The Story
What's it like when a complete unknown is actually close family? In Relative Strangers: Inheritance, Identity, and the Meaning of Kinship-a provocative anthology curated by B.K. Jackson, with a foreword by Libby Copeland, 28 acclaimed and emerging writers explore the transformative experience of encountering unknown close relatives. These are intimate stories by those who've spent years longing and searching for their unknown biological families and by others shocked to discover they have parents or siblings they never dreamed of-blindsiding revelations that demand both a radical recalibration of identity and a redefinition of family. Each addresses the myriad emotions that arise in the wake of these discoveries and encounters, demonstrating that what we don't know can hurt us, that secrets are toxic, and that truth can bring healing, redemption, and, sometimes, estrangement. Woven through is a universal question: What does it mean to be family?
Author: B. K. Jackson
Publisher: Elj Editions
Published: 06/16/2026
Pages: 204
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.53lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9781942004967
About the Author
Jackson, B. K.: - B.K. (Kate) Jackson is an author; a developmental editor and a certifiedbook coach; and a journalist with bylines in HuffPost, The Los Angeles Times, The Sun, SurvivorLit, Whale Road Review, Hippocampus Magazine, WIREDand more. She earned a BA and an MA from UCLA. Kate is the founderand editor of Severance (severancemag.com), a magazine and communityfor adoptees and individuals who've discovered misattributed parentage.She's revising a memoir about maternal abandonment and family secrets.She lives in Milford, Pennsylvania. Find her at www.bkjacksonwriter.com, creativelyadhd.substack.com, and halfasorrow.substack.com.
Description
What's it like when a complete unknown is actually close family? In Relative Strangers: Inheritance, Identity, and the Meaning of Kinship-a provocative anthology curated by B.K. Jackson, with a foreword by Libby Copeland, 28 acclaimed and emerging writers explore the transformative experience of encountering unknown close relatives. These are intimate stories by those who've spent years longing and searching for their unknown biological families and by others shocked to discover they have parents or siblings they never dreamed of-blindsiding revelations that demand both a radical recalibration of identity and a redefinition of family. Each addresses the myriad emotions that arise in the wake of these discoveries and encounters, demonstrating that what we don't know can hurt us, that secrets are toxic, and that truth can bring healing, redemption, and, sometimes, estrangement. Woven through is a universal question: What does it mean to be family?
Author: B. K. Jackson
Publisher: Elj Editions
Published: 06/16/2026
Pages: 204
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.53lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.47d
ISBN: 9781942004967
About the Author
Jackson, B. K.: - B.K. (Kate) Jackson is an author; a developmental editor and a certifiedbook coach; and a journalist with bylines in HuffPost, The Los Angeles Times, The Sun, SurvivorLit, Whale Road Review, Hippocampus Magazine, WIREDand more. She earned a BA and an MA from UCLA. Kate is the founderand editor of Severance (severancemag.com), a magazine and communityfor adoptees and individuals who've discovered misattributed parentage.She's revising a memoir about maternal abandonment and family secrets.She lives in Milford, Pennsylvania. Find her at www.bkjacksonwriter.com, creativelyadhd.substack.com, and halfasorrow.substack.com.
