Waiting, that most human of experiences, saturates all of our lives. We spend part of each day waiting-for birth, death, appointments, acceptance, forgiveness, redemption. This collection of thirty-two personal essays is as much about hope as it is about waiting. Featuring literary voices from the renowned to the emerging, this anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction will resonate with anyone who has ever had to wait.
Contributors: Samantha Albert, Rona Altrows, Sharon Butala, Jane Cawthorne, Weyman Chan, Rebecca Danos, Patti Edgar, John Graham-Pole, Leslie Greentree, Edythe Anstey Hanen, Vivian Hansen, Jane Harris, Richard Harrison, Elizabeth Haynes, Lee Kvern, Anne Lévesque, Margaret Macpherson, Alice Major, Wendy McGrath, Stuart Ian McKay, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, Susan Olding, Roberta Rees, Julie Sedivy, Kathy Seifert, Cora Siré, Steven Ross Smith, Anne Sorbie, Glen Sorestad, Kelly S. Thompson, Robin van Eck, Aritha van Herk "The verb esperar means to wait. It also means to hope." -Cora Siré, The Past Was a Small Notebook, Much Scribbled-Upon This diverse anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction explores the universal agony and hope of waiting. "I would buy this book based on the contributor list alone. The essays are well balanced-short mixed in with long, very well-established writers mixed in with new ones, a variety of approaches and styles, and surprising interpretations of the waiting theme mixed in with more expected explorations. Waiting is as strong a collection as I have read." "A great deal of our lives is spent waiting. As humans we wait for public transit and for food at restaurants and food courts... And we wait for longer, more existential things: the birth of a baby, the progression of an illness, the arrival or departure of a friend or family member, acceptance or rejection of a job opportunity, love. In this edited anthology, a broad array of writers...examine various aspects of why and how we wait." # 2 on Calgary Herald's Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 6, 2018 # 9 on Calgary Herald's Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 13, 2018 # 2 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 19, 2018 "Each of these thirty-two essays is powerful, distinctive, authentic.... I closed this book feeling that I'd been on thirty-two life journeys.... Waiting is not just filling blank time. It is also about courage and love." [Full review at https://www.ottawareviewofbooks.com/single-post/2019/02/02/Waiting-An-Anthology-of-Essays-edited-by-Rona-Altrows-and-Julie-Sedivy] "There's plenty to debate here... These are just a few of the kinds of waiting essayed here, and they are all very much worth reading." Saskatoon StarPhoenix, January 26, 2019 [Full review at https://thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews-the-literary-history-of-saskatchewan-vol-3-waiting] "Waiting is a universal phenomenon, and in this impressive collection editors Rona Altrows and Julie Sedivy curate a variety of nuanced and distilled personal essays from 32 writers exploring the liminal experiences of people waiting for results, news, change, release or understanding"
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Burgeoning
• 1 Bill of Fare // Susan Olding
• 2 Saturday // Anne Lévesque
• 3 Waiting for Now: Four Stories // Steven Ross Smith
• 4 The Escape // Edythe Anstey Hanen
• 5 Waiting for Alexandra // Glen Sorestad
• Scope
• 6 The Art Hospital, the Floating Hospital,
• and the Burning House // Elizabeth Haynes
• 7 The Past Was a Small Notebook,
• Much Scribbled-Upon // Cora Siré
• 8 Beyond the Horizon // Julie Sedivy
• 9 Two Women Waiting // Rebecca Danos
• 10 Esperando // Patti Edgar
• 11 Currents // Alice Major
• Moment
• 12 Letter of Intent // Rona Altrows
• 13 The Next Minute // Jane Cawthorone
• 14 Frozen // Lorri Neilsen Glenn
• 15 Harder, But Still Not Painful // Robin Van Eck
