Bonded over shared passions and life experiences, two local authors celebrate release of upcoming books this month
Local authors and friends Whitney Collins, left, and Michelle Hollingshead. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Friendships can have any number of origin stories. They usually begin when people share similar interests and are placed in each other’s company on a regular basis. While many friendships never move beyond the surface-level commonalities, every once in a while, a friendship that started with those basic common interests grows into something deeper. Such was the case for two Lexington women who have built a unique bond around their shared goals, passions, heartaches and successes.
Whitney Collins and Michelle Hollingshead met a couple years ago while playing tennis at a local clinic, and they soon realized that not only were they neighbors in the Kenwick/Mentelle neighborhoods, but also that both were authors. These coincidences certainly fed their initial connections, but soon Collins and Hollingshead would come to learn that they had more in common than anyone could have guessed.
One day while discussing their authorship, it dawned on them that they were both actively writing new books: Hollingshead was working on her first book, a nonfiction work titled “Meaning Indicator: Finding Significance through Challenge, Work and Love,” while Collins was working on her second book, a collection of short stories called “Ricky & Other Love Stories.”
“Meaning Indicator: Finding Significance through Challenge, Work and Love” establishes why we need a new way of thinking about meaning and why we need it now. By introducing four dimensions of meaning – comprehension, purpose, significance and belonging – the book helps its readers explore how to experience meaning through various aspects of their lives, with practical exercises and stories. Collins’ book has been described as a collection of nearly two dozen “dark and derelict” tales that tackle “love and the stories we tell ourselves about it” through humor, horror and elements of Southern Gothic and magic realism.
Not only were these authors simultaneously writing their books, but remarkably, both books are also slated to be released this June.
“The books were being written at the same time, and [now] the books are coming out at the same time, which is really serendipitous,” Collins said. “That’s not normal in the publishing industry to have that kind of synchronicity with someone.”
Whitney Collins’ “Ricky and Other Love Stories” is a collection of short stories that blends elements of Southern Gothic, speculative fiction and horror. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
At this discovery, the two started getting together for coffee and discussing the writing and publishing process. Collins had already gone through the process once before, so she became a valuable aid for Hollingshead. The two met regularly for months, sharing advice and bouncing creative ideas off one another.
“She just kept encouraging me,” Hollingshead recalled. “She’s telling me, ‘You just have to keep going.’ So, I did. And as we continue to work through the steps, a lot of times, one of us will have a creative spark that will then generate a creative spark for the other one. It’s been fantastic.”
In the early days of their meetings, they were both still in the writing stage of their upcoming books. These coffee talks started with a focus on the books but evolved to become a deeper connection as they delved into the similarities and themes that their works were both capturing: primarily, the impacts of our human stories. These authors believe that storytelling and communication are key to the authenticity of human relationships. Not only this, but they share the idea that our stories shape us and give us our personal identity.
“We make meaning through our stories and human experience,” Hollingshead said.
Collins and Hollingshead both understand that people are balancing the complexities of life. Every day on social media and in personal conversations, we see people sharing good news. But these authors believe it is just as important to share the hard times, too. Whether your experience is one of happiness or heartache, challenge or success, they believe you should feel encouraged to share it.
“I don’t feel like anything in life is black and white. In any given day, you’re going to have something funny juxtaposed with something dark or very troubling,” Collins said.
With such a mindset of saving space for others’ stories, the women naturally began to share and explore their own stories together during their meetings. Gradually, the authors discovered their own paths of challenge and love were quite similar.
“I see our lives like a Venn diagram. When we first met, there was nothing but this small overlap,” Collins joked. “Then the more we got to know each other, there became a major overlap in what we had in common.”
Michelle Hollingshead’s debut book, “Meaning Indicator: Finding Significance through Challenge, Work and Love,” explores dimensions of finding meaning. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Of course, they already knew at this point that they were both Lexington authors who lived in the same neighborhood and who both enjoyed an active lifestyle, but through the conversations that followed, the women would discover many other parts of their stories that run parallel. Both women are mothers who had switched careers midlife. And they both had experienced the grief of losing a brother — an event that heavily influenced their lives and books. There are a multitude of other similarities, but above all else, they value their common ground in striving to leave a positive impact through their work.
Today they would tell you that their bond is only growing. What was once a professional relationship has blossomed into a deep friendship that they each describe as supportive, exciting and uplifting. Collins and Hollingshead both told stories of celebrating the other when one of them was being humble about a success.
“I don’t think that there is any competition at all in our friendship. It’s all about, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so excited about what you’re doing. I can’t wait to watch you thrive and the project succeed,’” Collins said. “I’ve never felt an ounce of anything other than excitement.”
Without divulging too much about their upcoming plans, there is more in store for these women. With their book releases coming up soon, they are even planning a collaboration for their launch parties and book signing events.
“It’s been a really supportive friendship, but also, an endeavor that we’ve gone through together. We do very different things, but there’s so much overlap in the passion behind our work and in what we hope that these books bring to other people,” Collins concluded. “We hope to kind of crack people open a little bit.”
Book Release Party
LexArts will host a joint book launch to celebrate the release of Whitney Collins’ and Michelle Hollingshead’s new books at ArtsPlace (161 N. Mill St) on Sat., Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
More information on these books and their authors can be found at the authors’ websites: michellehollingshead.com and whitneycollins.com/ricky.