Behold, 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42², or Project 42², filled with time, devotion, and passion. 1,764 micro stories of exactly 42 words, circulated through 42 genres.

Some readers might wonder, “Why 1,764 stories?” 42 stories times 42 genres equals 1,764. Hence, the book’s logo and title having 42². In order to have such an omnium-gatherum of works in one book, the team searched for authors around the world, from East to West. Finding stories for the book proved a challenge. Therefore, anthology staff accepted up to four works, using pseudonyms, from the same author, which were chosen by one critique partner, one story editor, and one reviewer from a staff of 42. The book had to have 1,764 author names in conjunction to the stories. There are still over 1,200 unique writers responsible for writing this anthology. A full list of authors is available within the anthology website, listed in the introduction.

In keeping with the theme, titles of stories are approximately 42 characters and biographies are roughly 42 words. The judges of the 42 Story of Excellence Awards (SOE) were the authors of the Craft of Writing Chapter, and the award for that chapter was selected by judges.

Along with the stories, we found 42 unique works of chapter art from talented artists and photographers. Notably, the Sports chapter has an original high-resolution photo of JACKIE ROBINSON, by PATRICK A. BURNS/The New York Times/Redux, which we purchased the rights to in order to be included in the anthology.

Moreover, the book cover, front and back, has 42 photos on each side, by the talented photographer, KATYA BROWN.

Enjoy the fun, 42 words at a time.