Introduction to the Apricity Anthologies
Anthology as the New Nonfiction
At Apricity Publishing, we believe the anthology is not nostalgic. It is necessary.
We are living in a moment that favors curated information around any given topic. Readers want intelligence without excess, depth without dilution. They want to understand an issue from multiple vantage points without being confined to a single voice for hundreds of pages. They want range, contrast, contradiction, synthesis. An anthology allows that. It gathers perspective rather than dictates it. It acknowledges complexity rather than smoothing it over.
And it does something else that feels increasingly urgent.
History was once confirmed through letters. Letters were intentional and finite. They were written with an awareness that they might be reread, preserved, interpreted. Today we generate thousands of emails, posts, and fragments of commentary, but very little is curated. The volume is staggering. The record is messy. We are communicating constantly, yet we are not meaningfully collecting ourselves.
The anthology, done well, becomes a modern archive. A deliberate gathering of voices around a single subject. A timestamp. A record of how a moment felt from different angles. It restores discernment. It restores editorship. It restores intention.
Curation is not a decorative word for us. It requires judgment. It requires restraint. It requires the willingness to say this belongs and this does not. In a world flooded with content, curation is leadership.
The anthology is also uniquely suited to organizations built around shared purpose, professional networks, civic institutions, industry groups whose members share ambition, experience, and hard-won insight. Within those memberships are stories and lived intelligence that deserve thoughtful presentation.
An annual anthology creates a permanent artifact of that community. It allows members to contribute essays, reflections, fiction, interviews, or perspective. It becomes something they can purchase, gift, and archive. It strengthens identity through documentation.
Not every member is a writer. That is not an obstacle. At Apricity Publishing, we have the writers. We collaborate. We edit. We shape. We help translate lived experience into strong prose without losing the voice behind it. Our role is to elevate the work while preserving authenticity.
We see the anthology as the new nonfiction. Collective rather than singular. Precise rather than sprawling. Curated rather than chaotic. This is how we gather ourselves.
Apricity will be announcing several anthologies shortly. Below we introduce the first anthology Apricity Publishing has in the hopper.
Christine Merser, Founder
Frances Pearson, Publisher
2026 Anthologies
The America 2026 Anthology
In 2026, politics was not background noise. It altered the temperature of rooms. It determined who felt safe speaking and who chose silence. It reshaped workplaces, classrooms, churches, and dinner tables. It moved from cable news panels into marriages, into friendships, into the way we measured trust.
For some, the country no longer resembled what they believed it was. For others, it finally did.
The language changed. The rules felt different. Certainty cracked. Allegiance hardened. What had once felt theoretical became personal, and what was personal became political.
Apricity Publishing will release a December 2026 anthology exploring this turning point in American life. The collection will feature three nonfiction pieces and three works of fiction that examine how political forces seep into private spaces, shaping relationships, identity, ambition, fear, loyalty, and daily experience. We are inviting submissions in both categories.
What did you witness that others overlooked? What shifted quietly, or all at once? What truth, observation, or story now insists on being told?
Additional Anthologies will be announced shortly. Stay tuned.
“We’re looking for work that comes from proximity. From having lived inside this moment rather than commenting on it from a distance. The strongest submissions will feel grounded, specific, and deeply human.”
- Frances Pearson
A Sample of Titles Published by Apricity Publishing
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About Apricity Publishing
Apricity Publishing is an independent press focused on disciplined nonfiction and narrative-driven work.
While this is our first anthology project, it is not our first publication. Our books are developed through a rigorous editorial process and professionally edited, designed, and distributed through major retail channels.
This anthology will be produced with the same standards we apply to all Apricity titles, with careful attention to craft, clarity, and presentation.