Back in April last year, as Covid-19 took over our lives, we wondered how were would manage it all. My mind grabbed onto the phrase “Plague Invasion” and wouldn’t let go of it. I felt I had to do something. The ‘something’ I decided to do, was to edit an anthology, on the theme of Covid-19, the disease that was killing people all around the world, including my country of Australia.
So I reached out to my writer friends, both locally and overseas, and the result is almost ready to go out into the world. I’ve written further about the whole process – See here for me details. It’s a fine book, and I am proud to have edited it, to make it the book it is!
So I have this, my ninth book, on its way, with another coming in next year, a poetry collection to be published by Ginninderra Press, who have already published two of my poetry collections. And there is another book in the thinking about stage, which will be something quite different to this serious Covid-19 book, the fourth book in my ‘Buster the Dog’ series.
I just need to get my part of the book written, and the person who is going to join me in getting this fourth book done, getting her part written. Then there will be the images that will need to be drawn and decided on. But in the meantime, I will be concentrating on ‘Plague Invasion’!
When you first get an idea for something, a thing that feels important, and exciting, your whole self can buzz with the thrill of it all, and your mind focuses on that thing as it becomes the most important thing ever, for you.
This is how this Covid-19 anthology felt for me, back around the middle of April, when I first got the idea for it, exciting, and feeling like it was almost a calling, something I had to do for the greater good, kind of thing. So I put the call out for responses to Covid-19, and have received enthusiastic comments, which told me I was definitely onto something big. And then the amazing words began arriving.
So, certainly, the beginning of this has been fabulous, the writing received so far has been pretty fabulous too. There’s still plenty of time for more great writing, both prose and poetry, to come to my inbox, and surely the anthology will be a fabulous thing indeed, won’t it?
Well right now, it looks that way, lots of pieces of writing are making there way to me, and I am gradually putting them into a document that will become the book. I have various bits of writing promised to me, and I am continuing to promote this anthology and requesting submissions. And this morning I had a phone interview with the editor of one of the local newspapers, and I have hopes that that may well bring me more words to help to fill the pages.
The sky’s the limit!
Yes, the sky is the limit, the world is out there, the whole wide world, and people all over the world are living with this virus. And they’re thinking about it too, as I am, and some of them are writing about it, for this anthology. I thank them for that, and hope that the writing brings them some feeling that they have some kind of control over things, even in this strange world we have right now …
This will book number nine for me, and my first book that may become an important historical book … I have written non fiction before, but those were more personal books, while this anthology is something that reaches out far beyond me, and my life. I hope it might become a record of the time the word slowed down, went slightly mad, and then settled down to think more deeply about life, what it was, what it could be …
I’m sure many books will be written about this time, and I would love this anthology to become one of the most important books of this time, an anthology containing the various stages of this pandemic, the ridiculous parts, the scary parts, the boring parts even, and many other phases.
Don’t try to understand me by the books you can see here, only some of them are my books …
I put that photograph there to show the reality of my world, there are lots of books in it … Books are excellent things to have in your life, whether or not you read each and every one that is there with you. Glancing at them, flicking through them, or merely existing in the same room with them, they are all important things. I certainly hope the book I’m currently working on, the anthology “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19”, becomes a book that many people have in their homes.
Whether put away neatly in a bookcase, or piled up on a table near the sofa, having this book in your home will be a reminder about the time all of us went a little bit crazy in a variety of ways. Whether it was binge buying toilet paper, or locking ourselves away, barely ever venturing out, of deciding to invite the whole world into their life (to join together to write & anthology), madness hovered at the edges, at least, of our closed in Covid-19 lives …
At this stage, this idea is still very much at the forefront of my mind, feeling fabulous. The actual book is getting more and more words added to it, from the wonderful people who’ve responded to my calls for submission of words about or in response to Covid-19. And you know what, with all of the awesomeness there’s been so far, even if the book didn’t get printed, it wouldn’t be a flop.
And given the simple way it’s being put together, and knowing I have enough money to print, and send off, enough copies to get a copy to all of the contributors, well that means it an’t not happen, unless I for some reason was unable to get to my laptop. And even that wouldn’t make the whole thing a flop, because if I couldn’t get to my laptop, that would have to mean something fatal had occurred … so the options more truly are fabulous or (shh) fatal … And we don’t want to think about that option.
So fabulous, that’s what this book is going to be, absolutely fabulous! Thank you to all of the wonderful people who’ve been along this journey with me, it’s fun, and I hope to catch up with, or meet, many of you at the launch of “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19” – that event, planned for early 2021, will be absolutely fabulous too!
I’m a writer, and I am most famous for being the Editor of a newsletter, that is distributed around the small town I live near. I live in a ‘township’, where there are no shops, only houses, with a hairdresser, who works out of a caravan at her home.
I love my township, and I love the town of Mallala. I once worked at a job at the Mallala Council, as it was then, now Adelaide Plains Council. Mallala is a town with only around 500 people living in , or close to it. So when I say ‘famous’ it’s nowhere near mega big time famous …
But I like what I do, I like the people I work on the Newsletter with. The Mallala Crossroad Chronicle is available on Facebook, where interested people can see it in colour, whereas the copy that goes around town, and other places, is in black and white. People tell me it’s the words that matter the most, not any fancy colour, which is good to hear.
The Mallala War Memorial, commemorating the men from the district who died in World War One.
So, I’m a small town gal, but I had a big idea, and I’m giving my all (almost), to that idea, because it feels like the biggest and most important thing to do right now. The world is suffering, people are dying, and there is no cure for what ails them, beyond using a ventilator, to try to keep affected people breathing artificially. This doesn’t always work …
With such a global issue, there are a variety of stories from people about how they are managing, what is their own situation, and whether they are coping with being in Lock Down. I’m doing well enough, staying at home and rarely going out is quite common for writers without any other job.
The volunteer work I do to get the Crossroad Chronicle printed is largely done via email, with a drive once a month, to pick up printed copies, for distribution. And no that we’re in a Covid-19 world, my writing group is now meeting online, on the usual meeting day, once a week. That is working well, but it’s not the same as meeting up with other group members, who have all become friends …
So I’m mostly stuck at home, living well enough, but seeing the hardships of others, and the illness and the deaths. I was feeling like I should do something, but what? This is the biggest thing in the world happening, so many people, so many different stories each of us have. What could I do?
The view from my most common writing spot at home, on the sofa, laptop on my lap
And I had a great idea, and immediately began working to get my idea happening. What could I do? I could gather stories, and edit them into an Anthology! Because I’m a writer, and an editor of the Mallala Crossroad Chronicle, I felt I could definitely do this. So, I have this blog, I have many writer friends from near and far This was an idea calling to me, and was something I had to do.
So I’m doing it! The anthology title came to be first, the phrase Plague Invasion. and from there, I began writing on this blog far more often, and not surprisingly, the number of visitors to my blog have increased, and the idea of this Anthology with the expanded title of “Plague Invasion – Responses to Covid-19” has gone out into the world, with a call for people to submit work to be considered for possible publication.
I’m a poet and writer, and can easily write fiction as sell as non fiction, poetry and prose. And that is what is needed for this anthology. I am requesting submission of up to three poems of up to thirty lines, and/or up to three pieces of prose of up to a total of 3,000 words, and I want them sent to this email address: kittycordo@gmail.com with the subject line of “Plague Invasion submission (your name)” If you would like to know more about this you can either post a question in a comment here, or send an email to the same email address, subject line “Plague Invasion query (your name)”.
All contributors who have their work accepted will be able to buy a copy of the book at cost price plus postage and handling. And they will be able to buy further copies at half price normal price.
Together, we can produce a great piece of history, looking at how people managed to get through this plague. I’d like a wide range of responses, from serious to silly, and all things in between. Particular subjects of interest to me are medical opinions, political ones, sports, parents with children at home, teachers trying to teach with their students can’t be there, and many other ideas I haven’t even thought of yet.
So think about it, share the word with your friends, and send some great and interesting pieces of writing to me. We are living history, and I want the stories of how everyone, from ordinary person, to nurse or doctor, to community worker, to teacher, sporting person unable to play, keen sports watcher reduced to watching replays of games previously watched, and many other stories. Send them to me, I’ll consider them and this Anthology will emerge.
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 