Ann S. Epstein writes novels, short stories, memoir, essays, and poems. Please use the links or site menu to go to the HOME PAGE; learn about her NOVELS, SHORT STORIES, MEMOIR, ESSAYS, and POEMS; find interesting facts in BEHIND THE STORY; read REFLECTIONS on writing; check NEWS for updates on publications and related events; see REVIEWS; learn about her END-OF-LIFE DOULA credentials and services; and CONTACT US to send webmail.
The gradual segregation of schools in Topeka began in the early 1900s, despite protests by Negro parents against the doctrine of “separate but equal.” The School Board did not rule for segregation outright but instead selectively closed schools, using housing boundaries. As the city thrived and the population grew, new schools with better facilities were constructed in white neighborhoods. Read more about race relations in Topeka 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
My Amazon and Goodreads review of Lizzie (Rating 5): From Mild Anxiety to Full Blown Fugue State – In her modern day re-imagining of the story of Lizzie Borden, Dawn Ius brings a figure of childhood rhyme and folk song to life. Lizzie immerses readers in the psyche of a talented but stifled young woman, whose abusive family and conservative community hold her back. We share Lizzie’s urge toward freedom, wincing at her pain and soaring during her rare moments of joy. Building to the climax, Ius takes Lizzie from mild anxiety to a full blown fugue state. Readers will be tempted to wield a culinary knife, if not a hatchet, by the book’s end.
Marshall Field & Company, a Chicago landmark, was built 1891-1892. Its signature feature was the Tiffany glass dome. Customers received the royal treatment. Goods were stored behind mahogany counters; models circulated wearing the latest women’s fashions. There was a reading and writing room with popular magazines and tables with pens and free stationary. Read more Chicago history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, died this week. Read the fictional biography of his fellow Munchkin, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Coroner. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people, yet his disability makes him mistrust even those who can see past it. My novel A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press) comes out in August. Pre-order the electronic book now https://amzn.to/2LqpAu7. Print pre-orders will be available in July. Read more about Jerry Maren and see a picture of him, Meinhardt Raabe, and two other Munchkins after they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/06/arts/jerry-maren-dead-wizard-of-oz-munchkin.html. See NOVELS to learn more about A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.
The 1911 Triangle Waist Company fire killed 146 people, 129 women and 17 men, primarily Jewish and Italian immigrants who spoke little English. Ranging in age from 14-43, most were only 16-23. They died of fire or smoke inhalation, 20 fell 100 feet to their death when a fire escape collapsed, others plunged down an empty elevator shaft after the car’s last descent, and 62, facing their inevitable end, jumped from the 8th, 9th, or 10th floor where the factory was located. Read about one survivor in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
I’m delighted to report the enthusiastic Tazia and Gemma book launch & reading, Q & A, and signing event on June 3 at Bookbound Bookstore, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. I read narrative passages from the first Tazia section and my daughter Rebecca joined me to read the mother-daughter interview from the first Gemma section. Thanks to Bookbound owners Megan and Peter, and to all who attended the Tazia and Gemma event. I urge Ann Arbor residents and visitors to check out this friendly independent bookstore with a large selection of children’s books and wide-ranging adult literature. For a complete list of my publication events see NEWS; to read more about my books see NOVELS.
