Philosophical, Surreal, and Revelatory
Debatably divisive
Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block isn’t well-versed, this issue includes:
A sip…
Because of heat tolerance, the muse is unfazed by Satan’s Breath…
“To ban a book is to limit our understanding and knowledge. And this goes against our right to freedom.” — The Concordian
A shout out…
If writing what you know makes sense, ignoring a rule isn’t the same as breaking one. Perhaps that is why Salman Rushdie hasn’t taken time to fictionalize the racist taunts
and the bullying he experienced while attending Rugby School.
An Indian-born dual citizen and former advertising copywriter credited with coining the slogan “Naughty, but Nice,” he is celebrated for being shortlisted five times for the Booker Prize, winning once, and inspiring 30 book-length studies and over 700 articles on his writing.
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to literature and best known for writing the controversial The Satanic Verses, which sparked protests, bans, demonstrations, and a religious edict calling for his assassination, he is also the author of several other commercially successful novels.
Active since 1975, he has been the recipient of at least three honorary doctoral degrees, has frequently been listed as a favorite to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and has received more awards than this space can accommodate. Defined as disciplined, he is the writer whose allegorical examination of sensitive religious and political issues makes him a key figure in debates about free speech and censorship.
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by The Satanic Verses:
“Is birth always a fall?”
“You can’t judge an internal injury by the size of the hole.”
“From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.”
“The adult chops down his childhood to help his grown-up self.”
“If a hungry dog looks for food, he does not look in the doghouse.”
“Nobody can judge an internal injury by the size of the superficial wound.”
“Captain Ahab drowned, he reminded himself; it was the trimmer, Ishmael, who survived.”
“The actor’s life offers, on a daily basis, the simulacrum of love; a mask can be satisfied, or at least consoled, by the echo of what it seeks.”
“If love is a yearning to be like (even to become) the beloved, then hatred, it must be said, can be engendered by the same ambition, when it cannot be fulfilled.”
“A people that has remained convinced of its greatness and invulnerability, that has chosen to believe such a myth in the face of all the evidence, is a people in the grip of a kind of sleep, or madness.”
“He told her: he fell from the sky and lived. She took a deep breath and believed him, because of her father’s faith in the myriad and contradictory possibilities of life, and because, too, of what the mountain had taught her.”
A snack pairing…
Globally known for its vibrant street food scene, Mumbai (Bombay) is famous for vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and unique specialty staples, including Vada Pav.
A sweet melody…
Known for Bollywood, the film music genre, Mumbai (Bombay) has a stronger historical connection to American jazz, which continues to influence globally today, as witnessed here:
A book list…
A few more titles with a twist on conceptual ideals related to personal transformations:
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
The Book of Dave, by Will Self
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
The Five Gates of Hell, by Rupert Thomson
The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov
Red Earth and Pouring Rain, by Vikram Chandra
A literary listicle…
In addition to being India’s largest city, Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) is the birthplace of Salman Rushdie. Its inspiration includes:
The iconic Juhu Beach;
Haji Ali Dargah, the Sufi shrine;
The ancient rock-cut Elephanta Caves;
The historical arch-monument known as the Gateway of India;
Siddhivinayak Temple, a highly revered temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesha;
The banana-shaped concrete promenade referred to as Marine Drive/Queen’s Necklace;
The ancient artifacts housed in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum; and
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), the historic railway terminus and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A few useful tips…
On writing magical realism:
Alter context;
Metaphors matter;
Seek historical inspiration;
Complicate the emotionally simple;
Weave the magical into the ordinary;
Seek inspiration from existing mythology;
Use vivid imagery and detailed descriptions;
Give your imagination permission to run wild;
The theme must be reliable, relatable, and explorable;
Consider including a non-linear or cyclical sense of time;
Make the magical elements part of everyday character life;
Do not explain the origins or mechanics of the magical elements;
Do not discount religion, as it is also a great source of inspiration;
If the plot is not engaging, do not expect readers to be involved, either;
The setting must be believably mundane with unexplained magical elements;
Know the difference between magical realism, fantasy, science fiction, and high fantasy.
A few contests…
Academy of American Poets Treehouse Climate Action Poem Prize
The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest
Next Generation Short Story Awards
Raleigh Review Flash Fiction Contest
Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Prize
A creative reset…
November 2nd
A fee-based accountability/retreat/workshop opportunity…
Multi-Date Series
November 3rd – 26th
A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…
ALA Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant
Missouri Scriptwriting Fellowship
New Work Grant – Queens Arts Fund
A retreat/residency opportunity…
Winter Wild Seeds Retreat for Writers of Color
A few freelance opportunities…
Disability Rights UK seeks pitches for commissioned pieces about disability and colonialism, as part of their intersectionality work.
Minority Africa is seeking writers, journalists, and filmmakers interested in reporting on minorities across the African continent.
Sixty Inches from Center seeks pitches on topics and practices that are relevant to the cultural landscapes of the Midwest and Chicago.
A few submission opportunities…
Banshee seeks fiction (including flash), nonfiction, and poetry submissions from both Irish and international writers of any background, including first-time writers.
Blanket Gravity Magazine seeks fiction, creative nonfiction, and visual art that explores mental health or emotional life.
FIYAH seeks submissions from Black writers of the African Diaspora of speculative fiction and poetry.
Inner Worlds Zine seeks science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror prose submissions with a strong emotional or psychological focus.
Lilith Magazine welcomes submissions of original writing, reporting, analysis, opinion pieces, memoirs, fiction, and poetry with a feminist take on subjects of interest to Jewish feminists.
Metastellar seeks submissions of flash fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Neon Hemlock Press seeks novella-length queer speculative fiction from all writers that includes some element of queer experience.
Night Shades seeks speculative fiction with a recognizable element.
Procrastinating Writers United (PWU) seeks prose, poetry, illustration, comics, and multimedia work for their anthology entitled I Haven’t Made It Home Yet.
Revolute is currently open for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and micro-review submissions.
A few sessions & workshops…
October 28th
October 29th
October 30th
Contemporary Creative Writing: Story Craft: Tricks With Time
October 31st
November 1st
Hallowe’en Creative Writing Workshop with Writer & Editor Jack Fennell
November 2nd
November 3rd
Freelance Skills Series: From Pitch to Partnership
Incorporating AI into the Writing Process
November 11th
November 14th
November 18th
Multi-Date Options
Friday Evening Shut Up & Write! Session
Hope Lives Here! Writing Towards Relief
National Novel Writing Month Saturday Shut Up & Write! Sessions
Open Book Neurodivergent Creative Writing Group
Scene Workshop for Screenwriters and Playwrights
A critique group/open mic/shared reading…
October 29th
Multi-Date Options
A few virtual artist/author/creative events…
October 28th
The Adroit Journal Issue Fifty Five: Poetry Release Reading
October 29th
November 1st
November 3rd
B&N Midday Mystery Presents: Eva Jurczrk, author of 6:40 to Montreal
November 6th
November 15th
African Poetry Book Distribution Project: Poetry Reading and Research
November 20th
A few virtual book/script clubs and discussions…
Beyond Bords Book Club – Black, by Joan Vassar
The Book Sanctuary – A Wellness Book Club
Brightlane Book Club – A Place Called Home
Cal BAA Virtual Book Club: Imagination – A Manifesto, by Ruha Benjamin
Feminist Book Club: Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Get Weird Book Club: The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones
Ottawa Afrocentric November Book Discussion
A volunteer reader opportunity…
Best of the Net seeks a volunteer assistant editor and volunteer readers.
And a final thought…
Hi there,
This week marks the beginning of the thinning of the universal veil. Samhain/Halloween is on Friday, the Day of the Dead begins on Saturday and ends on Sunday, which is also when time falls back (at least in the US).
All that to say, this year is almost a wrap— and because I want to manifest a day early and a dollar ahead in 2026, this one includes a plethora of embedded links. If you purchase a book using one or more of them, I will earn a tiny commission.
Beware of goons at all times and watch out for goblins if the situation dictates!
Take it easy,
