Alumni Book Nook: Anne Stang (BA’61, Educ’65, BEd’68)
Retired educator Anne Stang has written her first book, Anna’s Red Purse, a children’s story that celebrates a New Year’s tradition
University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Anne Stang (BA’61, Educ’65, BEd’68) earned two degrees and a diploma at USask before embarking on her career as a teacher—a job that she held until her retirement in 1996. Recently, Stang, who lives in Calgary, Alberta, drew upon her knowledge of children’s literature, her teaching experience, and her own childhood while writing her first book, an illustrated children’s story titled Anna’s Red Purse.
Published by the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, and illustrated by Elizabeth Koch, Anna’s Red Purse is a New Year’s story set in a farming community in the mid-1940s that celebrates the German-Russian tradition of Wünsching. The book was first published in 2023 and, in 2024, a new full-colour, hardcover edition was released. The Green&White asked Stang about what inspired her to write the story and her advice for other USask alumni who may wish to become authors.
Why did you want to write Anna’s Red Purse?
I wrote the book to see my name in print! No, no, no. There were several real motives: to fill a niche about New Year’s stories for children and to tell my ethnic group, Germans from Russia, and a more general audience, about my people’s customs.
What is the focus of the book?
The book’s focus: the custom itself, which was rather unusual, and Anna’s persistence in solving her problem.
What role did your previous employment as a teacher play in writing this book?
My teaching and library experience gave me a good sense of what makes a good story for kids.
What response have you received from readers?
The response has been positive from other Germans from Russia, from people who have never heard of them, from friends and relatives, and (recently) from three classes in an elementary school.
This is your first book. What advice do you have for other USask alumni who may be interested in writing a book?
Be persistent like Anna. Revise, revise, revise, and accept criticism, but know when to ignore it.
What are five adjectives that you would use to describe your book?
Charming, interesting, surprising, beautiful, and informative.