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Chris Armstrong form
Muskeg Press has outlined
the ten finalists in the book
publishers Influenced project |
The creative forces behind local publisher Muskeg Press have worked their way through the large volume of contributions to their summer writing project; narrowing down the field to ten finalists for
Influenced, a collection of short stories that have been written through the COVID-19 pandemic period.
We first made mention of the project back in April just as the initial call for submissions was issued, with prospective writers asked to submit their work of writers for poetry or prose works of 5,000 words or less.
At the time, Muskeg Press owner Chris Armstrong observed that there was only one requirement: the stories must not mention COVID-19, instead serving as distracting narratives for the writer and the reader.
The concept was inspired by the spirit of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, a collection of short stories written by Giovanni Boccaccio in the 14th century, after a plague had ravaged most of Europe.
The response for the call for submissions by the June 30th deadline was impressive, with over 700 contributions offered up for consideration by Muskeg Press, with Mr. Armstrong making note of the impact that such a large overview had on him.
“It was very humbling to get all these stories from writers from so many different paths, on a personal note, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to read all these submissions over the course of a month."
From the extensive review has come the final list of ten, with some familiar Prince Rupert authors among the top tier of all that came in.
“Inheritance” by Conar Harris“Open Door” by Rudy Kelly
“By the River” by Shannon Lough
The strength of the local writing community was also something that impressed the Muskeg owner over the course of the last month of developing the finalists list.
“When we announced the call for submissions, we were hoping for some local content, so we’re very happy to see local representation in the anthology,”
The list is brought to the full contingent of ten with these works:
"Puck Fair” by John Paul Davies "Blue” by Angie Ellis
"In the Forest, Under a Claw-Shaped Moon” by Sharanya Manivannan
"Chasing YourGirlLovesMe27” by Evan Manning
"The Transcendentalist” by Will Russell
"Cuddlefish” by Drew Taylor
"Trash” by David Ward
The finished work of Influenced will be published later this year, once another familiar name in Prince Rupert writing has put the finishing touches on the project.
John Farrell, will revisit some of his past days of writing, with the former Daily News reporter and accomplished writer on both sides of the Pacific taking care of the editing duties for the collective work.
More information on the book, including information on all the writers and their take on the stories, will be on the Muskeg Press website (
www.muskegpress.com) in the coming months.
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