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.
TODAY IS MY 75TH BIRTHDAY! A midrash from Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810) says, “The day you were born is the day God decided the world could not exist without you.” I do my best to figure out what the world needs from me and to provide it, with kindness and creativity.
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope . . . especially for girls and women” (Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary General). In the decades when the Taliban was NOT in power, literacy rates for females rose from 5% to 30%. Before turning to full-time fiction writing, I worked for over forty years at a nonprofit that promoted early education worldwide. I am heartsick contemplating what will happen to girls and women in Afghanistan now. Many organizations continue efforts on their behalf, including Women for Women International (rated “good/give with confidence” by Charity Navigator), which set up an emergency fund. Please consider making a contribution to them or another NGO of your choice so Afghan girls and women can still cross the bridge to hope.
“It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature” (Bram Stoker, Dracula). Developmental psychologists (I’m one) tout the importance of nurturing resilience in children. COVID-19 has tested everyone’s resilience. I adapted to the restrictions; as Robert Jordan wrote in The Fires of Heaven, “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” I didn’t snap, although I occasionally felt snappish. But just as I was easing back toward normal, reimposed restrictions in response to the virus’s resurgence have strained my elasticity. Stretch a rubber band enough times and it will no longer bounce back. More thoughts at REFLECTIONS.
Today, March 08, 2021, is International Women’s Day. Here are quotes from three novels with independent and courageous female characters:
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve.: “Years of farm work had made her limbs and torso as sturdy as a tree trunk. He started at the bottom and climbed to the top. ” The novel is a fictional biography of Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Meinhardt wants the respect given normal people. The women he meets, including Rosie the Riveter, want to be treated with the same respect as men. The book cries out for justice in the face of discrimination. Order at Amazon.
From On the Shore: “I was sorry I’d told Mama about my dream to be a scientist, and hoped she hadn’t spilled the beans to Papa.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI, including their young daughter who rejects a traditional woman’s role. Order at Amazon.
From Tazia and Gemma: “Most of the women are paid six dollars a week, men up to two dollars more.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of two courageous women. An unwed Italian immigrant survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire in NYC and flees westward in search of freedom. Her daughter seeks her father fifty years later and instead discovers her mother’s brave fight for justice. Order at Amazon.
For more information about each book, see NOVELS.
I have just launched Ann S. Epstein Writer Newsletter, a free monthly newsletter emailed directly to each subscribers’ Inbox. Although I also maintain this website, and social media accounts, the Newsletter is a more personal way to “chat” with those interested in my work. The email will be short, one to two pages, and each issue will include a selection of features chosen from the following:
The first issue was emailed on January 27, 2021. If you did not receive a Newsletter and would like to subscribe, please write me at CONTACT US https://www.asewovenwords.com/contact-us/ and be sure to include the email address where you want me to send the Newsletter. Thanks and welcome!
Start the new year with a refreshed reading list. Add these books and refresh the smile on the faces of the independent presses that publish them:
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Meinhardt’s own doctor had submitted his name for sterilization under the Nazis’ racial hygiene program.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.
From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Today is for talking to God, not to relatives and friends.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.
From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Her parents were so proud when she was promoted from hems to sleeves, how can she disappoint them?” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.
Read more about each book in NOVELS.
Ready to start the new year with a slate of new books? Add these novels to your reading list and swear to support the independent presses that publish them:
From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Ayal’s absence today means she will be spared his urging to take care of the problem growing inside her.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Producers are the real wizards. They make the magic of movies happen.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.
From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “Joining the Navy was a way to trade the petty squabbles at home for the real war overseas.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.
Read more about each book in NOVELS.
If you’ve resolved to read more books this year, put these novels on your TO READ list. You’ll also be doing the independent presses that publish them a favor.
From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “They stop counting at the sixth floor. The ladder does not reach higher.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Farm work made her torso as sturdy as a tree trunk. He started at the bottom and climbed to the top.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.
From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “An hour ago, he’d have welcomed the hot soup. Now, the argument with Avram inflamed his desire to leave.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.
Read more about each book in NOVELS.
If you promised yourself to read more this year, add these books to your reading list and resolve to support the independent presses that publish them:
From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “You smart kids think you’re invulnerable. Ignorant ones have the good sense to be afraid of dying.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.
From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “I was skeptical about whether Tazia could do the work, but she was as strong as any man.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Just wait until this war is over and you ladies is back in the kitchen.” A probing fiction biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.
Read more about each book in NOVELS.
Looking to expand your reading list for 2021? Look at these books, and check out the libraries of the independent presses that publish them:
From A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (Alternative Book Press): “Something we take on as an obligation can become an act of love.” A probing fictional biography of the actor who played the Munchkin Coroner in the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. Order on Amazon.
From On the Shore (Vine Leaves Press): “She was much wider than when they’d stood under the wedding canopy twenty years ago, proof he’d become a good provider in America.” An emotionally charged tale of an immigrant Jewish family in turmoil when their children rebel during WWI. Order on Amazon.
From Tazia and Gemma (Vine Leaves Press): “Workers gather at the window on the ninth floor. No one was able to warn them.” The heartfelt and suspenseful story of an unwed Italian immigrant who survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Co. fire and the daughter who seeks her father 50 years later. Order on Amazon.
Read more about each book in NOVELS.