A group of local writers have come together for the launch of a new book, It Came from Cambridge Volume 1.
This is the first time in the city’s history a short story compilation features new and established Cambridge authors.
Local author Paul Langan, president of Fuse, a registered charity dedicated to making the arts more accessible in Waterloo Region, said the key was to include not only well-established authors, but new authors too.
“We really wanted to get new authors involved. That was important to us. So, it’s a combination of both,” Langan said.
“It has been a true pleasure to take on the responsibility of managing the production of this anthology of short stories written by up-and-coming and well-known Cambridge, Ontario writers.”
In March, stories were submitted, peer reviewed, and 13 authors were accepted for publication.
Langan is no stranger when it comes to writing after having published 25 books himself over the years.
“I personally wanted to get behind this, because I know how to do it,” Langan said.
A member of a Cambridge authors group on Facebook, Langan soon came to realize a joint project with local authors has never been done before in Cambridge.
“It’s such a great group of people, so I thought, well, we can do this,” Langan said.
Within the Facebook authors group, Langan said many questions were being asked by new authors.
“They were sharing how many rejected emails they received from publishers. And there are fewer publishers nowadays. You might get a letter back many months later, or you might not even get a response. Seeing their frustration. I thought, 'well, I have the ability to do this. And that was that,'" Langan said.
Fuse helped to fund the short story compilation project.
Through collaborative creation, modern technologies, education, and addressing stigmas in the arts, Fuse helps to connect the community with the arts through live and virtual events by showcasing local artists.
“Being part of Fuse, I thought this book would not be an expensive thing. It wouldn’t take a ton of time. We can do this,” Langan said.
“People are really appreciative. Seeing the authors submit their stories and want to be a part of it, for me, that was exciting. And it was great to see the high quality of writing.”
Langan feels the short stories are engaging to read and cover a wide range of topics.
“As long as the authors were from Cambridge, they were allowed to submit any genre,” he said.
“It’s really great because if you don’t like one particular genre, you can read on. It’s not all mystery, romance or fiction. So, that is a real positive.”
The official launch of It Came from Cambridge Volume 1 was held on June 15.
Authors included in the compilation are Bob Burtt, Doug Craig, Ken Doran, Elaine Francis, Richard Hanig, Wanda Janaway, Andrew LiVecchi, Dan McQuain, Tara Mondou, Linda Schueler, Jill Summerhayes, Randy Thompson and Ruth Thompson.
The book is available in paperback and eBook formats available through Amazon and will soon be at local independent booksellers.
“And the great thing was that we sold out of all 145 books we had a the launch,” Langan said.
The next project, Langan said, is It Came from Cambridge Volume 2, which will include poetry submitted from local authors.
Submissions will be accepted in the fall.
“Art needs more support in our community. This was a grass roots kind of thing and now, we got it. It’s in our history,” Langan said.
“Cambridge's literary arts have a promising future.”
