Before I get into today's blog, I want to wish our neighbors to the North a very Happy Canada Day 🍁 and my fellow US citizens a Happy Fourth of July!  🎆

I thought it would be fun to get some history and insight into the GA Anthologies from the Grand Poobah himself, our founder and fearless leader @Myr.  So grab a cuppa and and enjoy this interview before heading out to any festivities today. 

What prompted you to start the GA anthology?  Let’s hear some GA history!

The first anthology was in 2004 and we wanted to do a Christmas themed challenge. It was a small start with about 10 entries (Though only 7 are still visible).  It was successful, but we had a very small staff at that time and we didn’t do another until 2006.  We decided to do them quarterly for a while, one for each season and the first theme where was a Day of Silence.  We have maintained at least 2 anthologies per year since then. 

What anthology had the highest number of participants?

The first poetry anthology in 2011 had the highest number at 26.  On the story anthology side, we have two entries tied at 24 stories each with 2008 – Spring – Living in Shadows and 2022- Anniversary

Why is the anthology important to you?

The anthologies are a good way for writers to come together as a community and showing people the many different ways people can interpret a theme.  It is also an excellent showcase for authors, new and old, to introduce themselves to the community and build an audience.  I know I have more readers from people checking out my anthologies.  If only I had more time to write, eh.

What’s your favorite anthology story that you’ve either written yourself or read (or both)?

My first anthology story, Nick Cringle, always has a special place in my heart.  I enjoyed dropping hints and got some genuine surprise from a few readers.  It’s not like I’m every going to write a straight up fiction story after all. 

Where do you see the GA Anthology in ten years?

I very dearly hope that it is still going strong in ten years. I’d like to see more authors jumping in (and some more volunteers to help us out too!)

What advice do you have for new anthology participants? 

I very strongly encourage everyone to jump into the anthology for a number of reasons.  Selfish reason first, it’s always good for Gay Authors to have more new content to share with everyone.  But on the self-interest side for authors… The anthology is the best way to attract new readers!  It is a self-contained sale pitch that says “here I am, this is what I can do. You like this story, come read my other stories”.  We actively promote the anthology stories multiple times and we have members that make it their mission to read all the entries. 

It can be intimidating looking at the list of rules, but really, it’s just writing a self-contained story that has been edited and is your interpretation of the anthology theme.  And you, the author, are the arbiter of that interpretation.  Don’t let it scare you off.  Bend it to your will and show others your vision.

Gay Authors Anthologies are a gift to our readers and our authors.  Carpe Diem!