writing

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…

  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.