Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block has as much power as afforded, this issue includes:
A sip…
The muse does not descend, however on the ascend will often state, “Let it Burn…”
A shout out…
Ideas, like lightning, can directly, indirectly, or secondarily strike; unlike lightning, ideas do not necessarily terminate after propagating. In the case of author, essayist, and professor, Jesmyn Ward and her best-selling title, Let Us Descend, some ideas germinate for years.
An xennial -one of the first to grow up with home computers and internet access, she is also the first woman and only Black American to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice (2011, 2017), and the youngest person to receive the US Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction (2022).
An alumnus of Stanford University (BA, 1999 and MA, 2000) and the University of Michigan (MFA, 2005) who fictionalizes the Gulf Coast, MS town she continues to call home, she once seriously considered shelving writing to pursue nursing.
Described as a writer of winning books, and a previous Grisham Writer in Residence (2010 – 2011), her bibliography includes fiction, memoir, and non-fiction with a readership ranging across demographics as young as age 12, and as old as the true South.
The recipient of various awards, fellowships, and grants including, but not limited to, a Black Caucus of the American Library Association Honor Award (2009), an Alex Award (2012), the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (2018), the Stenger Fellowship (2008 – 2010), and the MacArthur Fellowship (2017), she writes to dredge up a reimagined South.
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by Let Us Descend:
“The first weapon I ever held, was my mother's hand.”
“You don't need this ivory or them spears. In this world, you your own weapon.”
“The universe is no straight line, no narrow road. The universe is a riddle, a slant gathering of places, of voices, of happenings.”
“My mama knew the world was sopping with spirit, that you did not need to go to heaven or hell to witness it; she knew it was all here. And now I know too.”
“Most people can't see the layers in a person, just like they can't taste all the goes in the pot. They chew and pick out one or two flavors. Cooks know every one.”
A chaser…
Because awesome creatives allow overlooked history to strike and inspire like lightning…
A few useful tips…
On writing the difficult to ignore/forget…
Distort human elements.
Conduct convincing research.
Use descriptions to create an atmosphere.
Keep consistent, reasonable, and realistic details.
Use strong verbs to evoke the reader's imagination.
Gradually build suspense by dropping clues/foreshadowing.
Remember, unforgettable encounters include characters with flaws.
A few contest opportunities…
1000 BELOW: Flash Prose & Poetry Contest
Black Fox Literary Magazine Fox Tales Prize
Defenestration.net Short Story Contest
The Dream Foundry Emerging Writers Contest
Fitzcarraldo Editions 2024 Novel Prize
The Heron’s Nest Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards
A few fellowship/grant opportunities…
My Time Fellowship for Parent Writers
A few freelance opportunities…
Blacklight is looking for experienced freelance journalists.
Block Club Chicago seeks Pride Month pitches.
Chronicle Books seeks freelancers for book projects.
Gazetteer SF is looking for freelancers.
Men's Health seeks pitches from writers with any background in writing about health, fitness, or men’s health.
North Star Editions seeks authors interested in producing manuscripts on a work-for-hire basis.
SFGATE seeks freelancers.
The Sick Times seeks pitches from people with Long Covid and related diseases.
Talking Travel seeks pitches for stories that would appeal to other travel writers.
A few submission opportunities…
Business Insider wants stories about how much it costs to be single.
Factor Four Magazine seeks flash fiction in the speculative fiction genre(s).
Narratively seeks stories about water.
Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine seeks writing by movement leaders and practitioners of all ages.
Rewire News Group's Campus Dispatch series seeks an op-ed or reported story about how reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ issues, voting rights, and more affect students and campuses.
Two Hawks Quarterly seeks submissions.
A few sessions & workshops…
May 21st
May 22nd
May 23rd
Home Remedies II Writing Workshop
May 24th
May 26th
May 27th
Ongoing
Chaulk Scribblers Writers Critique Group
A few virtual book clubs…
And a final thought…
This installment is a collaborative effort; the featured author, prompts, and chaser were suggested by
-host of OURStory’s Substack, and if your appetite is wetted by doses of global and historical black culture, subscribe here:It also contains an affiliate link; I earn commissions when you purchase books using that link, or you may please buy me a coffee.
Thanks for reading,
Wow!! This was an incredible read!
This is so great: “The first weapon I ever held, was my mother's hand.”