Back the HERitage Volume 3 Kickstarter

A tale of At the Table: When History Needed One More Voice

Forty miles.

That’s how far sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington rode through rain and darkness in April 1777 to rally four hundred militia members against British forces. Forty miles of muddy terrain, dangerous woods, and zero streetlights. Paul Revere? Twelve miles. But you know his name, and until recently, most people had never heard of Sybil.

Fast-forward one month. May 1777, somewhere in the Hudson Valley. General George Washington sits down to dinner with his senior officers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Colonel Henry Ludington, and the Colonel’s daughter Sybil—the girl who just saved their campaign.

---

---

Washington thanks her. Politely. Then immediately downplays what she did.

Because she’s sixteen. And female.

In real history, Sybil stayed silent. Never met Washington. Never pressed for women to have their rightful place in the history books. She disappeared from the story we tell about America’s founding. But what if she hadn’t?

The HERitage Anthology Asks: What If?

This is the third year of the HERitage Anthology Kickstarter—our third volume of stories that reimagine history through women’s eyes. Not alternate history that changes facts. Aspirational history that explores what could have been if women had been allowed to speak.

Volume 3 continues the tradition with stories about Mulan, Cleopatra, Bessie Coleman, Mary Shelley, Ada Lovelace, and more. Women who changed their corners of the world but were never given the chance to change all of it.

And yes, Sybil Ludington—who rode forty miles, sits down to dinner with Washington and Hamilton in this tale, and this time actually speaks up.

My Story: When She Finally Says It Out Loud

In my version, Sybil doesn’t stay quiet.

She looks at Washington, at Hamilton, at Madison, and she says what should have been obvious: Women who risk their lives for this country deserve to vote. To serve in government. To have the same rights you’re fighting to secure.

With Madison’s support and Hamilton’s sharp political mind helping make the case, Sybil goes the distance. Step by step. Argument by argument. She doesn’t just change one dinner conversation. She changes the Constitution. The Bill of Rights. The entire trajectory of American history.

What if women had been voting since 1776 instead of 1920? What if abolition had come fifty years earlier, before the Civil War tore the country apart? How many lives saved? How many families kept whole?

These aren’t idle what-ifs. They’re reminders that history’s worst tragedies weren’t inevitable. They were choices.

Immortalize Yourself By Buying a Seat at the Table Have your name become a character in the story! Here’s where you come in. Back the HERitage Volume 3 Kickstarter at the Butlerization level (named after Octavia Butler, who taught us that reimagining history is transformation), and your name becomes a character in that pivotal May 1777 dinner. Picture it: Washington. Hamilton. Madison. Colonel Ludington. Sybil. And you. You’re there when history changes. Maybe you’re one of Washington’s officers who finally sees a woman’s courage properly honored. Maybe you’re the voice that backs up Sybil’s argument. Maybe you’re the one who makes sure this moment gets written down for posterity. Your Butlerization includes: Your name as a character in this game-changing scene Paperback edition of HERitage Anthology Volume 3 Ebook edition Your name in the acknowledgments The knowledge that you’re supporting stories that ask the most important question: What if we’d been better, sooner?

I’ve been a proud contributor to this outstanding collection of alternate history tales since volume one and am eager to share all the tales that will come to be in the newest volume. We’ve got a few days left on the Kickstarter (ending 2/28). Consider pre-ordering a copy of the newest volume today and share in the adventures of these remarkable women. These tales venture into the past in order to change the future. As always in these upbeat, optimistic alternate histories, the permanent, noticeable change benefits women across the globe and raises their status in society.

This round of tales will visit with Mulan, Mary Shelley, AEthelflaed of Mercia, Penthesilea, Liu Chuyu, Dr. Cecilia Payne, Cleopatra VII, Sybil Ludington, Bessie Coleman, Ada Lovelace, Mulan, and Topsannah Parker. With Rigel Ailur (also the editor of the anthology), Lorraine J. Anderson, Wanda Christy-Shaner, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Hardy, David McDonald, Donna J. W. Munro, Keith DeCandido, Marguerite Reed, Victoria Scott, Susan Shwartz, Mariah Southworth, and myself.

In past volumes, I’ve contributed tales of Boudica beating back the Roman Empire and the friendship that advanced education for women with Maria Ana Mozart and Caroline Herschel. This time, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, we’ll go back to the American Revolution, the creation of the Constitution, and how changes to the Bill of Rights could’ve affected our young nation’s journey as it struggles to find itself.

Why This Matters Now

The HERitage series isn’t about pretending history didn’t happen the way it did. It’s about honoring what should have been. It’s recognizing that Sybil’s silence wasn’t her choice—it was imposed. That countless women were at the table but never invited to speak.

Every story in this anthology asks: What if one more person at that crucial moment had said, “Wait. She deserves to be heard”?

That person could be you. Literally.

The HERitage Anthology Volume 3 Kickstarter is live now at HERitageAnthology.com