Essential Americans

Our hearts are torn asunder as long-simmering grievances are exploding on the streets, from Portland to Park Avenue. We believe if the call for social justice is to be more than a slogan pumped through a megaphone, there must be a compelling plan of action, and the will to carry it through.  And there must be faith in the future.

We have the faith, and we have a plan.  Sharing our stories, some painful, some thoughtful and inspiring, will allow us to see each other deeply, and to love who we see when we get beyond the hurt. Do you know of a greater healing power than love?

Please join us to publish

                                              "Essential Americans: the Stories that can no longer be Ignored"

The litany of injustices that have bludgeoned our senses since the killing of George Floyd is our collective wake-up call. Your stories, essays or poems, you who have suffered the most by our chronic history of oppression, whether overt, systemic, or unintentional, are essential to our understanding of ourselves and our nation.

Equally important are the stories of those who have never had to question their right to a place at the table. Tell us of your experience. Where did our racist attitudes come from? How are they passed on from one generation to the next? Were you able to thwart its growth within you? How did you manage that? The anthologies that we are proposing will eventually be all-encompassing, addressing the particular histories and perspectives of every community within our shores marginalized by what seems to be our endemic prejudices, and faith in conformity, rather than in diversity. But we need to start here.


If you've stood on the sidelines most of your life, please take this opportunity to be part of this historic moment. Tell your story, and donate if you can, and if the pandemic has robbed you of income and you can't donate, please share the link with others. Though it is certainly not your motivation to do so, we'd like to send a thank you and a copy the printed anthology along with $25 to every writer whose story we print.

Reaching our goal of $4,500 will cover most of our print and production costs, and distribution of 500 free copies of our first anthology in this series, and to promote outreach to the largest possible audience while America is still paying attention.  Surpassing our goal will help subsidize follow-up anthologies.

“The reason there is evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories.” Carl Jung

Together, we can change that.

We need your help to accomplish great things. As Leonard Cohen so poignantly confesses, “I can’t move this thing, alone.”

Help us move this thing. Oh…and save the world!

Submission details are here:https://awordwithyoupress.com/2020/10/26/essential-americans-anthology/ 

Thank you, and stay safe

The volunteers at A Word with You Press


A Word with You Press
Editors and Advocates for Fine Stories in the Digital Age
with offices and affiliates in the USA, the UK, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic
www.awordwithyoupress.com