Hi Cassie, Thank you for answering our call and contributing to our cause. Can you tell us and our readers a little a bit about yourself?

I am a queer, ecofeminist poet, novelist and essayist living in the deep red south of the United States with my wife, dog and chicken. My latest book is Beaver Girl, an apocalyptic, climate collapse novel published as a collaboration with Anxiety and Outcast Presses.

https://www.cassiepremosteele.com

Foodbanks have become a part of our life. What started as a means to support those in financial difficulty has now turned into a long-term lifeline for many. Do you think that we will ever be free of them, or do you believe they will be here to stay?

Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers’ families came to America from Ireland, and I’ve done a good deal of research and writing about the Irish famines and the “soup kitchens” that originated during what was largely an English-led forced starvation for political and economic reasons, and the intergenerational trauma that Irish Americans carry as a result. I would highly recommend people check out Sinéad O’Connor’s song, “Famine,” for an excellent summation of this as only she can do, Rest In Power.

But to answer your question, we have to start looking at the historical, political and cultural structures beyond the “family unit” or “individual economics” if we are ever to shake loose the stranglehold that hunger has on so many in different nations and circumstances.

As an overseas contributor, what do you make of Britain’s dramatic reliance on foodbanks? How is this different or similar to your own country?

One of the things that makes America interesting (and certainly not great, in my opinion) is our reliance on self-reliance: the idea of volunteerism and “neighbors helping neighbors” that takes the structural, corporate and government entities off the hook when things go sideways. This comes from a Calvinist Puritan, pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstraps origin, and it means people blame themselves for poverty and hunger. And it also makes those who volunteer or help out in ad hoc ways feel like they’re being good people without really eliciting any lasting change or social justice.

There has got to be a better way. There is, I believe, and with books like Hunger, we are on the way.

Here at Urban Pigs Press we believe that the indie writing scene is an incredible place of support. From fellow writers to zines and indie presses. Who is your favourite writer in the indie community and why?

I just finished reading The Hard Road by Brendan Heneghan, a fellow Outcast Press author, and it is stark, funny, philosophical, and truth-telling in an era where these qualities are in danger of extinction.

Tell us about your latest work? Do you have any books you would like our readers to know about?

I’d love for people to check out Beaver Girl. It’s unusual in that it has both human and animal narrators, it incorporates the science about beavers as a keystone species that helps support all life on earth, and it doesn’t shy away from topics such as climate collapse, pandemics, partisan politics, queer families, violence, and guns – and there is a surprise ending.

People can get their hands on the first chapter at https://www.cassiepremosteele.com/beaver-girl.html

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

Your call for submissions for the Hunger anthology drew me in immediately. I truly believe writers and artists are being called to step up and use our talents in exactly these collective and revolutionary ways right now, and I thank you for it.

Thank you, James, for this opportunity, as well.

Thank you for taking the time to answer. Really great responses here and so good to see the differing yet still common feelings of our contributors. Beaver Girl is certainly one we will have to add to our list. We’re pretty big on creatures here! Your story Crunch literally could have gone anywhere, yet the ending was not what I expected at all. I think this one will really resonate with a great number of readers.

“Crunch” starts out as the tale of a woman who has gained weight after becoming a mother and spins into something bizarrely sexy.

Read it in the Hunger anthology from March the 11th.

Cassie Premo Steele, Ph.D., is the author of 18 books, including 7 books of poetry and 3 novels. Her latest novel is Beaver Girl, a novel championing the growing recognition of this keystone species as a climate change hero. Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize 7 times and has won numerous awards, including the Archibald Rutledge Prize named after the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina, where she lives with her wife. Her website is www.cassiepremosteele.com

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New release date for the HUNGER anthology!

11/03/24

We have slightly delayed the release date for the HUNGER anthology by a few days and have now scheduled it for the 11th March. We always expected a challenge and this beast has certainly been that. We think you’ll agree that it will be worth the wait and we look forward to sharing this fantastic collection with everyone on our new date.

Initial release will be through Amazon and Kindle but we hope to have physical copies in local book shops soon after. One place you can be sure to find this incredible collection will be Dial Lane Books in Ipswich. Andrew has been as much a part of this fantastic cause as all our contributors. We couldn’t be any more excited to share this with everyone. 23 different authors have given up their time and talent to help us make a difference to those in need and we are beyond grateful to each and everyone one of you. Jo Andrews has gone above and beyond to deliver us a cover that represents everything we set out to do. Cody Sexton has also contributed with an incredible piece of talent for our title page. We are both proud and humbled by the incredible efforts of everyone involved. Stephen J. Golds and Rob Jelly (BBC Suffolk) have also given their time to praise this darkly beautiful collection.

As part of our promotion for the anthology we will be posting interviews from the authors involved. Judging by some of the answers given already, I can confirm that we really have discovered a great bunch of humans in this anthology.

This book won’t put an end to poverty or hunger. Neither will it change the agendas of our politicians. But it will make a direct impact to a few of those we hope to represent. And for now, we’ll take it. So, please set that date in your calendar and help us to make that difference.

The Hunger anthology is a collection of 23 stories by 23 different authors. Tales of brutal reality, dark horror, gritty crime and dark humour sprawled out upon each page. Each story delivering a unique take on the prompt HUNGER. A true representation of some of the strongest talents within the writing community.

“A collection of stories that are as close to the bone in literary class as they are in their scathing analysis of a broken society.”

– Stephen J. Golds

Author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone

“Part social commentary, part linguistic showcase, the authors of Hunger share such thought-provoking stories of a feeling that no-one is alienated from.
Some will leave you angry, some will leave you grateful and some will leave you with questions.
I would say it was a joy to read but more accurately, I am a more rounded-person for reading it.
You’re about to go on a journey. Where to? You will know when you get there.”

– Rob Jelly