Many SCN members are first published in our quarterly Journal or annual Real Women Write anthology.
Take a look at all that happens to bring the anthology to publication in the free limited-time glimpse below. Enjoy!
Behind the Scenes...
2024 RWW Anthology: The Power of Friendship
by Shelley Carey
This year’s edition of SCN’s Real Women Write anthology centers around the theme, The Power of Friendship. Last year’s theme, Mothers and Mentors: The Art of Nurturing, honored a similar group of people who have had major impacts on shaping our identities. With our upcoming anthology, we’ll expand upon the notions of care and support to include our friends—from ride or die BFFs to those from the distant past who still hold places in our hearts and minds.
Why explore the topic of friendship? Scientific research indicates that women need friends because strong social connections reduce stress, improve mental and physical health, and enhance overall well-being. As such, writing about friendship captures and celebrates these emotional supportive connections and shared experiences that enrich our lives.
As SCN’s new anthology editor, I’ve had an exciting summer. There are many layers to getting the final book launched, and I thought it might be of interest to our members to learn more about that process.
The first step, long before calling for submissions, is to decide upon a theme. To get things moving, the anthology editor and other board members with rich publication experiences consider a host of possible topics that they hope will resonate with members. Once a theme is chosen, it is publicized in the Journal as well as on the Story Circle Network website and social media platforms.
At the same time members are writing their poetic, fiction, or nonfiction creative works, the editor and her anthology committee are working with Sherry Wachter, our wonderful illustrator and graphic artist, to create the anthology’s cover. This requires several rounds of tweaking to get to just the right graphic metaphor that will beckon readers inside to enjoy a treasure trove of writing.
Once the submission period ends, the editor dives into a pool of reflections and recollections in the forms of essays, poems, and short stories. This year, we received more than ninety entries, which is certain to allow for a book containing diverse perspectives and memorable takeaways.
Next, the editor shares several pieces that will appear in the anthology with the woman selected to write the book’s foreword. This year, the foreword’s author will be Len Leatherwood, SCN’s most recent past president and leader of the ever popular “Writing Twenty Minutes a Day” class. I had the pleasure of being Len’s teaching assistant during one class session. That experience was inspirational and educational for both me and the women enrolled. Len’s foreword is sure to be one with a universal message as warm and wise as the woman herself.
Once the pieces are selected and the authors are notified, the editor will begin the magic of laying out the pages. Once things are as perfect as possible, the final product will be sent to the printer, and another edition of Real Woman Write will be born.
While the publication process is slow and steady, the resulting anthology will be hard to put down. I hope that once it is available (right before the holidays), members will order copies for themselves and their friends. This exploration of friendship is sure to be a conversation starter. And if you have suggestions for next year’s theme, please feel free to send them to storycircle@storycirle.org.
Shelley Johnson Carey is the author of numerous articles, short stories, and poems, and of the nonfiction book, Thin Mint Memories: Scouting for Empowerment through the Girl Scout Cookie Program. She recently retired from her nearly 40-year editorial career, where she worked on several award-winning magazines and journals. Most recently, she served as the editor of Peer Review, a higher education journal, where she worked with hundreds of authors to polish their writing. Shelley has a BA from Hampshire Colleges and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Goucher College. She has facilitated several writing workshops for teens and adults. She is currently revising a novel about a group of friends, which is based on her own lifetime friendships. www.shelleyjohnsoncarey.com
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