Twisting Topeka

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We each experience and envision our own version of Topeka. In these stories, 18 writers twist the past and future to explore alternate possibilities for our community. These stories will make you question what you know about the past and frighten you about what the future could hold. What if....? Read this collection from the 2016 Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Community Novel Project.We each experience and envision our own version of Topeka. In these stories, 18 writers twist the past and future to explore alternate possibilities for our community. These stories will make you question what you know about the past and frighten you about what the future could hold. What if....? Read this collection from the 2016 Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Community Novel Project and don't miss the exclusive author interviews at the end of the book to discover memorable moments, inspiration behind the stories, writing process, and what real-life twists for Topeka the authors fear. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR TWISTING TOPEKA“A rich collection of talent and imagination. The diversity of the stories is stunning, but they share one thing in common--each one will make you think.”—R.L. Naquin, author of the Monster Haven series“An eclectic collection of stories that will be entertaining for fans of short form literature.”—James Young, author of Acts of War“TWISTING TOPEKA—time travel, tricks / turbulent & terrifying times / tunnels / tragedy, treasure, triumphs / trysts & twists—NOT your typical Topeka tales.”—L.J. Williams, author of The Crystal Egg“The 18 short stories in this book twist the past and warp the future, challenging the reader to imagine ‘what if?’”—Angel Edenburn, author of Night Blind“Welcome to a world where nothing is as it seems. The stories, characters, and prose flow from each story like interwoven chains. Authors turn Kansas history upside down and inside out, giving us alternate timelines and new spins on the ordinary. Fellow Topekans, watch out! History is about to get twisted.”—Romualdo R. Chavez, author of El VampiroContents include:1.What Fate Ordains by Diana MarshWhat if the Apollo moon landing ended differently?2.Native Son by Marian RakestrawWhat if John Steuart Curry had stayed to finish his Capitol murals?3.The Printed Word by Miranda Ericsson KendallWhat if the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library made the decision to go bookless in 2026?4.Tovarishch O’Sullivan by Craig PaschangWhat if the Soviets had won the cold war by winning the hearts and minds of the people of America’s heartland?5.Test Year by Jamie CrispinWhat if parallel worlds did exist? 6.Proclaim the New Name by Duane L. HerrmannWhat if you had to travel to Chicago to gain inspiration for action in Topeka?7.Cleansing Waters by C.R. KennedyWhat if a vivacious young woman showed compassion to a distraught stranger in the rock garden at Gage Park?8.As Mercy Would Have It by Annette Hope BillingsWhat if the death of a little girl did not mean the end of her life?9.Underground Ark by Reaona HemmingwayWhat if a nuclear holocaust made the surface of Earth toxic, and a group of Kansans survived in a bunker underground?10.Shake, Rattle and Roll by Roxanna NameyWhat if the earth shook?11.Black Blizzard by Vernon NeffWhat if an extended drought turned a future Topeka into a perpetual twilight of dust and grit?12.A Library for Every Kid by S. R. ThompsonWhat if there was a library on almost every corner in Topeka and it didn’t cost the people of Shawnee County one red cent?13.The Jesse Owens Effect by Ian HallWhat if Alf Landon beat Teddy Roosevelt in the 1936 Presidential election?14.Happiness is a Cold Pistol by Paul SwearingenWhat if she had decided to shoot?15.Psychic Shift by Annabelle CorrickWhat if two errant children surprised a psychiatric patient into sanity?16.Tunnels by Leah SewellWhat if the Topeka State Hospital was destroyed?17.Love and Friendship by Lissa StaleyWhat if online public school was the only option for Kansas teens?18.Dance with the Devil by Aimee L. GrossWhat if the WW II headquarters of the OSS was actually Menninger Clinic, recruiting locals to catch an enemy spy ring in Topeka?