Our Anthologies

In my mind, the effort to become a great novelist simply involves attempting to tell as much truth as one can bear, and then a little more.
— James Baldwin

Roots. Wounds. Words. (RWW) publishes anthologies that evidence the quality and importance of our pedagogy and programs. RWW’s alums penned every piece of literary art contained within our collections. RWW storytellers are emerging and established writers whose intersectional identities and survival, despite the anti-Black, -Indigenous, -Latinx, -Brown, -poor, -queer, -trans, and -gender-nonconforming world we live in, render them inherently dope. In our anthologies, RWW storytellers spit their truths, unabashedly hold church, and claim all the space usually denied Us.

As James Baldwin urged us to do, Roots. Wounds. Words. storytellers are “attempting to tell as much truth as one can bear, and then a little more,” through these publications. Thank you for supporting BIPOC storytellers and our work here at RWW. We sincerely hope you find your truth within these pages and feel unequivocally loved.

FRACTURED ENCOUNTERS: A Contemporary Anthology of Creative Nonfiction by Storytellers of Color

Fractured Encounters: A Contemporary Anthology of Creative Nonfiction by Storytellers of Color is a collection of literary art edited by Janel Cloyd. Featured essayists include OlaRonke Akinmowo, Shirley Cai, Jenny Cheng, T. Chester, Emi J. Chin, Janel Cloyd, Kwame Daniels, Christal Felix, Rocio Franco, Zainab Kabba, Richard Lin, Xen Love, Cathleen Luo, Tamara Olmedo, S. Penn, Tania Perez Osuna, Misha Ponnuraju, Tracee Thomas-Browne, Raysa Villalona, and Robert Winterode.

Price: $22.99

Publication Date: April 24, 2024

REMEMBERING WATER: A Contemporary Anthology of Creative Nonfiction by Storytellers of Color

Remembering Water: A Contemporary Anthology of Creative Nonfiction by Storytellers of Color is a collection of literary art edited by Amanda Everich, Connie Pertuz-Meza, and J. Amanda Sabater. Featured essayists include Wendy Angulo, Krystal Camacho, Frankie Cancel, Emily Ernau, Samantha Garcia, Michelle Gibbs-Spencer, Quanita Hailey, Kuwilileni Hauwanga, Sara Elvira, Ember Moon, Connie Pertuz-Meza, Roseni Plaza, Kassandra Rodríguez-Urbas, J. Amanda Sabater, Sharon Shaw, Paulina Soria, Al Valentin, and Dior Vargas. 

Price: $22.99

Publication Date: January 12, 2022

SEARCH & FIND: An Unflinching Excavation of Coming of Age Stories

Search & Find: An Unflinching Excavation of Coming of Age Stories is an anthology that captures the narrative nonfiction, poetry and hybrids crafted by participants of the Roots. Wounds. Words. Summer 2020 Penning My Pieces literary arts intensive - a two-month writing container wherein participants were guided through high-quality creative nonfiction pedagogy and performed their work at multiple Storyteller Showcases.

Featured Storytellers: Abbey Li, Amanda Kelly, Anisha Uppal-Sullivan, Ashley Aviles, Ayesha Islam, Baluanne Conteh, Chloe Gong, Colleen Morgen, ena ganguly, Evaniz Orellana, Farzana Tasnim, Frances Timberlake, Gianella Brignoni, Jacqueline Zeisloft, Jenia Marquez, Kháliya McCall, Kimberly Hernandez, Maya Garcia Fisher, Melinda Placide, Nykemah Warren, Olivia Hunt, Philip Errico, Samantha Wong, Sharon Bayantemur, Sofia Canonge, Stefanie Donayre, Steffi Milfort, Tara Michel, Tommy Hansana, and Trevor Lai.

Publication Date: January 2021

RADICAL: An Unapologetic Anthology by Women & Gender Nonconforming Storytellers of Color

Radical: An Unapologetic Anthology by Women & Gender Nonconforming Storytellers of Color is a collection of narrative nonfiction literary art crafted by participants of the Roots. Wounds. Words. Spring 2020 Penning My Pieces literary arts intensive - a three-month writing container wherein participants were guided through high-quality creative nonfiction pedagogy and performed their work at multiple Storyteller Showcases.

Featured Storytellers: Alexis Smithers, Amber Worsley, Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez, Australia Fernandez, Briyana Clarel, Camille Dantzler, Celeste Chan, Daniela Velázquez, Dominic Bradley, Elara Cáceres, Erin Threatt, Heather Stokes, Hyo Rhi Kim, Krystal Jagoo, Latasha James, Naomi Sosa, Omayma Khayat, Porscha Simmons, Sabrina Sarro, Taneasha White, Tonya Abari, and Yolande Clark.

Price: $22.99

Publication Date: December 2020