Transition and change are 21st-century lived experiences. We want to know “what’s next” in our relationships, environment, societies, politics, and everything else that touches our lives. “What’s Next?” is an anthology of short fiction that creatively explores these questions.
Editor Sharyn Skeeter personally reached out to a diverse group of contemporary fiction writers and curated the book to reflect our changing times. Rather than include mostly pandemic stories, the editor kept the topics open and the event will reflect a refreshing diversity in modern fiction.
AUTHORS FEATURED IN THE ANTHOLOGY
Claire Boyles, Joseph Bruchac, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Toiya Kristen Finley, Tom Gammarino, Amina Gautier, Anthony Lee Head, Meng Jin, Charles Johnson, Pauline Kaldas, Vijay Lakshmi, Clarence Major, Donna Miscolta, Pamela Painter, Jane Pek, Brenda Peynado, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Shannon Sanders, George Saunders, Joanna Scott, Anna Sequoia, Asako Serizawa, Sharyn Skeeter, Tiphanie Yanique, and Ye Chun.
REVIEWS
“The emotional, provocative stories collected in What’s Next? concern the palpable sense of apprehension that accompanies change.” —Foreword Reviews (link to full review) 5 out 5 stars
“What’s Next?: Short Fiction In Time Of Change, Sharyn Skeeter’s anthology of stories, illuminates the aftermath of life-changing events. This book’s 25 stories, by as many authors, follow a diverse cast experiencing changes brought about by internal and external forces. . . . An impressive, dynamic host of spectacular stories filled with engaging characters.”
—Kirkus (link to full review)
About the Editor
SHARYN SKEETER was fiction, poetry, and book review editor at Essence magazine and editor in chief at Black Elegance magazine. She taught journalism, writing, and black American literature at Emerson College, the University of Bridgeport, and Three Rivers, Norwalk, and Gateway community colleges. Sharyn Skeeter’s poetry and articles have been published in magazines, journals, and anthologies, including Hypertext Magazine, Hawai’i Pacific Review, Monkeybicycle, Poet Lore, Connecticut River Review, Obsidian II, Fiction, Chicago Quarterly Review, Re-Markings, Callaloo, In Search of Color Everywhere (ed. Ethelbert Miller) and Our Black Sons Matter (ed. George Yancy). Her debut novel Dancing with Langston received the 2019 Gold Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award (multicultural adult fiction). She has given readings and participated in literary events in the United States, India, and Singapore. She’s on the boards of Hugo House (a school and community for writers) and Earth Creative (an international platform for artists who care about sustainability and climate justice). She is a former trustee at ACT Theatre. Her archive is at Washington University. She’s from New York and now lives in Seattle.
SPECS
FICTION
326 pages; 6 x 9 / Softcover
$19.95 print / $9.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1-950584-86-4 (print)
Publication Date: JANUARY, 2023
Distributor: IPG / Chicago
Rights sold: All rights available.
Rights contact: Dede Cummings
dede@greenwriterspress.com
Distributor: IPG; also available through Ingram, Follett/Baker & Taylor, and other wholesalers.
Individuals can pre-order directly from Bookshop.org, Indiebound.org, online, or contact your local, independent bookstore.
Booksellers, libraries, colleges/universities, gift shops, etc., can order directly through IPG:
Independent Publishers Group
814 N. Franklin Street
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Order Placement: (800) 888-4741
Via email: orders@ipgbook.com
For an advance reader copy—digital or print—email dede@greenwriterspress.com