Much of our work at Minds Shine Bright is about encouraging and supporting writers to shine. Recently we launched Confidence 2 anthology at Geelong Library and Heritage Centre partnering with Geelong Regional Libraries shining a bright light on 40 writers.
On Wednesday evening, which was a public holiday in Bendigo for the annual Bendigo Cup around twenty writers from the Bendigo Writers Council joined us for a structuring short stories workshop. In the lead up to Christmas we are partnering with Schizy Inc. to create their first anthology by writers with lived experience of complex mental health, following a series of creative writing workshops at Ross House.
We also need to connect more with readers and to show what a magnificent reading experience a collection of writings by many writers can bring. So it’s with great joy and pride that I showcase our three current anthologies, each of which would make a beautiful gift.
Confidence 2
Confidence 2, Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2024 story is a journey through the always open carnival of life. Allow yourself to be carried away by a diverse and rag-tag bunch of characters as they wander along. Confidence 2 will break your heart and then refill it with joy and wonder.
“A well put together anthology that will have you eagerly turning each page. (Kirk)
“True to it’s title, the stories and poetry in this book explore the nature of confidence . . .and guess what . . .it indeed gave me a little boost of courage and confidence for the day! (Jen)
Storm
Storm, Minds Shine Bright Seasons Anthology 2023 is all about storms: their destructive power and timeless beauty remind us of our fragility. Storms touch something elemental in us and also provide a powerful metaphor for internal conflicts.
Another wonderfully diverse collection of stories and poems from Minds Shine Bright, this time with ‘Storm’ as the theme. Many writers have taken this theme literally, while others encourage the reader to dig deeper for meaning. (Andrea)
Storm is a brilliant collection, curated from the world’s best writers of short stories, prose and poetry. This eclectic collection ostensibly has Storm as an underlying theme but covers so much more. (Pete)
Confidence
Confidence, Minds Shine Bright Anthology 2022
The story of Confidence, our first anthology is about the cycle of life. Each piece stands alone yet together they weave a narrative: starting with the elements, following the life cycle and ending with redemption and hope.
It’s been a while since I’ve read an anthology – who knows why? So entering the read with an open heart and mind, I was immediately immersed in wave after wave of images and emotions, captivated again and again. (Lynn)
My mum is in a writers group and gave me this book to read as she knows I usually have a few books on the go at once . . .I really enjoyed this collection. (Margi)
Where to buy
There are three main places where you can buy Minds Shine Bright anthologies.
1. In larger bookshops and online channels
Minds Shine Bright books are available to order in many large bookshops in the US, the UK and Australia and online and in any bookshop that orders books from Ingram Content Group.
2. Independent bookshops
At Minds Shine Bright we love independent bookstores that love books and carefully curate their collections. As we find more independent bookshops that support Minds Shine Bright and stock our anthologies we will add them to our Books on Bookshelves page.
To order Minds Shine Bright books from your favourite bookshop you may need the ISBN numbers as well as the title:
Confidence 2: 978-0-6455231-4-0
Storm: 978-0-6455231-2-6
Confidence: 978-0-6455231-0-2
3.The Minds Shine Bright Bookshop
There is an online Minds Shine Bright bookshop where you can buy Minds Shine Bright books.
Competition news
We are getting closer to announcing the Longlist for the Light and Shadow writing competition and the shortlist of writers too. We are looking forward to creating Light and Shadow Seasons 2 Anthology.
Our 2025 writing competition, The Places we Live, the Places we Love and the Places we Leave will be opening in mid to late November and we look forward to receiving writing from all over the world.