The Wessex Collective

R.P. Burnham

R.P. Burnham edits The Long Story and has published fiction and essays in many literary magazines. The Least Shadow of Public Thought, a book of his essays was published in 1996 by Juniper Press. He is married to Kathy Fitzpatrick.

The Many Change and Pass

ISBN: 978-0-9766274-9-4

312 pages
Price: $18.00

"R.P. Burnham's The Many Change and Pass is a novel of social issues and ideas on life, love, poverty and politics. A child is poisoned by illegally dumped mercury. An eco-activist challenges the status quo. Fully realized characters gain, lose, triumph and show themselves capable of life transforming change. Small town Maine has never been more vividly drawn. Challenge yourself. Read this book." - Laurel Speer poet and retired reviewer for The Small Press Review

The Many Change and Pass is the third novel set in the same small town in Maine that explores the serious issues of the day.

Envious Shadows
ISBN 0-9766274-2-6
Price: $11.50

"Envious Shadows is a deftly crafted, engrossing comtemporary novel, one of those works that is not afraid to face the grim realities of life and the cruelties of society as well as the redeeming power of love... A beautiful work that depicts life in all its grim realities, Envious Shadows is a rewarding read." -Mayra Calvani, Bloomsbury Review, Vol. 25, No. 4 (July/August 2005), pp 27-28.

"R.P. Burnham has given us a full blooded novel, driven by plot, character and issues of racism, sexism, infidelity, the struggle to survive economically in a small Maine town, and the overarching love that can redeem us from sorrow and loss. This is a book that will provoke thought, feeling and rage at hatred and inequity. Surely this is the most we can ask of any writer when we pick up his book." -Laurel Speer, poet and former columnist for Small Press Review

On a Darkling Plain
by R. P. Burnham

ISBN 0-9766274-5-0

Price: $12.95

Samuel Jellerson, 56 and forced into early retirement, is walking in the woods behind the family farm in Maine one fall day when he witnesses a priest molesting a boy. From this one event all the action in the novel follows and draws a wide cross section of the town—a frantic mother, an idealistic teenage girl, a brooding, alienated young man, a priest, a minister, a swamp yankee, a lonely old man, a happy-go-lucky plumber, and many others—into a theme that explores the nature of evil and its antidote empathy, the force that creates community, fellow-feeling and a sense of responsibility to others.

"Burnham’s love for writing comes across in each sentence. True to his style, he relies mostly on narration, depth of theme and deft characterization to bring his story across. As in his previous novel, Burnham seems to have an inkling for controversial themes, which he handles excellently well. For the serious reader, this is a most rewarding and insightful read, and one I can highly recommend." – Mayra Calvani in The Midwest Book Review