Write into the Week: April 20, 2025

Elle LaMarca  |  April 20, 2025  | 

“To be truly seen and heard, to be truly known, is a deep human need.“

–Charles Eisenstein

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

What does it mean to be known? Write about a time you (or a character) felt truly seen or understood—perhaps unexpectedly. What made that moment different, and how did it change you (or your character)?

Reading Recommendations:

Fiction:

  • “Exhalation” by Ted Chiang via Lightspeed Magazine. For lovers of speculative fiction and social imaginings. This is a philosophical tale about a mechanical being who dissects his own mind to uncover the nature of consciousness and the fate of his world. You’ll be thinking about the wonder of existence long after the last line.

Nonfiction:

Poetry:

  • “Elegy in Absentia” by Cristi Donoso. A tender elegy that reflects on inheritance, memory, and what it means to grieve across time and distance.

Listening Recommendations:

  • From The Book Review Podcast: “What It Was Like to Edit The ‘Wolf Hall’ Books”. In this episode, Nicholas Pearson, Hilary Mantel’s editor, describes what it was like to encounter those books for the first time, and to work with a great author on a groundbreaking masterpiece of historical fiction.
  • From The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel Podcast: “Episode 160 – Should our story have a theme?“. Host Jim Thayer, discusses the always debatable topic of the importance of a theme in stories. 

Publishing Opportunities:

  • Boulevard Lit Magazine – Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025. From their website: Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise. If you have practiced your craft and your work is the best it can be, send it to Boulevard.
  • The New Letters Literary Awards – Submissions Deadline: May 19, 2025. New Letters invites you to submit fiction, essays, or poetry to the New Letters Literary Awards. Winners receive $2,500 for best essay, $2,500 for best poetry, and $2,500 for best fiction, and publication in New Letters.

Residency and Retreat Opportunites 

  • Kerouac Project Residency – Application Deadline: May 1, 2025. From their website: The Kerouac Project provides six residencies a year to writers of any stripe or age, living anywhere in the world. We encourage BIPOC and LGTBQ writers to apply. In the past, we have accepted writers with no formal writing education alongside those with MFA’s and impressive résumés. You will be judged on the quality of the writing sample you submit. Each residency consists of approximately a two-month stay in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote his novel Dharma Bums. Utilities and a food stipend of $600 are included.

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.

Join us on Instagram for more writing inspiration!

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.

 

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Elle LaMarca

Elle is a writer and novelist originally from southwestern New York, now residing on the central coast in California. She does not miss the snow even a little bit. As an avid traveler, Elle can frequently be found wandering the globe, having lived in and explored over thirty countries, all while gaining inspiration for her writing and new perspectives on life. Elle is a former educator and Teach for America alumna, having taught in Los Angeles, Baltimore and Boston. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from George Mason University and a M.A. in Education and Curriculum Design from Johns Hopkins University. She is passionate about well-crafted sentences and memorable metaphors. Elle is currently at work on a novel and a collection of personal essays.

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