Taproot IV: Poetry, Prose, and Images from the Eastern Townships, the latest edition of a series of anthologies published by Townshippers’ Association, has just been released. Featuring work by thirty fiction and non-fiction writers, poets and photographers living in the Eastern Townships, Taproot IV has been published in conjunction with Townshippers’ thirtieth anniversary. The first Taproot, published ten years ago, was conceived of as a celebration of the association’s twentieth anniversary.
Like its three predecessors, each of which was received to critical acclaim, Taproot IV has benefited from the skills of a highly competent editorial committee headed by Brenda Hartwell. “This collection of masterful works in English by local storytellers, poets, and visual artists enriches the community as a whole, and benefits writers and visual artists by providing them with exposure and a current book credit. Several writers who were published for the first time in the Taproot series have gone on to publish their works in national magazines and international literary journals,” Hartwell said.
Describing the editorial process, Hartwell explained that “works were selected according to artistic merit and [that] the variety should please a wide readership.” Of the book’s 31 contributors, she said, 17 have had work published in one of our previous anthologies. Taproot IV features work by 14 new contributors. The book, Hartwell added, is “a celebration of form, theme, setting, style and language. It contains pieces that will touch your heart with their beauty, works that will surprise you with apt metaphors and unique insights, and diversions to tickle your funny bone.” The editor is not exaggerating, and the finished product is polished, professional, and highly entertaining.
Taproot IV: Poetry, Prose, and Images of the Eastern Townships was published with the support of Townshippers’ Research & Cultural Foundation, Literacy in Action, the Canadian Federation of University Women (Sherbrooke & District) and private patrons. The book is available at the offices of Townshippers’ Association in Lennoxville and Knowlton. The book is 106 pages and is available in soft-cover format. To order a copy, contact Townshippers’ Association at (819) 566-5717, or [email protected].