Review: FORESHADOW edited by Emily X.R.Pan and Nova Ren Suma

 

FORESHADOW

Stories to Celebrate the Magic of

Reading and Writing to Y.A.

edited by Emily X.R. Pan & Nova Ren Suma

Publication Date: Octobe 20, 2020

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher 

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Synopsis

Thirteen Short Stories from Bold New YA Voices & Writing Advice from YA Icons

Created by New York Times bestselling authors Emily X. R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma, Foreshadow is so much more than a short story collection. A trove of unforgettable fiction makes up the beating heart of this book, and the accompanying essays offer an ode to young adult literature, as well as practical advice to writers.

Featured in print for the first time, the thirteen stories anthologized here were originally released via the buzzed-about online platform Foreshadow. Ranging from contemporary romance to mind-bending fantasy, the Foreshadow stories showcase underrepresented voices and highlight the beauty and power of YA fiction. Each piece is selected and introduced by a YA luminary, among them Gayle Forman, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jason Reynolds, and Sabaa Tahir.

What makes these memorable stories tick? What sparked them? How do authors build a world or refine a voice or weave in that deliciously creepy atmosphere to bring their writing to the next level? Addressing these questions and many more are essays and discussions on craft and process by Nova Ren Suma and Emily X. R. Pan.

This unique compilation reveals and celebrates the magic of reading and writing for young adults.

My Thoughts

FORESHADOW is an wonderful anthology for readers and writers who want take a closer look at writing methods and techniques for some encouragement or ways to improve upon what they already have written. And FORESHADOW is for those who dream of becoming a writer and are just beginning to craft their thoughts into stories. The short stories are introduced by notable authors, then followed by Author's Notes, and then the editors essays. I enjoyed this format and it can serve as a guidebook for writers. 

Readers can enjoy the short stories just as they are written, or they can take it a step further and evaluate and consider the process writing. We are given the opportunity to explore the many elements of creating an impactful and memorable story. Readers gain knowledge thorugh the essays about the use of voice, mood, emotions, and the ideas of imagery and the suspension of disbelief. As someone who wants to improve their skills, I like the writing prompts for inspiration and motivation.

I appreciated the Author's Notes - while each story is open to interpretation, I like to idea of knowing the intention of why author writes the way they do, why they felt it was necessary to share specific scenes, their choice of words, their use of characters, and then reevaluate what I took from my reading the story compared to what the author intended. Do those ideas match the intent? How do they differ? Did I get it?

I was surprised when flipped though the pages to find stories from YA authors like Becky Albertalli, Gayle Forman, Jason Reynolds, and Adam Silvera. I guess I should have read the book discription (and cover) more closely. Then I would have known that these authors Introduced with writings of underrepresented voices. That's all on me. But I'm glad to discover these new-to-me writers, and will definitely be on the look out for more of their works. 

As I share this review, it should be known that I'm still in the process of reading FORESHADOW and discovering these wonderful stories. That's one thing I enjoy about anthologies, you can read a story whenever you want, skip around from story to story and find one that is most appealing to you, or you can read it cover to cover and enjoy it all at once.

I know that I'll turn to FORESHADOW time and again as I continue to work on my craft as a writer. And now I want to check out the site where this anthology originated from for even more short stories.  

My In-Progress Rating