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.
Publication news and upcoming events
My short story “Housewidow” is now online at The Woven Tale Press, 2021, Volume IX, No. 9. Set during the post-WWII housing shortage, “Housewidow” portrays how a third-grader’s world is upended when her family is evicted after her father’s uncharacteristic outburst against their demanding landlady. Read more in SHORT STORIES.
I’m thrilled by this thoughtful interview about my writing in general, and my newest novel The Great Stork Derby, by author and blogger Roz Morris. Read the interview to learn how I became a writer and how my fiction is connected to my work as a developmental psychologist and visual artist. Read more about The Great Stork Derby in NOVELS.
The Great Stork Derby is delivered (released) today. A tale of obsession and forgiveness, based on real events. Toronto, 1926. A husband pressures his wife to have many babies to win a large cash prize. Now old and widowed, can a bad father redeem himself with his grown children? More at NOVELS. Order online or at your favorite bookstore. Goodreads and Amazon reviews appreciated. Many thanks.
I’ll be launching my new novel, The Great Stork Derby at Booksweet Bookstore, 1729 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Visit the event website to learn about my reading and the three other authors who will join me. The event is free but registration is required and capacity is limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. To attend, please register ASAP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-worlds-an-evening-with-local-authors-booksweet-tickets-190624913247?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. The Great Stork Derby, based on a bizarre chapter in Toronto’s history, asks whether an overbearing father deserves the chance to make amends with his alienated offspring. Widower Emm Benbow, who 50 years ago pressured his late wife to win a contest by having many babies, must now move in with one of his many children or go to a dreaded old age home. As he lives with each child in turn, Emm discovers that the true value of fatherhood is not measured in big prizes, but in small rewards. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
I’m delighted that Back in THE BRONX (Summer 2021) published my essay Weatherproof Halloween, a memoir about Trick or Treating in my Bronx apartment building in the 1950s, where we children were protected from more than the vicissitudes of the weather. The article, which includes a photo of me and five fellow apartment dwellers in 1953, is on pp. 3-4 & 22. Enjoy reminiscing. Read more in MEMOIR.
I’m pleased to share that my short story “Housewidow” was accepted by The Woven Tale Press, scheduled to be published in their Fall/Winter 2021 issue. In “Housewidow,” set during the post-WWII housing shortage, a third-grader’s world is upended when her family is evicted after her father’s uncharacteristic outburst against their demanding landlady. Read more in SHORT STORIES.
My essay “Where Do Elders Belong: Shuffling in the Old Folks Home or Marching in the Street?” is now online in the May 2021 issue of Vine Leaves Press SPILL IT! The essay protests demeaning myths about aging and issues a call to social action by older people. Use the buttons at the bottom of the essay to share and voice your opinion. Follow the links to my other articles and check out the voices of other authors. Sign up to receive SPILL IT! every month. It’s free. Read about my other recent publications in NEWS.
“Too Old for Grievances,” a work of microfiction, has been published at 50 Give or Take. This online publication from Vine Leaves Press emails a story of 50 words or less to each subscriber’s inbox every day. All are welcome to read, subscribe, and submit. FREE. Check out these stories of mine:
Hit SEND November 25, 2020
Test Results December 22, 2020
Fido’s Lament February 13, 2021
Window Seat March 17, 2021
Too Old for Grievances April 04,2021
More of my microfiction has been published at 50 Give or Take. This online publication from Vine Leaves Press emails a story of 50 words or less to each subscriber’s inbox every day. All are welcome to read, subscribe, and submit. FREE. Check out these stories of mine:
Hit SEND November 25, 2020
Test Results December 22, 2020
Fido’s Lament February 13, 2021
Window Seat March 17, 2021
Bark (definition): A short, sudden laugh. My fifty-word story “Fido’s Lament” is now online at 50 Give or Take, 50-word stories published daily by Vine Leaves Press. Subscribers get a story in their email inbox every day. Read this one and bark (or indulge in a long, leisurely chuckle). To subscribe and/or submit your own story — both are free — go to 50 Give or Take. Everyone is welcome.