The Word For Freedom Anthology Contributors

We have now made a decision on the stories that came through the open submissions process for The Word For Freedom charity anthology, which is raising funds for Hestia; and are also delighted to reveal the fantastic cover donated by Jennie Rawlings at Serafim Design. Out thanks go to Isabel Costello for donating her story, The Word For Freedom, which was chosen as the title of the collection as it sums up the ethos of it so perfectly.

I want to thank all of the writers who sent in an story for consideration. We really appreciate your generosity in being willing to donate your words to this anthology. Sadly we can’t include them all, and many of the stories that have not been selected are great and we’re sure they will find a home elsewhere.

The decision about what to include has not just been guided by the quality of the story but also by the feel of the anthology as a whole. We have included a wide range of stories with different premises and themes to ensure that the collection has a good balance in content, tone, style, word count, etc.

We are delighted to include the following writers and stories in this collection:

• Brick by Rachel Rivett
• Cover Their Bright Faces by Abigail Rowe
• Counting For England by Christine Powell
• Enid Is Going On A Journey by David Cook
• My Mother Left Me For A Tree by Rosaleen Lynch
• The Servitude Of The Sudaarp by Taria Karillion
• Not Our Kind Of Girl by Anne Hamilton
• One Woman, One Vote by Sallie Anderson
• Out Of Office by Emily Kerr
• Relevant by Anna Orridge
• Sayyida by Katherine Blessan
• The Colour Of Sunflowers by Kate Vine
• The Mermaiden by Dane Divine
• Those Who Trespass Against Us by Julie Bull
• Women Don’t Kill Animals by Carolyn Sanderson

These stories join donated ones donated from several authors:

• Tiny Valentines by Angela Readman
• Below the Line by Victoria Richards
• The Second Brain by Cath Bore
• Myopia by Sophie Duffy

We have more stories to come from Angela Clarke, Anna Mazzola, Helen Irene Young and Karen Hamilton.

Delighted too (actually hugely overexcited!) that the amazing author, Marian Keyes, has also agreed to read an advance copy and provide an endorsement for us.

We’re very excited about these stories and the wonderful collection we’re putting together to support Hestia. Keep an eye out for more details of the anthology itself and bookish events we’ll be doing with Hestia both live and on podcast.