Description
Mark Twain, one of America’s greatest literary treasures, once said, “I apologize for such a long letter – I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
It takes great skill to tell a story in a way that captures all of the important details while cutting out the fluff. When we discuss our anthology series with authors, many are taken aback by our maximum allowed word count—2,000 precious words. And yet, we’ve found this call to ration words, to describe only the most important details, and to make every sentence a value-add has resulted in many masterful stories.
We’ve described 25 Servings of SOOP as a “literary wine tasting of up-and-coming talent.” This wine tasting has the sweet rosé of “Frank and Lily” by Sian Fullerton balanced by more intense flavors such as “The Storm in His Eyes” by Charmaine Kimbini and “The Unpainted Portrait” by M.D. Jerome. Heartwarming stories are juxtaposed with stories of absolute horror.
While all of the stories we’ve chosen to include are quite enjoyable on the surface, many have special notes on which we hope you’ll pick up. Many of our authors did an admirable job of subtly addressing social issues. Many stories feature diverse characters and highlight the challenges faced by people who are, perhaps, a little different from us. We, of course, hope you will be entertained by this book, but it’s our deepest wish that you will take away from at least one story the desire to understand, respect, love, and empathize with others better.
| Section One: Coming of Age |
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Tea by Laila El Refaie
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Dinner at Grandma’s by Eric S Mondschein
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After All by Kimbriah L Alfrenar
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The Storm in His Eyes by Charmaine Kimbini
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A Kid from the East by Mark Heinz
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The Sky Drinker by Nahal Naib
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Witness for the Forgotten by Lydia M Reaves
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Section Two: Unrequited Love
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UnRestrained by By Linne Elizabeth
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Echoes by Kate Seger
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Moving On by C B Lyall
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Lake Lachrymose by Victor Forna
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Reminiscent of the Past by Aini Kassim
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You’re Safe with Me by Katherine Gower
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Section Three: Battles of the Heart, Mind, and Soul
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The Unpainted Portrait by MD Jerome
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Loss of the Heart by Maximilian Beindorff
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War Torn by Luke Aspeling
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Till the Battle’s End by by KristaLyn A Vetovich
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Buggin’ by Clinton W Waters
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Section Four: Searching for Something
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The White Wolf Dreams by Jonathan Koven
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His Name Was Charlie by Kyra Forgette
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An Unlikely Friendship by by Sian Fullerton
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Basement Curiosities by Danielle Paul
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The Wise Men of the East: by Jay Tyson
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Summer Knight by Kelsey Humphrey
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Charcoal Moons by LS Black
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Kelsey Humphrey –
Volume I of this innovative book series absolutely delivers. 25 well-written short stories from 25 different authors. My personal favorites from this collection include “You’re Safe With Me” and “Buggin’.” There are many different genres explored in this book, something for every reader. This selection of stories truly is diverse.
KStheDragonQueen –
I was so excited to read this anthology! The stories were wonderfully diverse. A true smorgasbord of stories reflecting so many different elements of life and love
Eric Mondschein –
25 Servings of SOOP provides the reader with a panoply of stories that will provide even the most picky reader with something to enjoy. The book is divided in four sections~Coming of Age, Unrequited Love, Battles of the Heart, Mind and Soul, and Searching for Something. From Tea and Dinner at Grandma’s to UnRestrained and Charcoal Moons the reader will find themselves transported through time and space on a delightful journey of adventure, mystery, growing up, love, loss and fantasy to name but a few of the possibilities to be encountered. The stories are well written, interesting, entertaining and engaging.
Carolyn Lyall –
This short story collection was a joy to read. I love the way the stories are divided into themes. The perfect book to kick back under the shade to enjoy the rich prose and storytelling.
Marsh –
This anthology is chalk full of entertaining tales. Some will stay with you long after you finish. There really is something for everyone in these pages. Unrequited love and lost things to psychological thrillers. Some of my favorites include “Charcoal Moons”, and “You’re Safe With Me”. The elpquoent descriptions leave me breathless. I cant wait for the second anthology from SOOP.
Jonathan Koven –
Recommended for those who’d like a taste of everything. These stories range in genre, style, and content–all distinct. Some stories engage in a more literary voice than others, which sometimes causes a bit of tonal whiplash reading them in succession–that said, the authors showcased in this collection are all talented in their own ways, and evoke massive future potential.
Laila –
True to its name, this anthology bears a whole new meal in each story. Indeed, it is a whirlwind much like the ones that Chamaine Kimbini describes in The Storm in his Eyes. There are fictional characters, and characters who are reflective of their authors. In each riveting story, I found traces of the author’s identity, their stories, and their spirits, each embedded beautifully into their prose.
25 Servings of SOOP describes itself as a book bearing literary journeys, and it is certainly a winding path of many avenues and many landscapes, but each and every one of them is beautiful in its own way, and deserves to be admired. I recommend this book to anyone looking for little snippets of the whole world, squeezed snugly into a select few pages.
Phyllis E. Ring –
In the interest of disclosure, I bought this book because a writer friend’s story is included in it , one that’s a personal favorite of mine. Then I did something I rarely do with such story collections — read every story, some, more than once. I’d planned to reference my friend’s story and some of the others, but the list of possibilities grew too long, and every reader’s favorites will be unique anyhow. This thoughtfully curated selection of well-crafted work resonates with a kind of transcendence. Organized in well-chosen themes, its sampling from a really rich diversity of writers makes for satisfying and illuminating reading. The collection reintroduced me to the real beauty of short stories, which can act like little meditations in themselves for the reader as well as the writer. What I especially appreciate in this book is its affirmation of the truly spiritual power of story to transport us far beyond the limits we place on life, while also carrying compassion for our small selves.
Dannelle Fraser Gay –
I got this for taking on vacation – and the collection of short stories was perfect for all those moments on the road, or when waiting for food at a restaurant.
It was a unique collection of stories and I found it harder and harder to set the book down…I heard that they have a second one coming out and can’t wait for it