The Story I Wasn't Ready to Tell (Yet)
There’s a moment I didn’t expect in this journey of publishing a new anthology.
After leading a series of writing workshops and a peer-editing process, I submitted my draft story, Carrot Soup, alongside my cohort of 25 writers for the Feminist Fantasy League project.
And almost overnight, I had to switch from the writer/workshop leader hat I was wearing…to an editor/curator hat.
I began reading 100+ pages of drafts – enchanting stories blending auto-biography, fiction and fantasy.
On the page, I could see the creativity – and the discomfort, the pushing past what felt safe. I felt incredibly proud of the hard work each writer had poured into their story.
But somewhere between reading and rereading, I had to stop.
Because this wasn’t just an anthology anymore.
Beyond the page, this was a mirror reflecting a lesson I wasn’t yet ready to admit to myself.
Perhaps this moment is best captured in my recent Hearth 2 Heart podcast episode with Amy Abe who shares how we are are always “storying” our reality.
Not just when we write – but in how we interpret situations, make decisions, and understand ourselves.
For example, there is the event. And then there is the meaning we assign to it.
But what if that meaning is not fixed?
What if we were to give ourselves permission to rewrite it – maybe as fiction first – asking ourselves: What if this didn’t have to be true? What if this could unfold another way?
Fiction creates just enough distance from reality that we can see our life situation differently. To question the rules we didn’t even realize we were following.
The reflection in the mirror
As we embarked on the editing process, our copyeditor Lindy Pfeil asked me to revisit the ending in Carrot Soup.
If I’m honest, I resisted at first. Because rewriting the ending meant doing something that felt almost forbidden: naming the weight I was carrying.
(And I don’t mean just in Carrot Soup.)
While reading across the anthology, a pattern was revealing itself – of women carrying more than they name. Holding systems together quietly. Finding ways to survive, and then gradually finding ways to shift.
My own story sits right in that tension – a lesson being reflected to me through leading this very project. A story that is still unfolding (as my writers know) – and perhaps one I’ll share when we gather at the book launch.
Because I’m already sensing – for myself and for others – what becomes possible when we begin to name what has long been felt but left unsaid…and more importantly…decide to rewrite our next chapter.
Moving forward
I am so proud to announce our book launch, set for September 12 in Calgary: I would love for you to join us!
And I know the work won’t stop there. Through conversations, book readings, and future workshops, I want to continue exploring what becomes possible when we use imagination as a tool to re-story our new reality.
And perhaps that is what the world needs most right now – hope amidst turmoil.
I am incredibly grateful to all our authors for their courage, honesty, and imagination –
Amy Abe Anshu Stephen, Charlotte Anyango Ong’ang’a, Ph.D., Dania El Chaar, Ph.D., CCIP, Elena Esina Bukola Ojemakinde Géraldine Lo Siou, Carrie McManus Humaira Waqar Jane Desrochers Jasmine Kang, Kelly Kaur (Bedi), Laleh Behjat Kinia Romanowska Lina B, Maryann Deutscher, CPHR, FCPHR, Monica Hernandez Morgan Garnett Najah Al-Atassi, Navshina Savory, Puja Suri, Zoong N. Stephanie vanVliet-Wells, Miriam Fabijan, and foreword author Josee Tremblay P.Eng. ICD.D
And to our talented illustrator and cover designer, Cynthia Cabrera, for bringing each story to life visually (yes, a bonus – this anthology will have illustrations too)!
We hope to see you on September 12 to celebrate together, reflect, and reimagine!
