“Dear writer, the despair of a dream that will seemingly never be realized is real,” writes Alma García in her essay for our eighth annual celebration of debut authors over fifty who have recently published their first books. The essays that follow encompass tales of fate—both encouragements and setbacks—as well as stories of commitment, hope, nerve, confrontation, transformation, triumph, travel, revision, luck, self-confidence, and, of course, writing, always back to the practice of writing, which is necessary to pursue one’s work over the years, come what may. These first-time authors, who range from their early fifties to early seventies, remind us that time, and its inevitable passage, is a gift that enriches our personal and literary lives and that age can make us both robust and nimble, ready to persevere,…
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Poets & Writers (Digital) - 1 Issue, November/December 2023