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About hermitcreative

http://hermitcreative.wordpress.com

Posts by Brenda Martin:

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Death of an Imposter

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From the moment I could put words to a page, I have written stories and poems. Being a child of the 60s, many of my earlier tales were dark fables influenced by the Brothers Grimm, or limericks inspired by the prolific Mr. Edward Lear himself.

As time passed, I never imagined I would do anything but write. Sadly, time and circumstance are pranksters, Pied Pipers who lead us away from our chosen paths until we awaken from the reverie, decades later, wondering how the heck we ended up where we are.

Or at least, that’s how it played out for me.

But writing is like an addiction. The euphoric high produced by crafting a story, even a sentence, surpasses (I imagine) most narcotics. And so, when I awoke from the Piper’s spell—more accurately the need to keep a roof over my head—my compulsive craving for words returned.

Full of self-doubt, I entered contests, and with some encouragement entered more. Gradually, I felt the need to find a community, a space where I could meet other writers. But as a 60-something adult locked down in the throes of a global pandemic, I had no clue where to turn.

One early winter evening, I sat staring at the blinking cursor in the search bar and typed, “writers clubs London Ontario.” To my surprise, a website appeared: www.londonwriterssociety.ca. The site said they welcomed authors of all levels, but years of experience (cynicism?) made me doubt my abilities.

Would I fit in? Am I “good enough” to belong to a “writing society”? It took a gentle nudge from my husband for me to take the plunge.

And there it was. Home.

Even over zoom meetings, it became clear that I had found my people. The London Writers Society (LWS) has a diverse demographic—ages spanning early 20s to mid 90s, various backgrounds, cultures, and gender identities—with members ranging from those just starting out to those who have published several books, plays, and more. Membership includes access to critique groups, where writers can share their work and receive constructive feedback from their peers.

My timing was impeccable, because I was welcomed into a critique group with five other members—a diverse bunch of exceptional writers with a broad spectrum of life experience—who have transformed my approach to writing through their meaningful insights.

They have taught me how to receive criticism and how to offer it (a useful tool in every aspect of life). It’s not easy to share our work with strangers. As writers, we are often baring our innermost feelings, fears, or fantasies, which means the process demands an immense level of trust. Feedback must be handled with care, always remembering to tread lightly on someone’s soul.

In a few short years this group has surpassed being “peers” or “fellow members.” We have become a clan, a tribe connected to each other through our love of writing and reading, and our desire to hone our craft.

When I joined LWS, I was an unpublished “wannabe” writer who didn’t believe that status would ever change. Now, just a few years later, thanks to the support of my LWS family, two of my poems were selected by Emma Donoghue for publication in the Society’s inaugural anthology, Out of the Woods: Voices from the Forest City, launched back in June. I’m currently working on a series of short stories, a collection of poetry, and am gradually falling back into my habit of writing.

If I were a mediaeval knight, you might say I have slain the dragon known as “imposter syndrome.”

Thank you, LWS. It feels great to call myself a “writer.”

Brenda Martin owns a marketing and design studio in London. For decades she has written, edited and designed marketing content. A late-emerging author, she is working on a collection of short fiction and poetry.

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The Anthology Journey, Part 7: Out of the Woods and Into Your Hands

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The books have arrived!! 

Donna, who is usually conservative and proper about not overusing exclamation marks, allowed the excitement (and relief) to shoot out over the ether to the team. We were ready for launch night.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 arrived and Brenda, along with her sister and husband, arrived early to the Portuguese Club of London to set up balloons, banners, sparkly table décor and signs indicating where to pick up merchandise. Donna’s crew, including her husband and grandsons, got to work “tote stuffing” and organizing payment and book placement stations, while I worked on microphone checks and miscellaneous details. Anne, the final member of the ‘A-team’ as the anthology committee was known, was unable to attend the launch, but she remained engaged via email with the team, offering support and sharing her brilliant insights. 

With one last lipstick touch-up, the doors opened and the guests, finalists, sponsors, first reader judges and Emma Donoghue herself arrived. (To us, she seemed like royalty.) The buffet was laid out (exceeding our promise of “light refreshments”) with meat and cheese platters, sandwiches, fresh fruit, Portuguese tarts, and slices of chocolate and cheese cake—yummy! When the audience settled in, Donna opened the evening to greet our guests and then introduced me as the M.C. 

In that role, I had the wonderful task of thanking the London Arts Council, our sponsors, the first reader judges, editor Heather Godden, and the A-team. I also had the distinct pleasure of introducing Emma Donoghue who gave a thoughtful and inspiring speech. At one point she observed, “This is not just a book, it’s actually a community, and I want to congratulate not just those of you whose pieces made the final cut, but all those on the longlist, the wider pool of Londoners who submitted their writing, and the huge sea of Londoners who are writing.” 

Three of our finalists read excerpts of their work in the anthology: Jeff Orchard (nonfiction), Dominique Millette (fiction), and Brenda Martin (poetry). The crowd was hushed as these three writers read their varied pieces, clapping, laughing, and reflecting at all the right moments. 

The presentation portion of the evening concluded with an excerpt from Terry Fallis’s brilliant foreword. I then read each finalist’s name out to applause and cheers as we gathered at the front of the stage where Rebecca Hamilton, our photographer, took a group shot of the finalists with Emma Donoghue. Then, of course, it was time to party! How wonderful to finally put faces and personalities to the words on the page. We laughed, ate, made merry, ate some more, and shared literary tales until the time came to say goodnight.

In the days that followed, the A-team sent press releases with photos and quotes from the evening to various news outlets. (Oh, did you think I was going to say we took some time off to rest? Nope!) Anne, with her bookselling background, drafted a query letter and we wasted no time getting the anthology into as many local bookstores as possible. 

CBC London was incredibly supportive post-launch. They invited me to speak about the anthology on the morning show with Andrew Brown, bright and early the day after the launch. A few days later, they posted an excellent article about the anthology on their website.  

Tuckey Home Hardware in Wortley Village—also a sponsor of the anthology—was the first local store to carry the anthology in their “local author section” and I’m thrilled to report that they’ve already sold out five times!  

The full list of the more than a dozen independent bookstores is available on the LWS website. The anthology is also available online at Indigo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and local libraries. Since the launch, we hit #1 in “most gifted book” in our category on Amazon, and the Globe and Mail selected the anthology as one of their “hot new reads” for more than six weeks in a row.  

To say that watching the positive reception of the anthology is “rewarding” would be a gross understatement. In the months after the launch, the anthology committee was busier than ever and we drew strength from our finalists and others who supported us by sending encouraging words, rallying to help sell books, reaching out to contacts, promoting the anthology, and sending those little social media hearts. 

For the members of the A-team, this project was a baptism of fire–none of us had ever produced an anthology before–and one in which the four of us were willing participants. We are fortunate to have such a collaborative team: we supported each other, complemented each other, happily worked together. Even when we disagreed, we were able to quickly resolve differences of opinion through compromise and the willingness to listen to each other’s point of view. 

In the anthology introduction, I mentioned that each A-team member is an astrological air sign, a fact that helped make communication seamless. Maybe it sounds ‘woo-woo,’ but the way the four of us worked together to create this anthology is enough to make even the most die-hard skeptic believe in Star Signs! 

For me, being chair of the anthology committee has been an honour and a privilege and I’m so grateful to each and every person who came together to make this project possible. London Writers Society, this is our book—ahem, our first book—and we should all be extremely proud. 

The End

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 6: Book in Hand

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“Out of the Woods and into your hands!” became our rallying cheer.

Social media was a big part of getting the word out and, during our flurry of posts, the LWS attracted a new member. Not only was she a twice-published author in the self-help genre (one of my favourite genres—buy her books for transformational change!), she was also, as we dubbed her, a “social media guru.” Rebecca Hamilton joined us on our next Zoom meeting and offered her services to post and promote the anthology. She definitely drove traffic to our socials! Those of you who follow the LWS on Facebook or Instagram, may have noticed some super cool video reels that started around the time the finalists were announced. Rebecca asked thoughtful questions to our finalists to create “author profile” reels, and we got to know each virtually, hearing their experiences as writers and what it meant to be published. Rebecca also advised us on future videos and posts we should create, beginning with the cover reveal. 

As the owner of her own creative company and with decades of experience, A-team member Brenda generously offered to design the cover. Her vision of a tree-green book with a forest backdrop was sent to the team. The anthology was grounded in meticulous care, art and beauty. Despite popular advice, this is one time when we would encourage you to judge the book by its cover.  

The A-team launched into a flurry of media activity: articles were written for magazines and newspapers like the local Villagers, the Tillsonburg Post and the Middlesex Banner, and interviews were conducted on local radio stations and “What’s up, London?” (Please see our socials to read, listen, or watch.) Our timing worked out as, due to the political climate of 2025, the #ShopLocal movement was stronger than ever. 

So strong in fact, that we had to change venue locations for our launch party due to the larger than expected number of RSVPs including LWS members, judges, sponsors, local dignitaries, media, and friends of the LWS. Donna researched a number of venues, and found that London’s Portuguese Hall would be the perfect fit due to the lovely space, accessible location, and delicious catering available. Our team who started off as a group of writers from different backgrounds, had become event planners! There was food to be ordered, décor to consider and, of course, everything hinged on budget. 

Brenda placed the order for the tote bags, positioning the logos from our top-tier sponsors, choosing background colours and ensuring an on-time delivery. Another item off the “to-do” list! Anne worked in the background creating media release documents and sharing her experience querying bookstores and libraries where we would sell the anthology. 

The trilliums had just bloomed when we received the exciting news that our Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) had arrived. Brenda and Donna were the first to tear into theirs—they waited together for the UPS delivery to get that all-important social media snapshot—with Anne receiving hers at home, and me finding mine on the doorstep later in the day. I have a framed scroll in my writing room that says, A Book is a Dream you Hold in your Hand. The London Writers Society finally had the anthology that we had collectively dreamed about for years. Holding the ARC, I wanted to scream like Elle Woods when her class graduated from Harvard, “We did it!”

The committee worked with Chrissy Hobbs at Indie Publishing to review the ARC and, with only a few minor adjustments, we were ready to place the order for the June launch. We were all set. 

And then, word came from our printer that they were busier than usual and printing was delayed. The A-team was left wondering, Would the anthology arrive on time? 

To be continued…

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 5: Finalists and Editing and Publishing—Oh My!

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On December 15, 2024 the committee announced the 35 LWS authors whose work was chosen by Emma Donoghue to be included in the anthology Out of the Woods. 

Emma’s selections were thoughtful and can be summed up in the blurb she provided for the back cover of the book: “Out of the Woods is a harvested banquet – the impressively varied fruits of new writing from London. Whether telling stories that are historical, futuristic, or urgently contemporary, in fiction, poetry or narrative non-fiction, these voices speak movingly about a wide range of lives.” 

My poem The Rollercoaster had been selected! My other poem about Snowball and Quackers didn’t make the cut (yes, I re-read my favourite Stephen King Carrie rejection story) and then I celebrated, realizing that the promise I made to my grandmother to someday write poetry was coming true. Not only had I written poetry, I was about to become a published poet. 

Brenda and Donna both had pieces selected too—poems inspired by our day with Penn Kemp. Donna had a fiction piece published as well, a genre that wasn’t normally her focus. And she had a piece rejected. (I let her read Stephen King’s rejection letter.) 

We heard from many of the finalists about their excitement at being chosen for the anthology. Their enthusiasm made all the hard work behind-the-scenes worthwhile. 

With the collection in hand, our next step was to send the document to our editor. A few months earlier, we had researched professional editors and had met a London-based editor whose nurturing but thorough style was a perfect fit for the anthology because we knew the authors would likely range from the ‘first-time-ever-published’ to seasoned writers. Our editor generously offered a discounted rate for a community project so Donna, our money-tracker, gave that a thumbs up. 

During the editing process, our editor announced to us that she had transitioned and would be using new pronouns and a new name, Heather Godden. I share this information now, as we did with the Out of the Woods authors, just in case you read past anthology communiqués and wonder why the name changed between the announcement of our editor and the acknowledgements in the book. We are honoured that Heather felt comfortable to share her truth with us. 

For some writers, this was their very first experience with professional editing. The anthology team served as the liaison between editor and author to help with the process, ensure content moved back and forth for those requiring more than one set of revisions, and to make sure we stayed on budget. We also assisted folks who had never worked with “tracked changes” in Word. Heather emailed back and forth with the anthology authors until each piece was polished and typo-free. She then carefully and considerately selected the order of appearance in the anthology until we had our final approved document. 

Many enjoyed Heather’s thoughtful and generous editing style so much, they hired her for other projects. (Check out goddeneditorial.com if you’re looking for a great local editor!) 

We sent the finished manuscript to award-winning author and friend of the LWS, Terry Fallis. This author who has twice won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and has nine national bestsellers to his name (soon to be 10 as his latest novel, The Marionette, is forthcoming in October, 2025) volunteered to take time out of his packed schedule to write the foreword for the anthology. If you haven’t yet purchased your copy, you might consider doing so to read his moving words on the writing process and the importance of local art. 

Terry also helped us connect with celebrated Canadian icon, Douglas Gibson (of McClelland & Stewart fame), to read the anthology and provide a blurb for the back cover. What an honour to have Douglas Gibson, a man who edited work for the Who’s Who of Canadian authors, cast his eyes on our anthology. 

Behind all this excitement, committee Zoom meetings were ongoing and emails were still flying between the A-team. There were author bios to organize, cover art to finalize, an introduction to write, and newsletters to prepare to keep our members up-to-date on the progress. 

We had researched many publishers, but one stood out for both professionalism and quality, and that was Indie Publishing Group, owned by LWS member, Chrissy Hobbs. Chrissy splits her time between London, Ontario and Tasmania, Australia, so finding Zoom times wasn’t always easy, but Chrissy’s easy-going personality and dedication to detail made the process not only seamless, but fun. Plus, those Tasmanian landscape backgrounds on Zoom were incredible! When she noticed the four of us glancing over at her window, Chrissy would tilt her screen and let us have a glimpse of her world down under. 

Chrissy also talked to us about sales, specifically pre-orders. We would have to do a lot of promotion in order to meet our goals. Now that we had the finalized document, we needed to start selling books!

To be continued…

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 4: The Portal is Open!

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The submissions started rolling in! What a thrill it was to hear that the numbers were increasing each day. With each submission, we knew another brave member had polished their work and made the courageous decision to hit “submit” for a chance to be published in the anthology. I submitted two very different poems: The Rollercoaster explores the emotional ride we experience when a loved one faces cancer; and Barnyard Duet depicts a humorous incident involving my goofy goldendoodle and an unwanted duckling named Quackers.

And so, with everything ticking along nicely, the anthology committee (with lattés in hand) sat back, put our feet on our desks and relaxed. 

Just kidding! There was way too much work to be done to enjoy more than a momentary virtual clink of glasses. This was confirmed as I researched past emails in order to write this blog. There were thousands of communications between the A-Team members as we worked furiously behind-the-scenes to research publishing options, figure out promotional opportunities, find an editor and finance the project. While the London Arts Council grant had covered a large part of our expenses, it wouldn’t cover everything. We decided to seek out sponsors from community members. Brenda’s years of expertise with corporate sponsorship served in creating levels of support and incentives such as being mentioned in the anthology, thanked on the website and social media channels and, for some levels, logos added to the tote bags. 

From family members to local businesses to friends of the LWS, we were humbled by the amount of support we received. Brenda coined the term “Literary Champion” because that’s what each sponsor was to the anthology project. It cannot be overstated the gratitude we felt, and continue to feel, toward the sponsors who made this project possible. 

When the portal closed at midnight on October 15, 2024 and submissions were no longer being accepted, an image of a closed door with a huge padlock appeared on our socials. The anonymous entries were sorted by category and sent to our panel of First Reader judges. 

We provided our First Reader judges with a scoring rubric (generously provided by Mirror World Publishing) to ensure that they were reviewing each entry consistently. Based on the judges’ final scores, the top percentage in each category formed the longlist. The judges had a month to review the submissions. And so, we waited.

On November 15, 2024, it was a thrill to announce the longlist. But as in any contest, there will be those who do not advance to the next round. The anthology committee received some emails and in-person conversations about the disappointment of not being chosen. As we faced these conversations, the words of one of my writing teachers, Alison Wearing, came to me: “Rather than taking rejection as evidence that you are not a writer, it’s also possible to take it as evidence that you are.” 

The truth of the writing life is that there’s a lot of rejection involved. While I know this personally, I also keep a list of famous rejectees near my laptop: J.K. Rowling, Beatrix Potter, Agatha Christie, George Orwell, Stephen King. A favourite story is that after King’s debut novel was rejected more than 30 times, he threw it in the trash, only to have his wife retrieve it and encourage him to try again. A few years later, Carrie was published and became a bestseller and major motion picture.

The longlist entries were passed on to Emma Donoghue who would curate the shortlist which would become the anthology Out of the Woods. An agonizingly long month stretched out ahead of us as we waited for word from Emma with the results.

To be continued…

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 3: She said, “Yes!”

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“How are you?” Brenda asked, seeing a strange look on my face as we began our Zoom meeting.

“Really good!” I replied, the smile spreading from ear to ear. And at once, the committee knew why. 

“She said yes?” Anne asked, referring to the long-shot email we had sent off to prominent London-based author Emma Donoghue. 

“She said yes!” I confirmed. We were silent for a beat (notable for our chatty group) before we burst out in whoops and cheers. The moment was electric as the star power that such a well-known author was lending to our anthology project was undeniable. I felt like a fan girl as I gushed about what it was like to receive the email. “She even signed it, ‘Emma!’” I said before I pulled myself together. After I reassured the team that I had stopped short of printing the email and tucking it away with my keepsakes, we began another two-hour meeting discussing submission guidelines, confirming panel members, and checking in on our grant status. 

We built the suspense (hey, we’re writers after all!), keeping the identity of the finalist judge from the membership until the following LWS meeting when we announced it with flourish: she’s an internationally-renowned bestselling author; she’s an academy award nominated screenwriter; she’s… Emma Donoghue! The membership shared our excitement. 

But the good news didn’t end there. At the next committee meeting on Zoom, Donna announced that we had been approved for a $4,500 grant from the London Arts Council. Had our meetings been in-person, I think someone would have popped a bottle of bubbly. 

As the buds were returning to the trees, and summer only a few months away, our next task was to ensure that our members were writing. I was struggling with my own piece, quietly wrestling with it in the early mornings, and I knew I couldn’t be alone in wondering whether I could find the time, or even the right cadence. The A-Team agreed.

The committee decided to offer workshops for each genre and hired bestselling Canadian author and Trent University creative writing teacher, Adelle Purdham, for the nonfiction workshop; LWS member, novelist, scriptwriter and Fanshawe College creative writing teacher, Meg Howald for fiction; and for poetry, London’s past poet laureate, the celebrated, multi-published Penn Kemp. Donna opened her backyard oasis for dedicated writing time for members, complete with tasty treats and a chance to share work in a safe space. Our established critique groups volunteered to take on “guest members”, offering live beta reads and providing suggestions for writers who had a piece ready to polish. 

The plan worked! 

Our members were creating, honing their craft, receiving critiques, and polishing their writing. I finally found my rhythm in Penn Kemp’s poetry workshop. Set in her idyllic London home, I realized that the piece I was working on would be better suited to poetry than nonfiction. The herbs from her garden tickled our senses and goldfish from her ample pond splashed nearby. An ambulance’s siren pierced the tranquil afternoon as a group of LWS members discovered their inner poet. 

I always wanted to write poetry and even promised my late grandmother that I would. Her first cousin was Margaret Avison and I was left the family collection of the award-winning poet’s books (including her memoir, where my grandmother had dog-eared any pages that mentioned her). Now, thanks to the LWS, I was making another dream come true. 

With the website “submission page” ready—another shout out to Marco, our webmaster!—the scoring rubrics and submissions guidelines finalized, and a large part of financing in place thanks to the London Arts Council, we felt ready for the portal to open. Leading up to the September 15 opening, we did a final promotional push. Our volunteers placed posters in local libraries, community centres and retailers. We created a social media blitz, sent reminder emails, and announced the anthology submission dates at each LWS meeting. And then the day arrived. The submissions portal opened and we were live.

To be continued…

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 2: Out of the Woods and Onto the Page

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When the Anthology Committee Zoom meeting ended, I paused to admire the woodland behind my house. The title Out of the Woods was still dancing through my mind. The theme encompassed a diversity of ideas, from a fantastical piece with a forest setting to a metaphorical interpretation. I also loved that it was a nod to London’s moniker as “the Forest City.” 

I glanced at my phone. My mother was calling. Our family was facing multiple health challenges, so I quickly swiped “accept,” because a phone call meant news, lately mostly bad news. But this call was different. This news was hopeful. 

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” my mother said as we ended the call. Out of the woods! The words shot through me as I felt the creative force that I hadn’t felt in so long. Some committee members were sure they were going to submit to the anthology, others had decided not to. I was on the fence but, hearing my mother’s words at that moment, I knew I was going to quote her, write about the experience, and submit a piece. 

With the vision and title in place for the anthology, it was time to get back to the ever present “to do” list. At the top? How to fund the anthology. We researched different grant opportunities and applied to the London Arts Council. Donna Costa, with her background in holistic health and a steady, grounded energy took the lead, completing hours of research and paperwork, collecting writing samples, bios, and signatures Then she hit “submit.” These grants are competitive, and we weren’t sure we would be selected, so, in the meantime, we also started formulating a plan to solicit sponsorships. 

It’s here that I will pause to thank Marco Muzzi, whose technical help was ever present. He was always in the background, making a landing spot on the anthology website, and creating our own anthology email address. Throughout the creation of the project, there were dozens of tech questions solved by Marco.  

Have I mentioned that none of us had ever put together an anthology before? Research needed to be done! I poured over the half dozen anthologies on my bookshelf (ordering more in the process) and together the committee analyzed different literary contests and other anthology publications. LWS member and prolific author, Elaine Cougler, joined us for a meeting to offer her expertise. Justine Dowsett from Mirror World Publishing, with her vast experience publishing anthologies generously answered our questions and shared judging rubrics to ensure an equitable process. 

As we wrote the ‘Submission Guidelines,’ in addition to being mindful of modern inclusions such as certifying that work is AI-free, we wanted to keep the emphasis on local writers while recognizing that London serves as the literary hub for the surrounding rural areas (shout out to my fellow rural folks!). We settled on southwestern Ontario as the boundary for entrants and judges. In my research of the region, I came across a newspaper article that described ‘Souwesto’ as an area of considerable interest artistically, but also of psychic murkiness and oddity. Perfect. 

The next challenge was to find a judge not connected to the LWS. It was evident we would need a longlist to give to that person, so the judge wouldn’t be inundated with potentially hundreds of pieces. We settled on a model based on a few anthologies we studied: a panel of First Reader judges who were experts in their fields (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) would create a longlist to pass on to the Finalist Judge who would then curate the entries for publication. 

Committee member, Anne Kay, had just published her debut historical fiction novel The Salt Man, and took the lead on the panel of First Reader judges. With her contacts in the industry and the Writers’ Union of Canada, we assembled a wonderful team: Anne Kay and Margaret Whitley for nonfiction; Barbara Haworth-Attard and Kym Wolfe for fiction; and Andreas Gripp for poetry. 

We needed a Finalist Judge. A celebrity judge, if possible. We started working up a list. “Did you know Emma Donoghue is a London resident?” Anne asked. 

“The author who wrote Room and The Pull of the Stars with a literary CV the length of a novel?” I asked, thinking it would be amazing, but assuming she would be too busy to participate in a community anthology. 

With a few clicks, Brenda pulled an email address from her website. “We could ask?” And so, with palms sweaty and a bit breathless, I hit “send” on our request. 

In the meantime, I began writing my piece to submit to the anthology. 

To be continued…

Photo of Martha Morrison, Chair of the LWS Anthology Committee  Martha Morrison is honoured to have served as Chair of the Anthology Committee for the London Writers Society’s inaugural anthology project Out of the Woods. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction writing. Her work has been published in various literary anthologies and she was shortlisted for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir. Her previous careers include flight attendant and professional ballroom dance instructor. Martha lives on a farm outside London with her family, dogs, cats and chickens. Most days, she gets up before the rooster (and the kids) to write in the quiet early mornings. 

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The Anthology Journey, Part 1: The Seed of an Idea

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The London Writers Society (LWS) inaugural anthology began with the seed of an idea; the collection’s creation was suggested many times over the years, but lay dormant, waiting for the optimal conditions to grow. That time came in 2023 when, under the leadership of President Ron Cougler, the membership expanded and brought a variety of new skills and expertise to the Society. The soil was warming up, watered regularly with maybes: Maybe we could? Maybe we should?

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