After a busy summer of whittling and polishing the wood, we can part the leaves to give you glimpses of the emerging Into the Forest anthology. First up, we have two titles and a whole slew of exciting events to unveil.
What the Forest Yielded
Back in the spring we flung open our Into the Forest submission window with an array of writing prompts. We encouraged writers to follow many different paths through the woods and explore various genres. And we hoped they would find both light and dark under the canopy, as well as all the secret things. When we dug into that submission pile in July, we were blown away with the diversity and inventiveness of this hoard of 33 stories, poems and pieces of flash fiction.
Image credit: Tengyart
The anthology itself will be called Bark & Bone, in a nod to its thickly wooded atmosphere, as well as its recurring motif of human transformation. There are alien trees, poisonous trees, synthetic trees. There are trees that speak, trees that watch, trees that bide their time. There are bears, wolves and one mutant squirrel. There are hunters, eco-activists and a red princess. There are druids, AI and the fae. And there are so many broken people looking for somewhere to hide.
Image credit: Gabrielle Mustapich
Bark & Bone will be the first of a series of Space Cat anthologies that focus on world-building and wildernesses. And that series title is WILDING WORLDS. If that whets your curiosity, wait till you see the delicious Bark & Bone cover, designed by Sally Barnett. Hang out all your charms for next week’s cover reveal on Friday the 13th (gulp!) and start carving your pumpkin for our online Halloween shindig when the ebook goes up for sale on the 27th October. The print edition will be launched with a gathering of authors, poets and readings in late November.
Halloween E-Launch
Halloween will be especially spine-tingling for us this year with Bark & Bone going on sale (ebook edition) from Friday 27th October. We’ll be vamping up all the spookiness across our socials that weekend and planning an online shindig to celebrate. Leaning into the seasonal vibe, we’ll be showcasing the darkest, weirdest, most goose-bumpy tales and poems from the anthology. Vampire bears, mutant squirrels and eco-witches, we’ve got you covered. Look out for your blood-specked invitation on our social media sites.
Image credit: Anastasiya Leskova
And do give us a follow on:
Twitter: @SpaceCatPress
Instagram: @space_cat_press
Threads: @space_cat_press
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Facebook: @SpaceCatPress
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Image credit: freestocks
Our Space Cat Star shoutout and Author Reading series will also be back this year, starting this weekend! So be sure to keep an eye out for those as well.
Space Cat on the Move
In the meantime, we would love to meet you if you’re around for these next two in-person events. Space Cat will be bringing a bookstall to a Leicester Writers Fair this weekend and to the Dealers’ Room at BristolCon towards the end of the month.
Both promise to be huge fun. The Writers Fair is part of a lively Libraries Week festival and offers FREE workshops if you book ahead. BristolCon is also a one-day event but we’ll be there all weekend (Friday evening until Sunday morning). The convention has a hybrid online and onsite programme that is packed with panels, readings and social events. Space Cat editor Siobhan Logan will be leading a writing workshop on ‘The Language of World-building’. Look out for this on the BristolCon Programme. And definitely pop by our bookstall in the Dealers Room to say hi.
Event Details
Here are all the key dates for your diaries:
Leicester Writers’ Fair (7th Oct)
When: Saturday, 7th October (10am – 3:30pm)
Where: Central Library, Bishop Street, Leicester
Details: This is a fabulous FREE event that showcases Leicester’s literary talent and book industry. It includes free writing and publishing workshops but with limited spaces for these, please book a place in advance at the library.
More information here
Space Cat Star stars (7th Oct onwards)
When: Saturday, 7th October onwards
Where: Space Cat social media platforms
Details: As many of you will be aware, we call our authors Space Cat Stars and run a series of #SpaceCatStar shoutouts around the launch of each of our anthologies to introduce its contributors. We also like to post little ‘author reading’ videos on our youtube channel to give readers a taste of their pieces. This year, the shoutouts will go out on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while the readings will be uploaded on Sundays.
Bark & Bone cover reveal (13th Oct)
When: Friday, 13th October
Where: Space Cat blog
Details: We will be unveiling the spooky cover and blurb for our forthcoming Bark & Bone anthology. Cover artwork was created by the lovely Sally Barnett.
Introducing Bark & Bone pieces (20th Oct)
When: Friday, 20th October
Where: Space Cat blog
Details: Get a taste of Bark & Bone with this Preface blog, which will introduce each of the anthology’s pieces and tease out some of its major themes. We did one of these for Severed Souls last year as well.
BristolCon (21st Oct)
When: Saturday, 21st October
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Bristol City Centre
Details: BristolCon is a one-day, hybrid science fiction and fantasy convention. There’ll be panel discussions and lectures, an art show, and small group sessions including kaffeeklatsch and workshops. Books, comics and merchandise will be available in the dealers’ room and authors will be available for book signings.
More details here
Bark & Bone ebook launch (27th Oct)
When: Ebook will go on sale on Friday, 27th October, but the celebration will go on across the Halloween weekend.
Details: To be announced closer to the time.
Bark & Bone print launch (25th Nov)
When: Saturday, 25th November (2pm – 4:30pm)
Where: Quakers Meeting House, Queens Road, Leicester
Details: To be announced closer to the time.
So that’s the month ahead. May the Book Lords have mercy on our souls! Till then, we’ll be praying to the Bone Fae. See you here on Friday 13th next week for a spook-tacular cover reveal.
Space Cat Press 