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What is Metastasis?
me•tas•ta•sis :noun, plural me•tas•ta•ses
1. Pathology .
a. the transference of disease-producing organisms or of malignant or cancerous cells to otherparts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.
b. the condition produced by this.
2. Transformation
– Random House Dictionary
Are you alone? If not, take note of the two closest people. If you are, imagine the two most important people in your life are sitting next to you: one on your left and one on your right. Now know this. At some point one of the three of you will be infected with cancer. Actually, if you imagined one or more men with you, chances are that two of you will suffer from it.
Sorry if you find that an unpleasant thought, but those are the statistics. The older I get the scarier those statistics become. But I know I’m not alone. Cancer scares us. It’s the slow death sentence, the wasting disease of mystery. For all that science has learned about cancer there is still so much we do not know. Worse, there is no shortage of people who will pray upon our fears to spread misinformation.
To help combat this uncertainty WolfSinger Publications has released Metastasis, a charity anthology to benefit cancer research. Edited by Rhonda Parrish, the collection contains 26 speculative fiction stories and poems. Each story examines the impact of the disease. None of them flinch away. For example, my own story, “Next Placement”, deals with how cancer treatment can damage an individual’s sexual identity.
It was not a simple story to write. But the moment I read the open call for submissions, I knew I had to submit something. I am no stranger to cancer. Several of my friends and family have felt cancer’s touch. In fact, on the day Metastasis was released I learned that my beloved 10 year old corgi had nasal carcinoma. He’s fighting it now, but there is no cure. My family must one day make the tough call to throw the towel in on his fight.
Again I know I’m not alone. The numbers don’t lie.
So aside from raising awareness, how does this anthology help? Over 62% of all proceeds from the sale of Metastasis are being donated to the American Cancer Society. WolfSinger Publications recently announced that Metastasis was their best selling print book for 2013. That’s good news. Not just for the authors involved, but for cancer research as well. But it would be sweeter if we could keep the momentum going.
I won’t lie to you. Metastasis is not an easy read. But I think it is a damn good one. Make no mistake; the stories inside it will make you forget your cares. Just not in the traditional sense.
Metastasis can be bought from the following places:
You can learn more about Steve Lickman at his website, beerandmonsters.com