My short story collection, This Isn’t New: Women’s Historical Stories, releases on May 21, 2026!
An 1880s theologian. A 1940s high school principal. A 1970s, first-ever-anywhere (she’s pretty sure) female take on Bozo the Clown.
In this collection, Cynthia Swanson explores the lives of nine women, including several ancillary figures from Swanson’s beloved, bestselling novels. Covering more than a century of American history and landscapes, these stories examine recognizable struggles: gender presumptions, body image, gaslighting, and abuse, among others. The women’s lives differ from one another, but they share a singular trait: their sex dictates the expectations stamped onto them. Each woman, in her time, must fight for who she is against the forces working to constrain her.
This Isn’t New asks: What can uniquely female history teach us about our own lives—and how can the power of story inform our choices going forward?
READER REVIEWS are greatly appreciated! This Isn’t New is available on NetGalley for advance reader reviews. If you read the book, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, The StoryGraph, and other book review sites. Thank you!
Preorder links coming soon for print and ebook. Check here for updates!
“Cynthia Swanson’s This Isn’t New collection is as infuriating as it is extraordinary, stories that bring to life more than a century of injustice toward strong women caught up in the social and sexual mores of their era. The title says it all, but the stories themselves demand a cold reassessment of where we’ve been and where we’re going at a time when toxic masculinity has reasserted its unfortunate presence in American culture.”
— Martin J. Smith, award-winning author of Going to Trinidad: A Doctor, a Colorado Town, and Stories From an Unlikely Gender Crossroads
Banner image courtesy Library of Congress (public domain).
