Write into the Week: August 17, 2025

“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.”
–Muriel Rukeyser

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 Monday and Friday write-ins, and meet our community of writers.

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writer to Writer: More than Atoms

When we think about what truly shapes our lives, it’s rarely data or facts that come to mind, more often, it’s the stories. The ones we inherit, overhear, tell ourselves, write down, or carry in silence. Muriel Rukeyser’s quote reminds us that storytelling isn’t just a literary pursuit—it’s how we make meaning. It’s how we understand the world and our place in it.

Whether you’re writing poetry, fiction, essays, or journaling through your week, remember: you’re doing elemental work. Your stories aren’t fluff or extra; they’re part of the fabric of how we connect, imagine, and exist together. You don’t need a perfect plot or profound insight to begin. Start with something small: a feeling, a memory, a contradiction you can’t shake. The world is already full of atoms. What it needs are your stories.

Writing Prompt

Write a story, poem, or essay where story itself becomes a lifeline. Consider something that saves, connects, or transforms. You might write about a character who survives by telling stories, a moment where a shared memory changes a relationship, or a myth passed down through generations that shapes someone’s identity.

Reading Recommendations:

Recommended Substacks for Writers:

• George Saunders’ Story Club – The celebrated author of the wonderful A Swim in the Pond in the Rain, Saunders offers writing prompts, craft discussions, and close readings with wit and generosity.
• Brandon Taylor’s Sweater Weather – A thoughtful, essayistic newsletter that blends literary criticism with personal insight and craft reflections.
• Roxane Gay’s The Audacity – Sharp, culturally incisive essays on identity and creativity—unflinchingly honest and creatively charged.
• Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Poetry Unbound – A beautifully reflective mix of poems, commentary, and writing prompts. Poetry Unbound offers a contemplative space for deepening your poetry practice.

Listening Recommendations:

• From The Writer Files Podcast: “How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Priscilla Morris Writes“. Acclaimed debut novelist and English Professor Priscilla Morris speaks about finding her voice, and the germ of an idea that became her labor of love, acclaimed debut novel Black Butterfiles.
• From The Writer’s Voice Podcast: “Zadie Smith Reads ‘The Silence’“. Zadie Smith reads her story “The Silence,”. Smith, a winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, among others, is the author of two short-story collections and six novels.

Fellowship & Residency Opportunities:

• The Bop Hicok Fellowship for Poets – Application Deadline: August 31, 2025. The Bob Hicok Poetry Fellowship is a year-long invitation to write with funding, education, mentorship and a community that cares. They welcome poets at any stage of their practice who are writing in English. One poet will be selected for the 2025 Fellowship. Five finalists will also be recognized.
• Sundress Academy for the Arts Spring 2026 Residencies – Application Deadline: September 1, 2025. The Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is now accepting applications for short-term writing residencies in all genres—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, journalism, academic writing, and more—for their spring residency period which runs from January 4th to May 9th, 2026. These residencies are designed to give artists time and space to complete their creative projects in a quiet and productive environment.

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 mindset support, 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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