Southshire Roundtable

"In the summer of 2005, Bennington, Vermont-area scriveners formed a local collective: Southshire Roundtable. Its membership spanned widely published veterans and enthusiastic first-timers. The sole entrance requirements were a commitment to writing and a respect for one's peers. At first, I was skeptical. Trust between writers takes time to develop. Will critiques be more polite than honest? Will egos interfere with measured responses? Luckily, our group has skirted these problems. From the start, our bi-weekly meetings have been lively explorations of what does and does not work in a given piece of writing. Mostly, great fun! Before long a core group helped nurture into existence the anthology you now hold. Southshire Pepper-Pot consists of short stories, essays, and poetry written by members of this regional guild. The unifying theme is food. Recipes abound in this anthology, generously slathered atop stories of murder, motorcycles, and environmental ruin..." Introduction by Stefano Donati, Editor

Just what is Pepper-pot? According to the Oxford English dictionary, it is one of two dishes: A West Indian soup of fish, meat or game and vegetables, highly seasoned with spices including the bitter juice of the cassava and hot red peppers. Or the Pennsylvania Dutch version that consists of tripe, kartoffelkloesse, and numerous leftovers from the week before, all generously peppered and set on simmer at the back of the stove. Our adaptation consists of short stories, essays, poetry and recipes; each tempered by slow-rising through winter minds. They are spiced hotly or sweetly, peppered with bitterness and humility, and ultimately served in our best renditions. We proudly introduce Southshire Pepper-Pot:

Thorn Soup and Lost Among the Tuna Trees by Shawn MacKENZIE, Ode to A Hostess Cupcake by Adriana DiGennaro, I'd Have Rescued You Sooner But Seinfeld Was On by Stefano Donati, Charting the Lake of the World and They Were the Unwinged Travelers by Marie White Small, The Day Before the Killing Frost by Bob Williams, Duck's Harbour by Justine Metzler, Good Company by Jane Chamay, A Bittersweet Land by Ed Cyzewski, Dancing with Crawlin' Billy by K.D. Norris, and Dutch Mess by Bruce Lierman.

Southshire Pepper-Pot also includes twenty-seven recipes, from simple offerings to elegant dishes, including beverages, breakfast dishes, desserts, and entrées,

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