Mota 2002 Truth: An Annual Anthology of Fine Fiction

Mota 2003: Courage is an exciting anthology that showcases emerging writers of fine literary fiction. I especially enjoyed Linda S. Clare's edgy tale, Gargoyles, where madness meets architecture in a most surprising way. Look for many of the writers included in this superior anthology to become household names. A collector's item to be sure.

Ably edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Mota 3: Courage is the 2003 annual anthology of superbly crafted and highly recommended short stories centered about the cutting-edge challenges of the modern day. "A Jealous God" by Nancy Jane Moore, "To Rescue My Best Friend" by Kent Patterson, " Horses Can See in the Dark" by Marietta Ball and other superbly written and thought-provoking tales bring the reader on brief yet unforgettable sojourns through the human mind and experience.

The great thing about an anthology like this one, produced by a small publisher, is that you're seeing a more diverse cross-section of writers than you usually do in similar anthologies by any of the major publishers. I was somewhat surprised to learn that the stories were produced by relatively young or unpublished writers.While all of the stories are good, three stood out for me: "Loneliness of the Middle Distance Runner," by James Gilmer; "My Hermit," by Leslie What; and "The Bootlegger," by Chris Orcutt. All three are written with excellent dialogue and really compelling description, and Orcutt's story uses second person, which I found intriguing.This is the kind of anthology you should buy if you want to read some great writers before they make it big. I'm convinced that a few of them--especially the three I mentioned--will write some great stuff. Who knows, maybe this book will become a collector's item.

This anthology collects 19 diverse stories, each examining what it means to be courageous during times of trouble. In her introduction, editor Karen Joy Fowler asks who is more courageous -- the person who fears the most, or the person who fears the least. The stories in Mota 3 answer that question in entertaining, witty, sad, and thought provoking ways.I especially liked Kent Patterson's moving story of a child's struggle to maintain his dignity in a polio ward in "To Rescue His Best Friend."I highly recommend this original anthology.