DUMPED, the anthology

A real book and ready for pre-order at Amazon.com, pub date 3-3-15

guidelines for submission

 

Moving along, mid-March
I have collected a number of very fine essays and am waiting for several more. I hate to pressure writers, so a gentle update today via e-mail just to check in. LLC established, setting up business account, and having publishing contract looked at by my lawyer. Have set up a publicist. Will spend spring editing and organizing. Plan to go to a writers conference in Maine in August, yes, to me that is a vacation. My foreseeable goal is to post new cover photo on Facebook in April of 2015:

Dumped: Women Unfriending Women:

a pristine pile of books on the She Writes Press table at AWP. I want to see another pile on tables at readings with involved authors at AWP, and all the indie stores my publicist can connect me with as well as the big old Barnes and Noble in my hometown where I had my very first reading.

I always ask my patients who cannot fathom getting through their complications, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, “One bite at a time.”

January 2014: Please check out the previous page and “Going Hybrid”

WOW- November already. If anyone had told me how slowly this project would go I would never have believed them. At this juncture I am very excited about the possibility of publishing with a hybrid press. Much to consider. But, not unlike the government, I have technical difficulties and cannot access the submissions. My tech guy will get on it. It is frustrating. My work schedule is also a factor. And I have lost some wonderful submissions as other publications have snatched them up. I congratulate the writers, good for them! More to come.

July 15, 2013 Update on Dumped: Women Unfriending Women At this point I have received and reviewed all the responses to my call for submissions in Poets and Writers magazine and appreciate all of you baring your souls so eloquently. I have also had preliminary conversations about editing and appreciate that you have let me hold on to your essays while I deal with the arduous task of finding a home for the collection. Publishers are interested in well known writers anchoring collections such as this, and although I have some other interested writers, they do not write “on spec” and so the catch-22 continues for the time being. One publisher wanted to explore a different format, so for the sake of transparency, I am mentioning this as well. I am still open to reading more essays, and will be continuing to explore publishers, so please check in for further updates. I have appreciated reading your stories. Woman’s friendships are still as primary and universal as back when Ruth and Naomi, Elizabeth and Susan B., Lucy and Ethel, Thelma and Louise, and Mary and Rhoda made history. It is this primacy that makes the pain of being dumped by your woman friend so exquisite. You expect romantic relationships to break up, the entertainment industry and a good part of literature revolves around it. You feel as though there should be an Adele song for you, but there isn’t. DUMPED: Women Unfriending Women fills that void. I am in the proposal building stage for my anthology– and looking for essays exploring the unfortunately universal experience of being dumped by those from whom you expected more. The essays in DUMPED aren’t stories of friendship dying a mutually agreed upon death, like when you fall out of touch and a decade later find each other and you haven’t missed a beat. These are the stories about suddenly finding yourself erased, without context, possibly without worth, undefined. The stories that stay with you, maybe for a lifetime. Want to contribute to the anthology? 1…I am currently seeking admissions from women- personal essays under 3,000 words about the experience as described above. Potential chapters might include: It’s not always about you,  I’ll show her, When I was young, Why we do it, You   can’t handle the truth, Divine forgiveness? Seriously? 2…I am accepting essays from established and upcoming writers, they must be exceptionally well written, authentic and written from personal experience with an eye for universality. Humor appreciated. 3…Please send as an attachment to dumped@ninagaby.com. Subject line must be as follows or the attachment will not be opened: Dumped sub (your first initial and last name) date for example: Dumped sub N Gaby 3-5-13 4…I expect to be reading through mid-summer and will be posting updates about the process on this site.