Featured Anthology: A Moment in Time by the Writers of Room 112

If you are a writer, you likely have had those moments where your creative elements flow like molten energy.  The words come and you can stand to read them.  You read great work and peek behind the veil. You see your own pieces take shape.  Last summer I was in the room where a group of diverse and talented women gathered at the Great Lakes Writers Workshop for a week of focus on their nonfiction writing.  These women capitalized  on their momentum and kept working together beyond our fecund week. If you are a writer, follow their lead and see a project through.  These women did, and their book captures the moments that build the framework and artistry of life.        

These women are open.  They are smart, educated, and their writing is important to them. I led the workshop, but I did not manufacture the sparks of reality that illuminated their stories. This is not a collection of feel-good fluff. These stories embody moments of  betrayal, love, death, anger, lost and found identities and more.  Find a whole world in these moments. 

Karen M. Paulus answers a few questions about the anthology A Moment in Time.
 

How did you come to publish an anthology?

The idea first came up toward the end of the workshop, when we realized we all had one piece already and most writers had started a second.

I recall that you had stages of approval for inclusion into the anthology, editors, compilers, communicators and more. How did you divide the work?

Participants in the workshop volunteered for different jobs. First, someone offered to set up a Yahoo group for keeping in touch and sharing documents. Then, a class member with copy editing experience volunteered for that part, another person volunteered to do the layout with InDesign.

 Were there unexpected hurdles in publishing the book? 

Hurdles were expected, but the few issues I ran into while using Createspace to do the cover were easily solved by calling them. They provided very good customer service.

What was fun about putting the anthology together?

It was fun to share everyone’s enthusiasm!

Who is the intended audience for the book?

Our friends and relatives are the most likely readers, but other writers at workshops might be interested in our work and the process of putting the book together.

I agree, and would add that any reader who enjoys personal nonfiction find that these moments you have brought to life could enter the flow of any readers life. What else would you like to share about the book.

I had a few of my friends proof the final stories and it was during a conversation with one of them that I got inspired to organize the book by the age of the character in the story. I stretched that a bit by putting Michele’s piece first, since it is a story about her pregnancy. I counted that character as the youngest so I could put it first, mostly because Michele explained the writing assignment in her story and I thought that was useful.

Yes! Your structure did add a metaphoric element that weighted and grounded the essays. Your collaboration produced a wonderful book! Thank you Karen.