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.
“Just cause this ain’t the South, don’t mean white folks aren’t afraid to burn and lynch Negroes.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
“The farmhands ain’t only men. We’re all of us Negroes too. Mr. Tapper is the only one who’ll hire us.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
“‘Mucha’s got in for everyone.’ Tazia shuddered. Denton frowned. ‘Harder for a dark man. People like that foreman are scared of us.’” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
My safety mantra for writers and readers during the COVID-19 pandemic is Embrace Words, Not Worlds. Words are clear yet enigmatic, purposeful yet versatile. They heal and irritate, inspire and frustrate, prevent and push, encircle and divide, and divert and focus us. We bend words to our needs and desires; words mold us to their design and will. Please harness the power of words to care for yourself and others during these precarious times. For more of my literary thoughts, see REFLECTIONS.
“The children stare. Tazia wonders if this is the first time a white person has been in their home.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
“The faces on the street changed from white to black, and multistory brick buildings gave way to squat wooden structures: salvaged barn boards, tin, and tar paper, with newspaper stuffed into the chinks.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
“‘Mirlee Bee,’ Lula Mae says, ‘all the washing in the world ain’t gonna turn your skin white. Besides, it’s fine as it is.’” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
“One man brandishes a log wrapped in kerosene-soaked rags. He pulls a box of matches from his pocket. ‘Turn those nigger ladies and kids outta there or I’ll set your house afire,’ he says with a woozy grin.” A quote from the historical novel Tazia and Gemma. After the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, an unwed immigrant and her young daughter flee west in search of freedom and encounter racism in Kansas in the early 1900s. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
My story “Sophie’s Confession” has just been published in Ramblr, Issue #3. Here’s the log line: “Sophie Tucker, The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, makes a surprising admission on her death bed and leaves the public to ponder its response to discovering the truth behind an illusion.” Copies of the nonprofit Ramblr PDF are available for a nominal contribution. Enjoy the stories, poems, interviews, and art from around the world in this issue.
I’m happy to announce that my novel The Great Stork Derby will be published by Vine Leaves Press. The book is due out in October 2021. Here’s a brief synopsis: Inspired by a bizarre chapter in Toronto’s history, The Great Stork Derby asks whether an overbearing father deserves the chance to make amends with his alienated offspring. Widower Emm Benbow, told by his doctor he can no longer live alone, must move in with one of his many children or go to a dreaded old age home. Fifty years earlier, Emm pressured his wife Izora to enter the Toronto Stork Derby, an actual contest which offered a sizable cash award to the woman who had the most babies between 1926 and 1936. They had a large family, but it was hardly the happy one Emm envisioned. Now, living in turn with each of his adult children, 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.
