Description: This diverse anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction explores the universal agony and hope of waiting.
Brief description: Leslie Greentree is the author of two books of poetry, guys named Bill (2002) and go-go dancing for Elvis (2003), shortlisted for the Griffin Award for Excellence in Poetry. Her short story, The Brilliant Save, was a winner of CBC Radio's annual Alberta Anthology competition. Leslie has read across much of Canada and at the Dublin Writers' Festival. She lives in Red Deer, Alberta. This is her first book of short stories.
Review Quotes: "I would buy this book based on the contributor list alone. The essays are well balanced--short mixed in with long, very well-established writers mixed in with new ones, a variety of approaches and styles, and surprising interpretations of the waiting theme mixed in with more expected explorations. Waiting is as strong a collection as I have read."--Angie Abdou, author of Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom
"A great deal of our lives is spent waiting. As humans we wait for public transit and for food at restaurants and food courts... And we wait for longer, more existential things: the birth of a baby, the progression of an illness, the arrival or departure of a friend or family member, acceptance or rejection of a job opportunity, love. In this edited anthology, a broad array of writers...examine various aspects of why and how we wait."--Quill & Quire
# 2 on Calgary Herald's Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 6, 2018--Calgary Herald
# 9 on Calgary Herald's Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 13, 2018--Calgary Herald
# 2 on Edmonton Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, October 19, 2018
"Each of these thirty-two essays is powerful, distinctive, authentic.... I closed this book feeling that I'd been on thirty-two life journeys.... Waiting is not just filling blank time. It is also about courage and love." [Full review at https: //www.ottawareviewofbooks.com/single-post/2019/02/02/Waiting-An-Anthology-of-Essays-edited-by-Rona-Altrows-and-Julie-Sedivy]--Elizabeth Greene, Ottawa Review of Books
"There's plenty to debate here... These are just a few of the kinds of waiting essayed here, and they are all very much worth reading." Saskatoon StarPhoenix, January 26, 2019 [Full review at https: //thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews-the-literary-history-of-saskatchewan-vol-3-waiting]--Bill Robertson
"Waiting is a universal phenomenon, and in this impressive collection editors Rona Altrows and Julie Sedivy curate a variety of nuanced and distilled personal essays from 32 writers exploring the liminal experiences of people waiting for results, news, change, release or understanding"--Jannie Edwards
#7 on Calgary Non-Fiction Bestsellers list, August 21, 2025