Donna Phillips Explores the Unseen in New Short Story Collection — Among the Reeds and Other Stories of the Supernatural
Author Donna R. Phillips announces the release of her first short story collection, Among the Reeds and Other Stories of the Supernatural, a work that examines how ordinary lives are shaped by extraordinary encounters. Blending emotional realism with the quiet strangeness of the unknown, the collection offers a series of character-driven stories that explore grief, faith, “otherness”, and the subtle ways the unseen weaves into daily life.
Each story in Among the Reeds presents a moment of threshold — between life and death, skepticism and belief, reason and intuition. From a woman whose cancer diagnosis leads her on a path of spiritual discovery, to a young man whose brush with lightning opens a psychic channel that changes his whole life, Phillips writes with precision and empathy about the ways people cope with loss and meaning.
“The supernatural often occurs in ordinary daily life,” said Donna R. Phillips. “A knowingness of who is knocking at the door, a sense that a faraway family member is struggling, or a strong feeling of distrust about a person whose true personality is later exposed. We often have these perceptions, but don’t think of them as supernatural.”
Phillips’ work joins a growing body of contemporary literary fiction that reimagines the supernatural as emotional metaphor rather than genre device. Her restrained, lyrical prose has drawn comparisons to writers such as Marilynne Robinson and Alice Munro, for its focus on interior life and quiet revelation.
Literary readers will find that Among the Reeds speaks to the timeless desire to understand what lingers after loss. The stories invite reflection rather than fear, evoking the kind of haunting that comes not from ghosts, but from love that refuses to disappear.
“Donna Phillips brings a rare sensitivity to the intersection of the visible and invisible,” “Her stories remind us that the supernatural is not apart from life, but stitched through it — an extension of our longing to be seen and remembered.”
Phillips’ collection stands out for its blend of intimacy and universality. The characters — parents, teenagers, seekers, and those living on the fringes of society — reflect the quiet heroism of ordinary people confronting mysteries they can’t explain. With understatement and emotional depth, Among the Reeds captures the fragile line between skepticism and faith that defines so much of modern experience.
About the Author
Donna Phillips is a fiction writer whose work explores the intersections of empathy, perception, and the unseen. Her stories have appeared in literary journals. Among the Reeds and Other Stories of the Supernatural is her first short story collection. Phillips lives and writes in Southern California, where she continues to explore themes of memory, spirituality, and the quiet mysteries of everyday life.