tazia wonders if this is the first time a white person has been in their home.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “The Wrong Side of the Tracks”

“The faces on the street changed from white to black, and multistory brick buildings gave way to squat wooden structures: salvaged barn boards, tin, and tar paper, with newspaper stuffed into the chinks.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.

*Blacks in Topeka lived on “the wrong side of the tracks” owned by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway*

Learn History Through Fiction: Racism 100 Years Ago: “A Black Child’s Self-Image”

“‘Mirlee Bee,’ Lula Mae says, ‘all the washing in the world ain’t gonna turn your skin white. Besides, it’s fine as it is.’” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.