HERE'S A MAP OF WHERE SUBMISSIONS HAVE ARRIVED FROM.  KEEP THEM COMING!

You can see a larger version if you click here. 

08_05_2010

The essays were selected. Photos have been collected. Illustrations have been created (and they are beautiful -- thanks to people much more artistically inclined than I.)

And, happily, a contract has been signed with a publisher!

Tuttle Publishing will be producing the "Tea Memories" anthology. I've been in a crazy rush over the past few months to get the manuscript fully edited and to collect all the other pieces we'd need. It was submitted last week and now, again, I wait. ;)

I am very excited that we've reached this stage of the project. I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to engage personally with each of the authors, but I plan on doing so over the next week or two.

The process has not been without changes, though. We have decided to diversify the essays with some other types of works that I think will make for a really engaging, special volume. The downside is that it means that some of the essays I originally selected will not be able to be included in the print volume. I will be in touch with the authors in the next week to let them know where their essays fall. Any not included in print will be released online.

Congratulations to all of us. Stay tuned!

10_07_2009

I wanted to update everyone on the book's progress since it's been a bit of time since I wrote.  

At this point, if you submitted an essay you should have received a note from me regarding the decision on your piece.  IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE A MESSAGE, drop me a note immediately and I'll let you know where your piece stands!  All decisions have been made at this point.

I am very excited about the authors we are including.  Here's a bit of what I can share with you at this point:

* There are 40 essays in the initial manuscript.  

* Approximately 1/3 of the essayists have previously published books or have books coming out in the next year.

* We have authors from the U.S., Canada, Sweden, South Africa, and Taiwan.

* The essays fall into five major categories: Reverie, Ceremony and Tradition, Connections, Career, and Wanderlust.

* The authors include professional writers, filmmakers, a nurse, a police officer, tea shop owners, a student, a psychologist, a social worker, and a teacher, among others.

There is no projected date yet for publication.  I know that you are all excited to see your work in print.  I assure you that I am working hard to make that happen.  I am making contacts with agents and publishers and promise to keep you up-to-date on progress.

As always, feel free to e-mail me with any questions.  I love hearing from you.  Contact me at teamemories(at)yahoo.com.

09_01_2009

Announcements will be sent out this week regarding inclusion in the Tea Memories anthology.  If you submitted a piece, but don't receive an e-mail by Sept. 7, please e-mail me.

I am still missing a few Publication Release forms.  If you need to have another sent to you, please let me know.

I wanted to share the names of a few more special guest authors who will be part of our little book project:

• Roy Fong, Owner, Imperial Tea Court 
• Laura Childs, Author, Tea Shop Mysteries
• James Norwood Pratt, Author of a number of books including the Tea Lover's Treasury. 

07_28_2009

I wanted to give you all an update on where we are with the project.  I have been busy reviewing essays and starting to make some decisions.  If you have not yet returned your Publication Release Form to me, please send it ASAP so your piece can be considered.   

Another exciting guest author to announce for the project - Elizabeth Knight, author of 2008's "Celtic Tea with Friends." 

06_30_2009

Today's the big day!  The Open Call deadline is today.  We have submissions from four continents - stories about tea travels, working in tea, memories of grandparents, and more.  I look forward to receiving the final batch of submissions today.

    As I mentioned previously, in addition to the "Open Call," I have been soliciting essays from some special guest contributors.  I previously mentioned the contributions from Frank Hadley Murphy, Les Blank, and Babette Donaldson.  Yesterday I received a piece from another guest contributor, Laura Schaefer, author of 2008's "The Teashop Girls." 

    After today's deadline, continue to check this page for more information -- additional guest contributors, the selection process, our journey toward publication, and more!

06_22_2009

I hope those fingers are typing away.  The open call deadline is just 8 days away.  As always, feel free to e-mail me at 

teamemories (at) yahoo.com  if you have any questions about your submission!  And, yes, multiple submissions are permitted.

I'm beginning to think, though, I should just skip the book and collect on some of the many, many UK lotteries I've apparently won over the past few weeks.  (Spam...the gift that keeps on giving.)

06_10_2009 

THREE WEEKS LEFT TO SUBMIT!

I can now announce a few of the contributors who have come on board with the "Tea Memories" project.  In addition to the essayists selected through the open call, the book will include pieces by:

• Frank Hadley Murphy, Author of "The Spirit of Tea"
• Les Blank, Co-Director/Co-Producer of "All in this Tea"
• Babette Donaldson, Author of the Emma Lea Books series

This is just a sneak peek.  There are a number of other authors that I hope to be able to announce in the next couple of weeks.  Stay tuned!

05_22_2009

The deadline approaches!  About 5 1/2 weeks left to submit your entries.  I've seen some great submissions so far and am anxious to see what is waiting in my inbox each day.

To answer a few FAQ:

* Who owns the rights to the submissions?

Authors will be asked to complete Publication Release Forms granting me permission to use their work.  The form grants Tea Memories first world rights for the essays.  After the initial publication, full rights return to the author for reprinting or creating derivative works.  Tea Memories will retain non-exclusive rights for the purpose for future reprinting.

* How will authors be credited?

A brief bio of each author will accompany his/her essay in the publication. 

* Are you accepting poetry or photographs? 

This book is envisioned as strictly a collection of prose essays.  I am happy to accept poetry submissions, but I do not know if there will be the opportunity to include such pieces.  In terms of photographs - I do not currently plan to include photographs.  However, if you feel that the photograph(s) support your essay in some way, you may submit them.  I will retain them with the essay and if plans change, I will send you a separate release form for the photographs.

* How will authors be notified of the decision?

All authors will receive a response regarding their submission sometime in early Fall of 2009 (earlier if possible.)  I will continue to put updates on this page as we near that time.

05_01_2009

The Tea Memories project gets more exciting by the day!  In addition to our open call for essays, we are also getting commitments from a number of influential and special people in various parts of the tea world.  I'll be sure to share some names once I have work in hand and signed publication release forms. To everyone else, keep those submissions coming! TWO MONTHS UNTIL THE DEADLINE!

04_21_2009

Submissions have started to arrive.  I have added a map of places where entries have arrived from.  I'll update this periodically along the way.

You can view the map at the top of this section or click here for a larger version.

03_24_2009

You may e-mail teamemories(at)yahoo.com to be added to the announcement list.  You will only receive e-mails if there are new announcements about the project.  Write "Send E-mail Updates" as your e-mail's Subject line.