EQUALITY: NOW MORE THAN EVER by Paul Alan Fahey
Thank you, Marilyn, for having me here today and
letting me share news of my new anthology with your readers. Though I often
write short stories and novellas with a mystery bent, I sometimes veer off the path
and dabble in literary fiction and nonfiction. Today I’d like to tell your fans
and followers a little about my new nonfiction anthology, Equality: What Do You Think About When You Think of Equality?
The project began with a pretty simple idea. I wanted
to create a book around the central concept of equality and open a dialogue on
a topic that seemed more important today than ever. I knew what equality meant
to me. It meant after almost forty years I could marry my partner, Bob, and
attain a measure of fairness that had eluded us for most of our lifetime
together. But what did others think about when they thought of equality? Did
they think of equality across a spectrum: racial, social, political, religious,
marital, and gender? I wanted to find out the answer to that question.
The following contributors, many Central Coast
residents and award-winning writers, tackled the topic and ran with it in
surprising directions: Barbara Abercrombie, Anne R. Allen, Christopher Bram,
‘Nathan Burgoine, Rob Byrnes, David Congalton, Larry Duplechan, Eldonna
Edwards, Jewelle Gomez, Lisa Horan, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Barbara Jacksha,
Michael McMahon, Jeff Mann, Michael Nava, Dennis Palumbo, Anne Perry, Felice
Picano, Mara Purl, Susan Reynolds, Jeffrey Ricker, Michael Rupured, Baxter
Clare Trautman, and Victoria Zackheim.
As the essays appeared in my inbox, I wasn’t
disappointed; each one was a unique and original exploration of the book’s
topic. Each one was a gem. I was thrilled.
Let me share with you the opening of Susan Reynold’s
compelling essay, “Give Us Our Birthright: Why the
Equal Rights Amendment Needs to Be Revived—and Ratified.”
I was
born into inequality, but, in truth, all women are—even American women in this
21st century. In my southern family,
and that of all my relatives, boys ruled . . . often the difference was subtle,
a nagging undercurrent that you were “less than.” It wasn’t until years later
that I realized how often our father engaged my brothers in conversations about
life, their future, their plans, while I couldn’t remember a single
conversation with my father about my future—or anything of consequence.”
I guarantee once you dip into Equality, it won’t be long before you’ll
be asking yourself the same question: “What do I think about when I think of
equality?” It’s bound to happen. I guarantee it. J
Buy
Links for Equality:
Amazon:
Barnes
and Noble:
Book
Trailer:
Paul Alan Fahey is the author of the
2016 Rainbow Award winning writing reference, The Short and Long of It:
Expand, Adapt, and Publish Your Short Fiction, and the author of the Lovers and Liars WWII mystery romance series.
For eight years Paul was editor-in-chief of Mindprints, A Literary Journal,
an award-winning forum for writers and artists with disabilities. Visit him at http://www.paulalanfahey.com
From Marilyn:
Paul is a friend from the Central Coast Sisters in Crime group where I am also a member.
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