We have always lived in uncertain times. But facing a global pandemic tasks us with questioning the things we take for granted ... Everything is disappearing, but we are still here.
 
The Opposite of Disappearing is an encouraging and inspiring collection of contemporary short stories from Australian authors written during the COVID pandemic. 'The centre of the room houses her favourite thing in the space: a dragonfly encased in amber. She loves the thin, delicate markings on its webbed wings, the tiny buds of its antennae. This is history. This is something precious stopped in time. And while it makes her sad to think of how the dragonfly made its sticky end, she thinks how cool is it that time can march on while it lies there, preserved in inexhaustible detail?'
 
A homeless boy walks the city in search of a prized possession. A couple wakes to a day where the sun refuses to rise. Two housemates, reeling from the loss of their friend, are saddled with the care of a pot plant. A new student attempts to include herself in the worst known environment: a new school. A girl, lost in time, adapts to the new normal.
 
These fourteen short stories explore connectivity, resilience, grief and the small ways to navigate the uncertainties of life. Authors include: Sandy Bigna, D. J. Blackmore, Geraldine Borella, Samantha-Ellen Bound, Niko Campbell-Ellis, Peter Clarkson, Kelly Emmerton, Carla Fitzgerald, Kate Gordon, Deborah Huff-Horwood, Elizabeth Macintosh, Laura Norris, Frances Prentice and R. A. Stephens.
 
*Note - my story is called "Paper Crowns" and it is a coming-of-age story set on one night of a family snow trip. A girl is tasked with looking after her little brother, but is desperate to be noticed by her much-older crush. As the snow falls and the cold deepens, she learns harsh, brutal lessons about the responsibilities that come with growing up.*
 
Pub date: September 2021
Price: $17.00
ISBN: 9781761110290
Paperback, 176 pages
198 x 128 mm
YA Contemporary Short Stories