You may remember a few months back we ran a Kickstarter Watch for a feminist zombie-bike anthology called Peddle Zombies. Well, after that was successfully funded the amazing people at Microcosm Publishing decided to push forward with their latest project. The Velocipede Races, penned by Emily June Street looks to follow the journey of a young woman who wishes to succeed where she has been told she cannot. In a magical world set apart from our own, there’s a bicycle race that she’s not been allowed to enter, and she has decided to defy the odds and achieve her dream regardless of the cost.
Have you ever dreamed of being an astronaut? A ballerina? A politician? A doctor? And has someone else, or even just a voice in your head, told you that you can’t do it, that you would fail, that the world wouldn’t approve, just because of who you are?
Set in the imaginary city of Seren, the story follows Emmeline Escot, a teenage heroine with a rich internal life who seeks to become a pioneer in the all-male sport of racing bicycle-like velocipedes. Her singleminded pursuit of her dream has a series of unexpected and often-disastrous consequences, leaving the very real question open: Will she prevail in the end?
It is a part of a bigger series, Bikes in Space, which incorporates the art of bicycling into a number of women-centric stories. The stories aim to support and encourage women to achieve even when people tell them they can’t, and to throw off the societal weights that force them down and away from their dreams. Microcosm publishing goes to great length to produce stories that are not only good, but that carry an important message to women across the country.
The best part? This project is already funded. That means if you back it now, you’ll definitely have a piece of the project to carry off with you once the campaign is complete. With a stretch goal defined, there’s a chance to boost the book all the more and lengthen its reach. You’ll not only be supporting a small, independent publisher, but an author, and a powerful story.
Don’t wait! Check out The Velocipede Races on Kickstarter now, peruse the rewards, and reap the benefits of supporting this story in its infancy.