I Wrote A Story For A Cool Anthology And A Cool Cause
Sup Y’all!
I’ve moved around the country a few times in my adult life, and nothing is like the Florida Keys. This chain of islands is adorned in beautiful fauna, song inspiring sunsets, a lotta boats, and mythical beaches. (Cause you know, they really aren’t a thing here.)
I typically call myself more of a fall forest and mountains guy, but you truly can’t keep this place from growing on you.
So when Palmheart Press, a Keys nonprofit literary press, asked for submissions to an upcoming anthology, I had to give it a try. Of course, me being me, I couldn’t keep my combination of Sci-Fi and concerns for the future out of my story. For those who know me though, fear not; this one has a more hopeful ending than my usual ideas. It had to, because this anthology supports a cause that needs action for a positive outcome.
The Chain: Connection In The Florida Keys is a collection of original poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by 19 local writers and 3 Kids' Poetry Contest winners. All proceeds go to support the conservation efforts of Florida Bay Forever. Florida Bay Forever is hard at work on things like water quality management, education, seagrass restoration, and marine debris removal. All super important to protecting places like the Bay and the Everglades.
The absence of organizations like this and their supporters would result in futures like the one in my story, “Happy Birthday, Mrs. Martineau”. It’s a story about a daughter trying to celebrate her mother’s birthday between work shifts fixing a ruined environment. Like I said above, it has a more optimistic ending despite the hazardous backdrop, and that’s because people are actively working to change the outcomes of human error. This story is an ode to the place I’ve called home for the past 6 years, to days on sandbars, nights full of music and community, and to many more years of beauty.
Thanks a million to Palmheart Press for the opportunity. The anthology is out now! I can’t wait to read all the contributions to this collection.
Fortune and Favor,
Lockwood Ray
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