Cultured, Empowered, and Globally Prominent
Triple threat
Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block isn’t restricted by longitude, latitude, or other geographic boundaries, this issue includes:
A sip…
If being A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea floats boats, the muse may join the flotilla…
“I know that many writers have had to write under censorship and yet produced good novels; for instance, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote under Catholic censorship.” — Guillermo Cabrera Infante
A shout out…
Suppose experience is the mother of invention, and the classics influence creativity. In that case, it should come as no surprise that political events and feminist perspectives
lend well to Isabel (Angelica) Allende (Llona) being considered the first internationally successful female Latin American author.
A former editor, journalist, and romance novel translator who eventually took good advice and began writing novels, she is best known for her vivid imagination, talent for magical realism, and ability to educate readers through intrigue peppered with significant historical events.
Described as a feminist force in Latin America’s male-dominated literary world and a literary legend, she lived for many years in exile. A master at weaving love, individual liberation, and politics into her works, she reportedly will not begin a new title until January 8th and proudly maintains a strict six-day-a-week, ten-hour-a-day writing schedule.
A Chilean-American from Peru who writes in her native Spanish. Her bibliography includes essays, fiction, memoirs, and children’s literature. The author of twenty-seven titles, including Island Beneath the Sea, her works have been translated into 35 languages and have sold over 70 million copies worldwide.
Active for more than thirty years, she is a human rights advocate, the founder of a charitable foundation dedicated to protecting and empowering women and girls, and the recipient of dozens of awards and tributes, including the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award (2012) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014).
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by Island Beneath the Sea:
“The slave who dances is free ... while he is dancing.”
“There is room in the human heart for all the divinities.”
“He who did not abuse power did not deserve to have it.”
“As Sancho said, money does not buy happiness, but it does buy nearly everything else.”
“All the women and girls she knew, free or not, belonged to a man: father, husband, or Jesus.”
“We all have an unsuspected reserve of strength inside that emerges when life puts us to the test.”
“Sometimes I have these premonitions, and I don’t forget them, so I will be prepared when they happen.”
“A slave lacks incentives; for him it is better to work slowly and badly, since his effort benefits only the master, but free people work hard to save and get ahead, that is their incentive.”
“I called him Grandfather, because according to him, you do not have to be of the same blood or same tribe to be a member of the same family, but in truth, I should have called him Maman. He was the only mother I ever knew.”
“Not all Negroes are slaves, nor all slaves black. Africa is a continent of free people. Millions of Africans are subjected to slavery, but many more are free. Slavery is not their destiny, just as is also the case with thousands of whites who are slaves.”
“Their most notable defect was that they considered work a virtue, even manual labor. They were materialists, conquerors, and they were infused with a messianic enthusiasm for reforming those who did not think as they did; they did not, however, represent an immediate threat to civilization.”
A snack pairing…
Featuring raw fish marinated in lime juice with chili peppers and onion, ceviche is iconic, unique, healthy, and an aphrodisiac!
A sweet melody…
First developed by enslaved Africans, Festejo/Afro-Peruvian is a genre of music that blends West African and Spanish musical traditions of storytelling, rhythmic phrases, and multiple musical structures and instruments that change over time.
A book list…
A few more inspired by the complex exchanges resulting from colonization:
Grace, by Paul Lynch
James, by Percival Everett
Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See
The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty
An Untamed State, by Roxane Gay
The Lamplighters, by Emma Stonex
Dreaming in Cuban, by Cristina García
The Lonely Londoners, by Samuel Selvon
Restless Dolly Maunder, by Kate Grenville
When the Moon is Low, by Nadia Hashimi
The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd
Three Apples Fell from the Sky, by Narine Abgaryan
The Blue Between Sky and Water, by Susan Abulhawa
The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye, by Briony Cameron
A literary listicle…
With two central districts, Lima, Peru, isn’t just the birthplace of Isabel Allende. One of South America’s largest cities, its inspiration includes:
The Catacombs;
The Nazca Lines and Geoglyphs;
Afro-Peruvian cuisine at El Rincón Que No Conoces;
The styles and product offerings at Prieta Peru Salon;
A chance to admire the craggy coastline along Miraflores boardwalk;
Verano Negro/Black Summer -the annual Afro-Peruvian music, dance, and food festival; and
The history and Black presence documented at El Museo Nacional Afroperuano/The National Afro-Peruvian Museum.
A few useful tips…
On writing historical fiction:
Avoid overwriting;
Pick a time period;
Balance fact and fiction;
Decide on past or present tense;
Use period-appropriate language;
Extensively research the time period;
Align major plot points with the timeline;
Conflict and a sense of jeopardy are essential;
Balance historical accuracy with creative license;
Don’t allow historical details to overshadow the narrative; and
It’s imperative to honor the complexity of the past, not to simplify it.
A conference…
The Martha’s Vineyard Summer Writers’ Conference
A few contests…
Boulevard Literary Magazine Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
Eggtooth Editions Chapbook Contest
The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards
Intrepid Times Travel Writing Competition
J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Awards
Minotaur Books / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
The Sine Qua Non Prizes for Prose and Poetry
Story Unlikely Short Story Contest
VII International MicroFiction Contest
Your Paper Quest Writing Competition
A creative reset…
December 3rd
December 6th
December 7th
Multi-Date Options
Creative Expression for Self-Care
Mantra Session with SeoJu Sunim for Inner Peace
A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…
International Women’s Media Foundation Kim Wall Memorial Fund
The 2026 Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant
A few freelance opportunities…
ABC7 Los Angeles is seeking freelance television newswriters.
RVO Health is looking for a freelance writer for its online chronic conditions communities.
Kirkus Media seeks freelance book reviewers of English and Spanish-language titles.
Reach Plc seeks US-based freelance news reporters.
Publicis Health seeks freelance copywriters.
The Scottish BPOC Writers Network is looking for pitches on the theme of Speaking with the Ancestors.
A few submission opportunities…
Adventitious seeks speculative, surreal, and literary fiction.
Allium seeks submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.
ELA Literary Magazine has a call for submissions from authors who are 18+ on the theme of Sultry Monstrous Untamed Tales (or S.M.U.T.) or a “new” way to look at old relationships.
The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts seeks compressed fiction, creative nonfiction, and prose poetry.
Plott Hound seeks speculative fiction and poetry starring animals.
Procrastinating Writers United (PWU) seeks multimedia submissions of prose, poetry, illustration, comics, and multimedia work for an I Haven’t Made It Home Yet themed anthology.
Variant Literature is accepting submissions of poetry, flash prose, and fiction.
A few sessions & workshops…
December 2nd
December 3rd
December 4th
Contemporary Creative Writing: Poetry: Rhyme, Repetition, and Reason
December 5th
December 8th
Multi-Date Options
Coping Through Comedy: Biweekly Writing Workshop for BIPOC Femmes
Coping Through Creative Writing
Friday Evening Shut Up & Write! Session
Next Chapters Creative Writing Group
A few virtual artist/author/creative events…
December 2nd
Journal of Literary Expression features Caryn Mirram-Goldberg + Open Mic
December 3rd
Curing the Ghost: Tour + Conversation with Sarah Sproule & Steacy Easton
December 6th
December 8th
Johnson & Alcock Literary Agency Genre Writing Roadshow
South Asia Book Award Presents: The Spice Box with Author Meera Sriram
A few virtual book/script clubs and discussions…
Black Women Read Between the Wines Book Club
December Afternoon Book Club: Manifesting Miracles
December Lattes and Literature: Book Club For Moms
Feminist Book Club: The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen
Kingdom Reflections Virtual Book Club: All She Wants by Rhonda McKnight
And a final thought…
Hi there,
Happy December!
This happens to be my favorite month of the year, not because of the Holidays, but because I have a December birthday, and I tend to celebrate ME all month long.
That said, know that the party has officially begun!! Have an extra sip and toast me while you are at it!
And, as usual, this one has tons of embedded links, and if you purchase a book through one of them, I will earn a small commission.
Take it easy,
The Story Unlikely contest guidelines are quite entertaining. Thanks for sharing these writer resources!