What Is an Anthology?: 4 Notable Examples of Anthologies

An anthology is a collection of literary pieces by various different authors. It can sometimes refer to the collected output of a single author (for instance, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare), but it generally refers to a compilation presenting many different writers.

The term anthology is derivative from the Greek words “anthos”—meaning “flower”—and the synonyms “legein” or “logia”—meaning “gather” or “collect.” In other words, an anthology literally means “a gathering/collection of flowers.”

The term metaphorically referred to a collection of literary works even in the world of the Ancient Greeks, as evidenced by the early anthological work Anthologia Graeca. This conception of compiling various literature as “flower gathering” extended to the medieval period when it was referred to by monks of the era by the Latin term “florilegium.”

Writing for an anthology allows you the opportunity to have your work published alongside like-minded writers and be exposed to a wider audience. Some anthologies, like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, are perennial bestsellers. No matter what type of writing you specialize in—young adult, nonfiction, fairy tales, or something else entirely—odds are there is an existing anthology that publishes work in your genre.

Anthologies stretch across themes, types of literary output, and storytelling mediums. Here are four notable anthologies:

1. 1. Anthologia Graeca: This Ancient Greek collection of writings is an early example of the propensity to gather together the work of various authors. This collection of literary works brings together an assortment of things: poems, epigrams (or sayings), satire, and more. It’s a compilation that allows you to glimpse into the mind of the Hellenistic world.
2. 2. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: This anthology pulls together material stretching back centuries and across continents. Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, American, Egyptian, and West African writers can all be found here, as well as writers from many other countries and backgrounds. As with other esteemed anthologies, new editions are issued occasionally.
3. 3. The Best American Short Stories series: Each year, this anthology series puts out a new story collection of American short fiction. Various authors from the United States—from Amy Tan to Roxane Gay—have served as anthologists (editors) for this yearly miscellany of shorter works.
4. 4. The Best Poems of the English Language: This poetry anthology, a compendium selected by literary critic and compiler Harold Bloom, is annotated with his thoughts on the collection of poems included. The anthology features everyone from Geoffrey Chaucer to T.S. Eliot, and it provides a panoramic view of British and American poetry.

Here are three tips that could be helpful if you aspire to edit—in other words, assemble and publish—an anthology of multiple writers’ works:

1. 1. Decide on a theme. While some anthologies are freeform, most gather together literary works around a theme. All the writers can be from the same locale, each story can share the same genre, every poem could be about love—the choices are limitless, but it will be to your advantage to narrow down what you want your anthology to be about thematically.
2. 2. Make sure you have permission. Unless you’re trying to put together an anthology of works in the public domain, you’ll need to be sure you have permission to publish all the stories and poems you’d like. Get in touch with up-and-coming writers you appreciate and see if they’d be willing to contribute to one of your collections.
3. 3. Solicit entries. You need to generate publicity in order to get writers to contribute to your anthology—when you’re starting out, that can mean just reaching out to them directly. Consider going on writers’ forums and websites and posting a call for submissions.

Check out these three tips on how to contribute to an anthology if your goal is to see your written work published in a collection:

1. 1. Find the right fit. There are more anthologies than you could count out there in the world, so it’s important to narrow down which ones you want to submit to. Maybe you’ve already been working on a story or poem that perfectly fits the mood, theme, and requirements of an anthology. If you haven’t, check out the guidelines for submissions at several anthologies and consider writing something especially for each of them.
2. 2. Stand out. Reading widely—that is, exposing yourself to a variety of authors and types of writing—can be helpful when it comes time to craft a piece that will stand out compared to the other writers published in a given anthology. You should strive to write something that both fits and feels fresh for every anthology to which you hope to contribute.
3. 3. Pitch to multiple places. It helps to cast a wide net when you’re submitting pieces, as there are probably a lot more than just one anthology that publishes the type of writing you’ve produced. Keep writing and scouring the internet and in-person literary circles to find places you can write for and submit to plenty of them.

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