2023 Anthology Book Box

“The incarcerated writers whose work is collected in CLOSER TO FRE.EDOM speak in the vernacular of authenticity, rough starts, and rehabilitation.This book is a clarion call reminding us o[ the humanity of our imprisoned brothers and sisters."

—Wally Lamb, bestselling author of She's Come Undone

CTF editor Chris Belden ran a weekly creative writing workshop at a maximum-security prison in Connecticut for more than ten years. He is the author of the novels Shriver (now a movie starring Michael Shannon and Kate Hudson) and Carry-on and the story collection The Floating Lady of Lake Tawaba. His essay "Inside Words: How to Teach Writing in Prison" was awarded the 2013 Bechtel Prize by Teachers and Writers Magazine.

The 2023 Connecticut Literary Anthology Celebrate the many voices of the Connecticut literary scene with previously unpublished work from established to emerging writers. Guest editor and Nutmeg State resident Victoria Buitron has constellated dozens of voices from Connecticut to bring you the 2023 Connecticut Literary Anthology.

With new and original works by: Sonya Huber, Gabi Coatsworth, Anthony D’Aries, Rachel Basch, Gina Barreca, Michael Todd Cohen, Lionel M. Crawford, Van Hartman, Summer Tate, Chris Belden, David Ryan, Vivian Shipley, Michael Belanger, Katherine Schneider, Laurel Peterson and many more. You will find within these pages a celebration of Connecticut Writers. Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction.

Fast Fallen Women introduces 75 new essays about the dangerous and enthralling ways women fall—and how we get back on our feet, more deft, more decisive, and daring than ever. Holding a compact mirror up to life with the same curiosity that enveloped Eve when she once held the apple, editor Gina Barreca’s latest inclusive collection of short, sharp, feminist pieces illuminate women’s courage, curiosity, and wit.

Editor Gina Barreca is author of ten books, including the bestselling They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted, Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Co-Education in the Ivy League, Sweet Revenge: The Wicked Delights of Getting Even, and It's Not That I'm Bitter, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visibly Panty Lines and Conquered the World. Translated into several languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, she has also edited 17 collections, including The Penguin Book of Women's Humor and The Signet Book of American Humor. Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English Literature at the University of Connecticut, Gina has written regularly for The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Ms, and The Chronicle of Education. Deemed a "feminist humor maven" by Ms. and called "smart and funny" by People magazine, Gina has appeared, often as a repeat guest, on CNN, TODAY, NPR, OPRAH, and GOOD MORNING AMERICA, and has lectured worldwide on humor, gender, power, and trouble-making. She grew up in Brooklyn.