The verb esperar means to wait. It also means to hope.—"The Past Was a Small Notebook, Much Scribbled-Upon", Cora Siré
Waiting, that most human of experiences, saturates all of our lives. We spend part of each day waiting—for birth, death, appointments, acceptance, forgiveness, redemption. This collection of thirty-two personal essays is as much about hope as it is about waiting. Featuring literary voices from the renowned to the emerging, this anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction will resonate with anyone who has ever had to wait.
Contributors: Samantha Albert, Rona Altrows, Sharon Butala, Jane Cawthorne, Weyman Chan, Rebecca Danos, Patti Edgar, John Graham-Pole, Leslie Greentree, Edythe Anstey Hanen, Vivian Hansen, Jane Harris, Richard Harrison, Elizabeth Haynes, Lee Kvern, Anne Lévesque, Margaret Macpherson, Alice Major, Wendy McGrath, Stuart Ian McKay, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Susan Olding, Roberta Rees, Julie Sedivy, Kathy Seifert, Cora Siré, Steven Ross Smith, Anne Sorbie, Glen Sorestad, Kelly S. Thompson, Robin van Eck, Aritha van Herk
Rona Altrows is an editor, fiction writer, essayist, and playwright. With Naomi K. Lewis, she co-edited Shy (UAlberta Press), and with Julie Sedivy she co-edited Waiting (UAlberta Press), both theme-based anthologies. Her most recent work of fiction is At This Juncture and her website is www.ronaaltrows.com. Jane Cawthorne is a writer, editor, and feminist activist. Her first novel, Patterson House, is forthcoming with Inanna Publications in 2022. She recently published the anthology, Writing Menopause, with Elaine Morin in 2017. Jane writes about women on the brink of transformation. Leslie Greentree is the author of two books of poetry, guys named Bill (2002) and go-go dancing for Elvis (2003), shortlisted for the Griffin Award for Excellence in Poetry. Her short story, The Brilliant Save, was a winner of CBC Radio's annual Alberta Anthology competition. Leslie has read across much of Canada and at the Dublin Writers' Festival. She lives in Red Deer, Alberta. This is her first book of short stories. Alice Major emigrated from Scotland at the age of eight, and grew up in Toronto before coming west to work as a weekly newspaper reporter. She served as the City of Edmonton's first poet laureate from 2005–2007. A widely-published author, she has won many distinctions. Her most recent book, Intersecting Sets: A Poet Looks at Science, received the Wilfrid Eggleston Award for non-fiction as well as a National Magazine Award gold medal. Her website is www.alicemajor.com. Aritha van Herk teaches Creative Writing, Canadian Literature and Contemporary Narrative at the University of Calgary. van Herk is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and is active in Canada's literary and cultural life, writing articles and reviews as well as creative work. Her novel, No Fixed Address, was nominated for the Governor General's Award for Fiction. She is well known in the broader community of the city, the province, and the country as a writer and a public intellectual.
Rona Altrows is author of At This Juncture, A Run on Hose, Key in Lock, and The River Throws a Tantrum. With Naomi K. Lewis, she co-edited Shy: An Anthology. Julie Sedivy is the co-author of Sold on Language and has written for Nautilus, Discover, Scientific American, Politico, Swerve, and others. They both live and work in Calgary.
