An Anthology
Aiming for a mid-2026 launch
A note from Esther, founder of The ReWrite Initiative Ltd
and the Fifty Shades of Gender podcast
The idea for the Anthology of HOPE sparked at the end of 2023, after reading a Facebook post from a trans friend (and one of my first podcast guests) about how starting gender affirming HRT (testosterone) did nothing short of saving their life.
It felt incredibly wholesome, uplifting, inspiring, and empowering to read, and I thought, everyone in the trans community needs to know about this kind of experience and have access to these kinds of stories!
Stories of what can be found on the other side of struggle and hardship.
Stories of hope.
I got the idea to collect similar stories with this theme and put them together in a book, which has since expanded to include poetry and art as well. Right now, it is more needed than ever to get these messages in front of people.
There are many experiences and emotions that can give us hope. To me, hope includes resilience, defiance, joy… There are books specifically about trans joy (and I’m so glad they exist, they are much needed!) but this book includes some raw and gritty stuff, too.
In addition to finding delightful things on social media to include in the anthology, I asked my podcast guests to submit something, and then I put out a call for contributions in the podcast intro and on the podcast website. It started off slowly (much like the podcast itself) but contributions started coming in more regularly throughout 2025, and I have received over 80 now! I’m currently going through the process of shortlisting them with my editor, liaising with the contributors, to finalise the pieces that will be included.
I’ve been absolutely blown away and deeply moved by the stories, poems, and art I’ve received for this book, and I’m honoured – and determined – to share them with the world.
Once the book is out, a list of contributors will be added here, with their bios and contact details (for those who opted for that). In the meantime, you can sign up to receive updates by adding your name and email address in the form.
(Note: because we’re using the free MailerLite service right now, the emails will look like you’re subscribing to a newsletter, but rest assured, you’ll only receive updates relating to the anthology. You can unsubscribe any time.)
Contributors
COMING SOON!