Safe to Chew: An Anthology

The success of this collection will be measured by whether or not you
find yourself smiling with a tilt of your head and musing to yourself, "I
never would have thought of that." Certainly, this is a new and ambitious
undertaking for Wicwas Press. Our focus and notoriety in recent years
has been on information surrounding the industrious, beloved, mysterious
honey bee and the art of its keeping. We've met with thousands of
beekeepers, authors, scientists and enthusiasts, all of whom have been
drawn together by a spark of curiosity and inspiration-and inspiration
takes many forms. Within these pages, we have attempted to capture and
cultivate that inspiration in a series of essays, poems and stories around
the theme of beekeeping.
Our contributors are not necessarily writers or beekeepers, though
many are or will soon find themselves both. We invited their participation
in the first ever Wicwas Press anthology with the belief that "every
beekeeper has a story to tell" and we were not disappointed. With over
200 unique submissions to the effort by people from all walks of life, we
are humbled by your response. We extend our thanks to everyone who
participated, perhaps especially to those bold individuals whose works
did not make the final cut. Every submission brought with it unique elements
and, ultimately, I hope that we have gathered the most outstanding
representatives of these diverse expressions.
These collected works present themes spanning the breadth of all beekeepers'
experiences and imagination, including stories that explore
beekeeping through the generations, the joyful innocence natural curiosity,
and curious flights of fancy, as well as some of the darkness they experience.