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.
50 Give or Take published another piece of my microfiction, Hand Me Ups, a family tradition that began when I inherited clothes from my daughter, then in middle school, and continues as my grandson, now in middle school, gives me the shoes and clothes he’s outgrown. Sign up to receive and submit your own ultra-short stories, free, at 50 Give or Take.
Hand me downs and hand me ups across generations
Why writers write: “Writers write not because they know things but because they want to find things out.” – Julia Alvarez
Despite being arrested as an “enemy alien,” Lois Gunden from Illinois established an orphanage and rescue mission for children aged 4 to 16 in Southern France. Many, malnourished and lice-infested, were rescued directly from Camp de Rivesaltes, an internment camp. While the U.S. failed to end WW2 sooner or admit those fleeing Nazi persecution, history shows some courageous Americans spoke out and saved lives. Read about a German Jewish family who tries to escape to the U.S. in the novel One Person’s Loss. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.
“Enemy alien” Lois Gunden rescued children from a French internment camp
Berlin, 1937. Jewish newlyweds flee Germany for Brooklyn before the Nazi slaughter begins
“Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and following the recent outbreaks of violence against Jews in France, the U.S., and elsewhere, I doubt very much that the lessons of the Holocaust have been learned and understood.” Read about two Holocaust survivors, German Jewish newlyweds sent to America by their parents to have children to “save our people,” in One Person’s Loss. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.
A Jewish cemetery desecrated in 2020
Berlin, 1937. Jewish newlyweds flee Germany for Brooklyn on the eve of the Nazi slaughter
My Goodreads and Amazon review of Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (Rating 3) – For Insiders Only.Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo is the story of four Dominican sisters and two of their daughters. Men are tangential and, with one or two exceptions, not worth the trouble they cause. The six women propel the narrative, from their public gifts to their private parts. They make inspired pronouncements and unabashedly pleasure themselves. One sister foresees death in her dreams, another’s inner radar detects dishonesty, a third makes healing concoctions, and the fourth, lacking magical powers, channels the world’s pulse through dancing. The plot is driven by the second oldest sister’s decision to have a living wake. While she’s in good health; she’s determined to celebrate her life with her loved ones before she dies. The book’s chronology charts each woman’s actions and feelings before, during, and after this event. Their relationships to one another and to their heritage form the book’s substance. This is rich territory, yet I never fully immersed myself in the landscape. I repeatedly had to remind myself who was who. While the women’s individual stories are engaging, Acevedo fails to weave the intricate web of their “family” connections. Nor does Acevedo convey the “lore” of Dominican culture. She uses Spanish words without enough context for non-speakers to understand their meaning. As writer myself (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I take pains to avoid distancing readers from my characters in this way. I came to Family Lore eager to be welcomed into an intriguing family and be introduced to an underrepresented culture. Instead I often felt excluded from a narrative that was “for insiders only.” If I were invited to the wake, I would have nothing to say.
Women drive the narrative in this Dominican family
Why writers read: “There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away.” – Emily Dickinson
My latest microfiction, “Uncle Joe,” appears in the January 10, 2024 issue of Fifty Word Stories, my first publication in this daily online journal. While readers will likely appreciate the punch line, the challenge for me as a writer was detailing what Uncle Joe hoped to impart to his nephew and niece. Read more about my SHORT STORIES from micro to flash to full-length.
Why writers write: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach
Boston Unitarian Minister Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha, a social worker, joined with the World YMCA to provide humanitarian assistance, rescue intellectuals, organize child transports, and help hundreds of Jews and other refugees escape Czechoslovakia, France, and Portugal throughout the Second World War. While the U.S. failed to end WW2 sooner or admit those fleeing Nazi persecution, history shows some courageous Americans spoke out and saved lives. Read about a German Jewish family who tries to escape to the U.S. in the novel One Person’s Loss. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.
Waitstill & Martha Sharp rescued hundreds of Czech, French, & Portuguese refugees in WWII
Berlin, 1937. Jewish newlyweds flee Germany for Brooklyn before the Nazi slaughter begins
I don’t consider myself a “Jewish writer” or the author of “Jewish literature.” Most of the protagonists in my novels and stories are not Jewish; those who are, are not necessarily concerned with matters of religious faith, observance, or identity. However, I resonate with this statement by Dara Horn (scholar, novelist, and essayist author of People Love Dead Jews), who says, “My understanding of Jewish literature — descriptive, not prescriptive — is less about language and more about artistic humility. The best writers avoid giving their characters redemptive endings, or epiphanies, or moments of grace — things that our subtly Christian culture has taught us to expect from literature, and things that many of my favorite Hebrew and Yiddish writers clearly never even thought about. Instead, their stories rarely resolve because life rarely does. These authors are asking questions rather than providing answers” (Hadassah Magazine, November-December 2023). According to Horn’s definition, I am a Jewish writer. My stories have ambiguous endings. The characters may have hopes or hypotheses, but the narrative doesn’t provide a neat answer about what happens next in their lives. Nor are my badly behaving protagonists fully redeemed, although they may be working toward that end. Moses, the “hero” of the Torah, is praised for being a “humble” man. Likewise, honoring the story of our origins, Jewish writers are humble too. More in NOVELS and SHORT STORIES.
Why writers write: “I write to dispel the myths that I am a mad prophet or poor suffering soul.” – Gloria E. Anzaldúa
My Goodreads and Amazon review of The Shape of Normal: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability & Embracing a Different Kind of Perfect by Catherine Shields (Rating 5) – Holding On, Letting Go. I approached The Shape of Normal: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability & Embracing a Different Kind of Perfect by Catherine Shields from four perspectives: a reader; a writer (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page; a developmental psychologist specializing in early education; and a (grand)parent who wants those I love to get the best and be their best. Shields more than satisfied me on all those dimensions. Her memoir is an unstintingly honest, emotionally absorbing, and deeply personal narrative. It directly addresses the pros and cons of the educational, medical, and social-psychological systems designed to meet the needs of children with disabilities and their families. Above all, it invites readers to accompany Shields on her journey of discovery about her amazing daughter Jessica and, above all, herself. She doesn’t shy away from confronting the strains that having a child with disabilities places on a marriage and other siblings. Nor does she gloss over her own self-doubt, impatience, and anger. Shields hiked an uphill path, toting an image of what her child should be before letting go and accepting who she was. A good trekker, Shields faced each mile with better developed muscles and more inner strength. Then she wrote a perfect book.
A mother’s honest story of her journey to acceptance
Why writers read: “Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us how to live and die.” – Anne Lamott
Stonehenge was built to align with the sun on the Summer and Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice, which falls on December 21, 2023 at 9:27 PM Eastern Time, is the shortest and darkest day of the year. Members of NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance) recognize that for people approaching the end of life, and those who love them, every day can be filled with darkness. However, the Winter Solstice also marks a turning point where the days begin to get longer and brighter. EOLDs help those they serve recognize light even in dark times. Prepared to face death, we can cherish what remains of life, embrace the memories that lit up our days, step out of the shadows that haunt us, and leave a legacy that will shine on after we are gone. The Winter Solstice, celebrated since ancient times, invites us to create rituals that offer thanks, inspiration, and hope. Step into the darkness and let your eyes adjust to the light within. Learn more about my EOLD credentials and fee-free services helping people write legacy documents — life reviews and ethical wills — at END-OF-LIFE DOULA.
Behold the cover design for my forthcoming novel, The Sister Knot, to be published by Vine Leaves Press in April 2024. Read more about the book in NOVELS. While you’re on that page, browse my other five published novels. I’d love to increase my readership, so if you like my books, please tell the readers in your life, and rate and review the novels on Goodreads and Amazon. Thanks for your support! (Why writers write: “I write to try to turn sadness into longing, solitude into remembrance.” – Paulo Coelho)
The Sister Knot by Ann S. Epstein will be published in April 2024
