Today marks the one-year anniversary since my short-story collection, The Patron Saint of Lost Girls, was published by the wonderful people at Wayne State University Press. It has been a year of readings, interviews, book signings, traveling, communications (text and email, mostly), organizing, and celebrating. This has been a year where I dedicated myself to doing what makes me uncomfortable, which is reaching out and taking risks. Part of the risk is the time investment. To organize, practice, travel, and promote these events takes about 10 hours, minimum. My Better Half noticed that at just before every event I would announce, “I hope people show up.” But readers, people who love books, showed up!
Here is what I did not expect: the events were fun. The people were beautiful. Colleagues, friends, writers, strangers, and people I hadn’t seen in years (or even decades) arrived, and then hung out and talked after readings. We got to catch up, to meet each other, to hear what we are reading, and to listen to what we are working on now. When I look back on it, I am grateful for the way people talked about the books they were reading now. That is fuel. In a world where books are banned and destroyed by AI-loving billionaires, it feels like readership is having a growth spirt as a form of social justice.
For the next couple of entries, I’m dedicating this one-year anniversary to them, because they are doing great work to promote reading, literature, creativity, and community.
There are so many, I won’t get them all, but let’s start here:
The Publisher
Wayne State University Press. The Patron Saint of Lost Girls was published through WSUP’s Made-in-Michigan series. The team is collaborative and creative in all areas, including editorial, cover design, interior layout, and publicity. At each step it’s clear that this team loves literature and has a strong mission. How great is the press?
The Association of University Presses named Stephanie Williams, director of WSUP, as its new President. Williams is the Association’s first African American President and the second woman of color in this position. It’s a huge deal, and well-deserved.
As a proud graduate of Wayne State University, I have such respect for the WSUP mission: “Since 2006, this dynamic series has highlighted Michigan’s diverse voices—through poetry, short fiction, essays, and creative nonfiction—with the aim of encouraging statewide and national recognition of an incredible ongoing literary legacy.” Check WSUP out at:
Thank you to everyone who was there!
