Write into the Week: April 27, 2025

“An act of imagination is an act of self-acceptance.”

–Richard Hugo

Dear Writer,

I hope you’re having a good start to your week. In this newsletter:

• A writing prompt to inspire your creativity.
• Reading and listening recommendations in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
• Publishing, residency, and retreat opportunities available now.
• Join our free Friday write-in, and meet our community of writers.

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writing Prompt

Invent a moment of transformation—a place, scene, or relationship where imagination becomes a survival skill. What does it mean to imagine not escape, but arrival?

Reading Recommendations:

Fiction:

• “The Pancake House at the End of the World” by L.M. Guay via Apparition Lit Magazine. In this quietly haunting short story, a woman waits out the slow unraveling of the world in a diner that serves memory as much as pancakes. Tender yet strange, it explores endings, grief, and the small comforts we cling to when everything else falls away.

Nonfiction:

• “Unapologetically Strange: A Conversation with Natalia Theodoridou” by Arley Sorg for Clarksworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. In this thoughtful interview, Theodoridou discusses writing across genres, blending speculative elements with emotional truth, and the deep empathy required to build believable worlds. It’s a great read for anyone curious about the spaces where imagination and humanity meet.

Poetry:

• “Night Blooms, Persephone” by Mary Helen Callier. Through spare, luminous imagery, Callier captures the quiet transformations of spring, memory, and renewal.

Listening Recommendations:

• “Instructions on Not Giving Up” by Ada Limon. A quick and beautiful, one-minute listen! 
• From the First Draft: A Writing Dialogue Podcast: “Karen Russell“. In this episode, Karen Russell—author of Swamplandia! and Orange World—talks about building surreal worlds grounded in emotional truth. She shares insights on imagination, structure, and why the strangest stories often get closest to the heart of being human.

Publishing Opportunities:

• Copper Canyon Press – Submissions Open: May 1, 2025. Copper Canyon Press will open their next reading period for poetry manuscripts and poetry-focused hybrid works on May 1st, capped at 1,000 submissions. They welcome poetry collections, works in translation, and prose with a strong focus on poetry. Submit early, and be sure to review their mission and catalog before sending your sample and query.
• Milk Press – Submissions Window: April 26-May 3, 2025. Open for submissions for one week only! Milk Press is looking for poets and visual artists to fill their next issue. They ask that you send your words, visions and wildest creations! 

Monday and Friday: Free Group Writing Sessions

Come write with us! Community write-ins are a great way to meet other writers, and carve out space in your calendar for your writing.

Monday: Write Into the Week with Elle

Join me (Elle) for an hour of goal setting, community, and dedicated time to write! We’ll meet on Monday at 11 AM Eastern time, at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83999379617

Friday: Open Write-In

Join the Writers.com staff for a 90-minute writing session each Friday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern time. We will write together for the first hour. In the last, optional half hour, we’ll share our writing with one another and connect.

To add yourself, join our newsletter using the join box above, and add yourself to the “Friday Write-Ins” list at the bottom of any email. We’ll send you a Zoom link the morning of the call.

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We’re sharing writing tips, creative prompts, and a steady stream of encouragement—follow us @writersdotcom. Click below to check out one of our latest posts on writing about love.