Some of the best writing produced by local writers and visiting residents at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has been published online at emerge-writerscolony.org for five years. In August, WCDH published its first print publication featuring the work of local and colony writers called the Dairy Hollow Echo featuring 107 stories, poems, essays, and other creative work by 87 authors. Around Halloween, the Kindle edition of the Dairy Hollow Echo surpassed Edgar Allen Poe’s Complete Tales & Poems in Poetry Anthology Best Sellers.
The anthology represents five years of eMerge Magazine publishing creative works that display adventurous, distinctive, and masterfully crafted writing, Michelle Hannon, executive director of WCDH.
“The reception has been really great,” Hannon said. “It has exceeded our expectations. We’re very excited about how well the eMerge anthology has done. Charles Templeton and his family have been donating their time and talents to publish eMerge since 2017 and it’s now being published quarterly.”
Templeton said the area is well known for having a large number of talented writers.
“I don’t think we have ever gotten too far away from the original vision that Crescent Dragonwagon and Ned Shank had for what the colony could become for writers,” Templeton said. “One of our missions as board members is to try to provide a platform for the people who stay at the colony and write, and for our local writers who are also big supporters of the colony. It is amazing the number of writers we have in Carroll County. We were really pleased at the quality of writing that we had to choose from when we were putting together the Dairy Hollow Echo.”
In addition to hitting the top of the Amazon Best Seller Poetry Anthology List for about a week, the publication was also in the top ten in the category of literary anthologies and short stories.
The Dairy Hollow Echo was published this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of WCDH in 2020 and the fifth year of publishing eMerge in 2021. It’s available in print (through Amazon or by stopping by the Writers’ Colony office) and Kindle forms. In September, the colony hired a paid eMerge editor, Joy Clark, to ensure continuation of this platform for promoting writers.
Hannon said the Dairy Hollow Echo is a mashup of genres.
“It is a wonderful example of the diverse backgrounds and genres of our writers,” she said. “I think that’s why it’s been so successful. You never know what you’re going to read next, but it’s all creative and well written. There is something for everybody. Charles did a fantastic job of compiling it, promoting it, and managing it on Amazon.”
Sallie Crotty, who wrote a poem published in the book Sunday Coffee, said the anthology contains a myriad of powerful writers who speak with diverse, lyrical voices in multiple genres and sub-genres. Crotty finds herself randomly picking up the book and enjoying whatever she flips open to.
“I am honored and grateful to have my poem included in this anthology,” Crotty said. “In addition, the cover of the anthology is stunning. Wow! Just amazing. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow community.”
Other writers who contributed to the Dairy Hollow Echo have been enthusiastic in their praise of the book’s design and content:
“I just received some print copies I ordered of the Dairy Hollow Echo and am impressed with the quality of this book. I can’t wait to read every one of the stories and poems. Just by perusing it, the outstanding quality is obvious. It is an amazing collection of top-notch writing, and it is clear it took substantial effort to produce it. Thanks so much for this effort in support of writers.” Nikki Hanna, Author, Speaker, and Writing Coach
“A tour d’art – You are an amazement. Congratulations!” Wendy Taylor Carlisle, Poet
“The book looks fab.” Zeek Taylor, Artist and Author
“The book is beautiful! I am so honored to have my poem “Seashells” a part of this creative project!” Anna Gall, Poet
“What a beautiful anthology! Thank you so much for your recognition of my piece, “My Red Shoes,” on my little sister who bravely lived a life challenged with cerebral palsy. She helped shape my life and set the bar for the type of person I aspire to be.” Annie Klier Newcomer, Poet