(Bluesky/Instagram: @madeleinefwhite)
Welcome to November. I’m writing this on the first of the month, the morning after the night before… Last night’s gathering at the Boathouse in Barking brought together a circle of women sharing experience, strength, and hope – through music, story, and song – each of us lighting the way for one another through the darkness of the world as it stands now, and through the coming winter months.
It harked back to an older time of togetherness and made me reflect on the power of revolution within evolution: how the things women have done for thousands of years – gathering, supporting, creating warmth and community – can find fresh life in a modern setting. That same sense of closeness, that same instinct to gather and sustain one another through the dark months, still holds true today.
The culmination of last night’s event was the launch of the From The Cauldron: Women’s Voices in the 21st Century short story competition, brought to us by The Boathouse Studios and ByTheBook with the support of Pen to Print. A true example of events manifesting in the printed form and then going back to seed more creativity and ideas. You can find out more here.
So now back to our Write On! programme for November. I’m truly delighted to introduce this month’s pieces. We have a wonderful collection of stories, poetry, prose, and ideas to shape a month that includes special days such as Remembrance Sunday, International Men’s Day, and World Kindness Day.
We’re also deep in preparation for the next magazine, featuring Sarah Westcott, national journalist and eco-poet, who explains that eco-poetry refers to poems that are not human-centric and “create a perspective that extends beyond human experience.” A wonderful interview at the heart of a magazine that is reaching ever further afield. (We’re delighted to have added Nottinghamshire Libraries on our distribution list!).
Through her words, and those of all our contributors, we see how stories continue to shape not just who we are, but who we are becoming. So, as Founding Editor of Write On! I’m able to invite you to spring into action as well. If our theme of (R)Evolution inspires you, please do submit. Then from December, please send us pieces around our spring theme of Choices.
In terms of our digital and audio offerings, as ever, we try to be topical as well as reflect our overall theme. You can find our submissions guidelines here.
In the meantime , I hope you’re enjoying Write On! 26. You can access the digital edition here.
Write On! Audio, the podcast ‘For Writers Everywhere’ connects emerging and established writers to each other, the publishing industry and a wider audience in an audio celebration of diversity, originality and excellence. 
And, of course, our autumn print issue (26) is out now. Physical copies of Write On! are distributed in libraries and other centres across the country. You can also see it 
