PS Books, a division of Philadelphia Stories, in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio, presents Prompted, an anthology that explores the human condition via poetry, personal essays, and fiction (Spring 2010, ISBN 97809793350510).
From internationally published author Julie Compton (Tell No Lies, Rescuing Olivia) to first-time poet Marsha Pincus, Prompted’s connective tissue lies in a deep love and respect for the craft of writing. Prompted is edited by Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio Director Alison Hicks, the author of the novella, Love: A Story of Images, and Falling Dreams, a volume of poetry.
Hicks began the Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio (GPWS) in October1996 with five people who met for three hours once a week in a church in Center City, Philadelphia. The process was the same then as it is today, and the Center City workshop still meets in that same church. Hicks began a similar workshop in the Delaware County/Main Line in 1999.
“I did not create the process,” Hicks says of the GPWS method. “It is the Amherst Writers & Artists method, brainchild of Pat Schneider, with whom I studied in the early 1980s. The core beliefs underlying it are simple and true: everyone has creative genius and a unique voice and vision to offer the world. The workshops aim to cultivate that voice.”
The anthology will be released on May 22, 2010, at a launch party at the American Swedish Historical Museum, 1900 Pattison Ave., Philadelphia, PA. It will be available for purchase through PS Books, Amazon, and all major bookstores.
The Best of Philadelphia Stories: Volume 2 includes the best of the magazine and online content from Spring 2007-Summer 2009. Encompassing fiction, poetry, and personal essays, Volume 1 garnered glowing reviews from all of Philadelphia’s newspapers of record, and was described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “A Collection That Loves You Back.” Following in the first volume’s footsteps, Volume 2 includes work by David Sanders, Autumn Konopka, and Helen Mallon, the winner of the 2008 Philadelphia Stories essay contest.
Coming this spring: a new anthology from Alison Hicks’ Greater Philadelphia Wordship Studio, which has worked with nearly 200 Delaware Valley writers. This first anthology showcases the best of the varied and diverse voices that have enriched and delighted the workshop over the past 13 years.
