Congratulations to our family friend and neighbor JoeAnn Hart on the publication of her collection of eighteen short stories, Highwire Act & Other Tales of Survival. This captivating and beautifully written ensemble resonates with recurring themes of change, both in our climate but also in our emotions and politics.

The stories are varied, collected like stray woodland creatures wandering onto a farm looking for a home. All have been previously published in leading literary journals; the earliest, “Woodbine & Asters,” first appeared in Prairie Schooner in 2006. I mention this to assure the reader that these stories are the best of the best, having stood the test of time; as any artist knows, the work you create today is always exciting and the one you hope people will wildly applaud; but the most meaningful art is allowed to ferment and – hopefully – grow more potent with age.

JoeAnn’s characters do not have an easy time of it! She puts them to the test, and they face a slew of personal challeges including mental illness, Covid-19, grief, climate change, and ecological disasters. While as a writer her craftsmanship is unequalled, this is no “cozy” collection; instead it’s as beautiful and bracing as a walk along Good Harbor Beach in early spring, before the tourists arrive, with the wind howling and the grey surf pounding under the warming sun.

Congratulations also to Gloucester artist Hans Pundt for designing the arresting cover art. Highwire Act & Other Tales of Survival is available from Black Lawrence Press and The Bookstore in Gloucester, MA.