Out of the Woods and Into the Village by Donna Costa, Anne Kay, Brenda Martin and Martha Morrison, London Writers Society Writing can be a solitary craft. Since 2007, the London Writers Society (LWS) has created a community for local writers, offering workshops and events to help hone their skills and promote their work. With over 100 talented members, the Society was inspired to produce a collection of short stories and poems, titled Out of the Woods: Voices from the Forest City . This anthology is scheduled to launch June 3, 2025. For the anthology, LWS members were invited to submit stories and poems for consideration by a panel of local First Reader judges. All entries were anonymous to ensure impartial judging. “It was intriguing to read the submissions without knowing a thing about the author,” shares London author and first reader Anne Kay. “As I read the stories I laughed, I cried and I learned about a wide range of subjects. I was struck by the fresh and diverse voices that sang from the pages.” The First Readers generated a longlist for renowned author and London resident, Emma Donoghue, who selected 44 stories and poems for publication in the anthology. Among the finalists selected are two Hyde Park authors who contributed nonfiction short stories: Trudy Cloudt wrote Grandpa’s Harvest , which demonstrates the warm and authentic bond that forms between a grandson and his grandfather as he uses the experience of planting a garden to teach important life lessons. Trudy says, “My writing often reflects family life and my experiences growing up in a strong immigrant family.”
“I started writing in 2010 when I retired from a nursing career,” Mary Lou McRae says. “My anthology entry, Caravanning , is a humorous account of a 1962 family road trip from London to P.E.I. when I was a teenager: eight kids, two adults, and one dog in a trailer for three weeks and nine hundred miles – what could go wrong?” A grant to the Society from the London Arts Council through the City of London’s Community Arts Investment Program provided a crucial financial boost for the anthology, but funding is still needed to cover publishing costs. Individuals or businesses can learn about sponsorship opportunities at www.londonwriterssociety.ca/anthology.
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Hyde Park – Oakridge Villager • March 2025 • Page 7
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