Edited by: Jaime Dill and Lizzie Thornton

Publisher: Cardigan Press

ISBN: 9781734962321

A writer’s bio stating his ability to time travel “as shown by his out-of-date headshot.” A poem dedicated to all the poems left unwritten. A conversation between a protagonist and an author after the collapse of a publisher. These and more pieces make up the robust debut collection from Cardigan Press called Byline Legacies.

With the subtitle “An Anthology by Writers for Writers,” editors and Cardigan Press co-founders Jaime Dill and Lizzie Thornton make clear from the outset that Byline Legacies acts as a love letter to the writing life: its struggles, its successes, its depths of despair and heights of happiness. The collection combines poetry, fiction, and nonfiction work and runs the gamut from the strictly literary pieces to those with more of a commercial feel. Readers who find themselves curious about how writers do what they do will find a variety of approaches and emotions in this anthology.

Carol Beth Anderson’s piece “Coffee Shop Writer” follows the symbiotic relationship between an author and her inspiration. The author meets a fan, a barista, and over the course of working on a story the author finds herself invigorated by the friendship she forms with the coffee shop employee. By the end, it’s clear that the lines between real life and the writing life often get blurry.

Michelle Tang’s “Message in a Novel” pays homage to the people who support writers and stand by them. Main character Jason has spent years hunting through used bookstores for a particular book. Tang takes readers through Jason’s life and just why the book means so much to him, using a deft touch to bring the story to its inevitable yet heartfelt ending. 

Jonathan Petley’s “Sonnet Twenty Twenty” uses the familiar Shakespearean poetry form to approach the topic of the pandemic, encapsulating in a succinct manner the emotions of the year with a clever nod to the master of the form. Allene Nichols offers the poem “After Writer’s Block” to discuss the intensity of the push-and-pull writing process, making it a near-visceral experience. Clare Proctor, in “On Falling In Love With Poets,” talks with an appealing clarity about embracing the genre through those who produce it.

Although the collection might have benefited from marking the prose pieces fiction and nonfiction, for the most part readers will find answers to many questions they might have had about what it means to write with intention. What does it feel like when writing eludes you? Do writers actually “talk” to their characters? How does a piece finally come together? How do writers start? Non-writer readers will discover all this and more.

Readers who write themselves will find themselves nodding along at the pain and joy described. Regardless of what genre a writer might pursue, Byline Legacies will offer solace by addressing the writing life on a broader scale. It comforts and, yes, inspires writers by reminding them that while the act of writing itself is solitary, the writing community is not.

Those curious to know more about how writers’ minds and their processes work will enjoy this collection. I recommend readers Bookmark Byline Legacies.