Of a Monstrous Child

In a competitive field such as creative writing, where anybody who’s anybody needs to make their name a brand, this anthology makes the monstrous crowds a family, pairing mentor with student. Each person introduces somebody else, and gives some refreshingly personal insider information on how they met and who they are. Instead of a wimpy, some-odd-word-count biography stuck in the back, the reader is provided with a backstory, making the entire collection significantly more personal.

In a competitive field such as creative writing, where anybody who’s anybody needs to make their name a brand, this anthology makes the monstrous crowds a family, pairing mentor with student. Each person introduces somebody else, and gives some refreshingly personal insider information on how they met and who they are. Instead of a wimpy, some-odd-word-count biography stuck in the back, the reader is provided with a backstory, making the entire collection significantly more personal.

Aside from the benefits of being properly introduced to each and every contributor of the collection, the pieces themselves are eclectic and enjoyable. In a story by Diana Joseph titled “Bullets Going Through Objects in Slow Motion,” a mother tries to connect with her son who is aging all too quickly. It is a quirky, fun, true-to-life piece. It’s placed between a selection of poems by Zachary Schomburg and Melanie Rae Thon, who is in turn introduced by Diana Joseph. Their two stories, though in rather different styles, connect well to one another and, after having read each writer’s introduction for the other, the stories seem like close cousins. This is how every pair functions in the anthology. Each connects with the other, and does so successfully and on a personal level.