Women Who Overcome Patriarchy Focus Of 'Rising And Other Stories'

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Thursday evening, award-winning author Gale Massey's book, "Rising And Other Stories," launches at Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg.

Massey, of St. Petersburg, will have a virtual discussion via Tombolo Books about the multiple stories in her novel that share a theme of objectified women whose once quiet strength perseveres, helping them to overcome limitations placed on them. From the panicked mother in "Racine," who escapes to the ocean, and a young girl's discovery of her parents' differing takes on racial equality in "Glass," to the inevitable end in "Marked" and the gamble in "Not So Fast," these stories show how simple twists of fate can change a person forever, a news release said.

"I am drawn to write stories about girls and women living on the edge, in circumstances where getting by and surviving day to day is the main goal," Massey told Patch in an interview. "And I love seeing an interesting stranger and pondering the question of what life choices they made to get where they are today."

Massey once wrote an entire novel based on seeing a woman of about 20 years old playing professional poker. She was inspired to write a story when she saw a young woman in an Army uniform, which caused her to wonder about what led her to turn into a soldier.

"Curiosity is the root of every story I write," Massey said.

Massey pulled from some of her life experiences and from the experiences of artists to develop characters in this book.

"Artists who were raised in poverty, but find a way to break through and find outlets for their voice have an obligation to tell the stories of people still living in similar circumstances. There are many small moments from my early life that made their way into these stories. As a writer, I draw on memory. I think my memory is peculiar in that sometimes it's that smallest detail from a day many years ago that will inspire a story in a certain direction," she said.

If any of the female characters in "Rising And Other Stories," had a role model, Massey said it would be Francis McDormand, an artist dedicated to telling women's stories and struggles to exist in entities beyond the patriarchy.

Tombolo's virtual book event featuring Massey and "The Thing about Florida" local author, Tyler Gillespie starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit Tombolo Books and Gale Massey's website.

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