The Artstars: Stories, Paperback

Enticing, heart wrenching, and darkly funny, the interconnected stories in The Artstars are set in creative communities--an art school, an illegal loft studio, a guerrilla street performance troupe--where teamwork and professional jealousy mix, and the artists grapple with economic realities and evolving expectations. A middle-aged poet, reeling from 9-11, fights homesickness, writer's block, and ladybugs at an artist's colony. A new empty-nester finds a creative outlet in her community garden, but gets tangled up in garden politics. As the characters pass through each other's stories, making messes and helping mop them up, some find inspiration in accidents; others are ready to quit art completely. Together, they stumble through the creative process, struggling to make art and find the spark of something new and original within themselves. In a world where the odds of becoming a star are nearly impossible, The Artstars tells the stories of those who dare to dream.

Anne Elliott has been a sculptor, English teacher, performance poet, waitress, Wall Street analyst, ukulelist, costume stitcher, database programmer, and publisher of tiny books. She now lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband and many pets. For more information, visit www.anneelliottstories.com.