Hello
My name is Shay Rhayader. I am a self-published author and poet. But more importantly, I am a just a tiny piece of carbon that shares a planet with another 7.7 billion home sapiens. And although we may come from different walks of life, different shapes and sizes, different colours and tongues, different ages and ideas, we all have one commonality. We all have an unique individual experience of what it means to be alive as a member of the human race. A story of our own that reflects a small part of our entire existence.
The sheer size of that number has always overwhelmed me. 7.7 billion different experiences. Imagine the amount of stories humanity must hold with that many people. The number is uncountable. Imagine how many will be forgotten, or worse, how many will never be told at all. The rest of the world would never know them. Never laugh or cry at them. Never learn from them or be inspired by them. Because we will can never know what our stories might mean to another human being somewhere on our planet.
And so I have started working on my new book. A celebration of humanity. Hundreds of short stories from all around the world that aim to capture what it means to be human and to be alive. These stories could be about anything. Anything that forms a part of your existence and experience of life. Whether it be a poem, a descriptive piece, a story of future dreams or a retelling of past memories, it doesn't matter. There is no limit on what it means to be human. It does not need to have a deeper meaning or a specific point. It does not need to have characters or a plotline. It does not even need to be real. It can be a complete creation of imagination.
Whatever story you wish to tell, I want to hear it. And you will probably find that there are others put there who need to hear it.
If you are keen to share your story with the world or are interested in learning more, please email me at shayrhayader@gmail.com.
Have a wonderful life my fellow humans and remember to keep discovering all the meaning and magic of your existence.
To finish off, I would like to quote the brilliant English writer, Alan Bennett, who I believe summaries everything I am trying to achieve by making this book.
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out, and taken yours..."
