For some reason, being a dad gets forgotten when it comes to art and literature. At least that was the perception of Dan Coxon, editor and curator of a new short story collection, Being Dad.
‘Being Dad started as a project when I began meeting writers within the short story community. I came to realise that many of us are fathers, but that fatherhood is something we don’t often talk about. I’d read many stories about mothers, and motherhood, and the bonds between child and mother… but where were the fathers in this equation? Fatherhood itself is starting to change and develop, as men become more involved and more active in bringing up their children, and society’s expectations shift. Wouldn’t it be interesting to ask these father-writers to explore their experience of fatherhood through fiction?’
Being a dad and a writer has been a significant experience for Dan, and it turned out that the same was true amongst other fathers who also wrote, or writer who became fathers. In Being Dad some of the best short story writers in the UK, established and emerging, explore the topic of fathers and fatherhood. They can be tender, funny, confusing, complex, simple, evocative of the past or thoughtful about the future. Fatherhood isn’t one dimensional, and neither are these stories. Sleep deprivation, pride, father daughter bonds, protectiveness – it’s all there.
At least the stories are. The design, printing and marketing all cost a lot of money, and so Dan is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. It’s a touching and powerful project, full of creativity and feeling. Find out more about Dan on his website and follow the project on Twitter.
