The six writers who were in attendance at the Hockessin BookShelf on July 20 were there for one primary reason: they have been or are about to be published in Braving Veracity, an anthology series created by Candida “Dida” Gazoli to support local women and non-binary writers, “who have poignant truths to share about themselves and their family life.”

Gazoli started the Braving Veracity project in 2020 to create a platform for women’s voices. Braving Veracity Vol. 1 was released in July 2020, Vol. 2 in April 2021 and Vol. 3 in July 2023. The fourth installment of the anthology is currently set for release in late August to early September.

“What the anthology became is a platform for painful stories, poignant, but difficult stories to share,” Gazoli said.

Each edition of the anthology centers on a shared theme with Vol. 3 focusing on the influence of men in the writers’ lives. Kennett resident Monica Fragale has contributed a piece entitled, “Inside the Elephant’s Shoes,” about how her life changed when her husband became quadriplegic. Heather Drake of Landenberg wrote a piece titled, “Daddy’s Girl,” about her father relapsing when she was a teen.

“What’s great is all these women sharing our truths, it’s unapologetic and just so raw and beautiful,” Fragale said.

In addition to the published works, Gazoli also organizes two retreats a year for the writers to dedicate time to their craft away from outside distractions. Gazoli also offers funding for therapy services to support the writers through the vulnerable process.

“Memoir writing can trigger a lot of pain if you have a compelling story to share but you’re still living in that story,” Gazoli said.

Both Fragale and Drake also recognized the project for the community and support it has fostered. Having not found writing groups such as this one before, many of the Braving Veracity writers were first introduced to the project through Gazoli’s writing workshops at the Kennett Library. Gazoli started hosting writers’ workshops just before the pandemic to give back to the community and help writers who had compelling stories but, “didn’t know how to get them on the page.”

Drake was one of those writers and said that although she has been writing all her life, this is her first time being published. Despite feeling intimidated by the caliber of the other writers around her, she described the process as a “dream come true.”

“There’s some very talented, heartfelt, honest people that are a part of this,” Drake said. “I always look forward to getting together with all of them because it’s just cool to be in the room with them.”

Others such as author Kate Braithwaite, who has published four novels and is included in Braving Veracity Vol. 2, may be no stranger to the publishing process but still emphasized the importance of having a writing community. Braithwaite shared that while she used to attend workshops and courses while living outside of Toronto, Canada, similar opportunities are hard to find here but are made that much more significant because of it.

“Here we are quieter, and there are some small groups but that’s why something like this is great,” she said. “You meet other people that are spending time writing because it feels kind of like a weird thing to do,” she said.

Building and fostering a supportive community of local writers is paramount to the Braving Veracity mission. While “veracity” is defined as the “power of conveying or perceiving truth,” “braving” in the case of these writers is the process of sharing one’s raw, vulnerable and true story in a community of support.

The Braving Veracity writers emphasized that writing, as with any creative process, is an intimidating and revealing endeavor but as Drake summarized, “Once you get in and find your people, it’s amazing.”

To learn more about Braving Veracity and to purchase all three volumes of the anthology, visit www.bravingveracity.com.