Mariposa is ready to be exposed, again.
The editors of Mariposa Exposed: Vol. 1 are ready to accept submissions for the second edition.
“We realized there were a bunch of people out there who had more stories to tell,” said Dennis Rizzo, who is editing the book with Ross Greenwood.
About a dozen stories didn’t make it into the first edition because there wasn’t room. That book, published in 2016, has sold 1,200 copies. It can still be purchased at Manticore Books in downtown Orillia.
Mariposa Exposed is a collection of true tales about Orillia and area. Many are historical, while others document history in the making, such as the growth of community gardens in Orillia.
The stories can be anecdotes and tales passed down through generations at the dinner table. They need not be about well-known people and events.
“As innocuous or silly as they may seem, we want to know about their families,” Rizzo said. “We know about Stephen Leacock and Sam Steele. We want to know about regular people’s lives and experiences.”
The editors are looking for stories up to about 1,500 words long. Rizzo stressed contributors do not have to be experienced or professional writers. He and Greenwood will be editing the submissions, which will not be published until the writers see the final copy and approve of it.
“Everyone’s got a story to tell. You may not recognize it as a story,” Rizzo said. “If you just let it flow, you’ll remember a story from a relative or a friend.”
The stories should be about people, events or experiences related to the area – about a 50-kilometre radius around Orillia, Rizzo noted.
For more information about submitting a story, email Rizzo at [email protected], Greenwood at [email protected], or [email protected].
Rizzo is hoping to have all stories submitted by February, with a planned release in the spring.
