Shyness anthology draws near

Getting downright excited in the knowledge that The anthology SHY, edited by Naomi K. Lewis and me, will be published so soon–this fall, to be precise. The University of Alberta Press, our publisher, is releasing its catalogue, and has encouraged Naomi and me to post the catalogue copy to our websites. Here it is:

“We’re not exactly scene-stealers, so you don’t hear much from us shy folk—and that’s usually how we like it.” —Elizabeth Zotova.

Except in this anthology. Its pages are filled with personal essays and poems of thoughtful musings, raw memories,and humorous self-examinations by authors and poets who have been labelled by the world¬—teachers, parents, and peers—as shy. Here, they proudly own up to their shyness, and their message is clear: they don’t need to be “cured”! Why should they, when nearly half of North Americans consider themselves shy? Editors Naomi K. Lewis and Rona Altrows have enlisted writers from across the continent and have created a moving anthology that will appeal to all, either because we are shy or because we know someone who is.

Contributors: Rona Altrows, Alex Boyd, Debbie Bateman, Wade Bell, Janis Butler Holm, Brian Campbell, Weyman Chan, Lorna Crozier, Mike Duggan, Ben Gelinas, Elizabeth Greene, Vivian Hansen, Elizabeth Haynes, Steven Heighton, Jennifer Houle, I.B. (Bunny) Iskov, Eve Krakow, Shawna Lemay, Naomi K. Lewis, Shirley Limbert, Carol L. MacKay, Don McKay, Stuart Ian McKay, Jeff Miller, Micheline Maylor, Bruce Meyer, Dhana Musil, Lori D. Roadhouse, Kerry Ryan, Sydney Sharpe, Natalie Simpson, Sylvia Stopforth, David Van Buren, Aritha van Herk, Russell Wangersky, Cassy Welburn, Madelaine R. Wong, Elaine Woo, and Elizabeth Zotova.