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Posts For Unprecedented Times

by Madeleine White

(X/Instagram: @madeleinefwhite)

And it’s nearly March…  one of my favourite months of the year, celebrating Women’s History Month and, within it, two special days: International Women’s Day with a theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’ and Mothering Sunday. I’m enjoying being out in the garden again, too; rearranging bulbs and buying primulas and primroses, to give a bit of colour.

There is an inevitability about the seasons isn’t there? A reminder that no matter what we are facing socially or economically, the blossom comes, the shoots push up and the sun starts warming our faces. I’m querying my own poetry collection at the moment and, as any writer knows, being rejected isn’t easy. So, nature providing the reminder of better days to come and that things will work out if you just keep going, serves to pour a soothing balm on my fractured ego!

#menopause
Embracing Menopause (c) Laura Oh, 2024

To celebrate Women’s History Month I’m delighted to showcase this fabulous image. Embracing Menopause  has been created especially for Write On! by talented illustrator @bylauraoh. It will also be gracing Farzana’s Thursday Connectors page on 21 March, where she will be doing deep dive into a subject so close to many of our hearts. As ever, I do hope that all the wonderful creative work, advice, fiction, poetry, prose and audio we bring you through Write On! will inspire you to get writing.

March has our usual pages across our suite of publications and we are also in the throes of preparing issue 20 for you. Featuring Kit de Waal, it will be out at the beginning of April. In the meantime Write On! 19 is out now.  Our cover star is Paterson Joseph and it is sponsored by Dialogue. The issue is available from libraries, arts organisations and universities up and down the country Alternatively, the digital version and all our back issues can be found on our online magazines page

March continues with our theme: ‘Beginnings And Endings.’ Our new theme, ‘Overcoming’ starts in April, so please do have a think about what that means to you and respond creatively. You can see our submissions guidelines here. And, don’t forget, the Pen to Print competitions are live now.

Write On! Audio, The Podcast ‘For Writers Everywhere’

Write On! Audio, the podcast ‘For Writers Everywhere’ is out every Tuesday. Our March  scheduling includes: Writers Tips from Richard and Judy Bookclub shortlisted Hema Macherla and the Listener Contribution comes from Whitney Love. The Showcase is brought to you by Jilly Henderson-Long and the interview comes from publisher Isabelle Kenyon, the founder/ owner Fly On The Wall Press.

Created in partnership with the award-winning Alternative Stories podcast, you can find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podchaser and many more. Just type pen to print into your browser and look for our logo. Alternatively, find us via our Anchor FM hosting site, which links you to our content on a variety of podcast platforms. Do subscribe! Write On! Audio can be accessed here.

Published And Coming Up

Amber Hall’s March  Monday Moments focusses on seasonal beginnings and how we respond; traditions, thoughts, feelings around the end of winter and beginning of spring and things we notice about ourselves at this time. Out on 4 March.

Eithne Cullen’s March Thoughtful Tuesdays looks at break-ups, relationships and how we can kick-start our lives after a hard winter. Out on 12 March.

Farzana Hakim’s March Thursday Connectors  looks at the Menopause from all angles. Powerful personal stories, professional perspectives and the fabulous illustration above!  Out 21 March.

The March Showcases are edited by Jilly Henderson-Long. Jilly draws from our bulging inbox to feature fabulous writers, including old favourites and new voices. Out every Wednesday.

The weekly Friday Features are packed with writing ideas and advice, including: Preparing To Talk To Schools by Jilly Henderson Long, poet Hongwei Bao’s Journey To Publication, Robert Nurden on Collating Non-fiction and Thomas Nixon on his Flash Collection journey

Our weekly Sunday Interviews showcase a range of talent. The March line-up includes: Christine Naggenda-Ighorue, Gareth Southwell, Patricia Sangolo, Chris Penhall and Fly-On-The-Wall publisher, Isabelle Kenyon

Saturday Spotlight, at the end of the month, features new launches from traditional publishers and small presses, as well as indie authors. Do send us information on your new release. If you have one coming up, we’d love to hear from you!

And, don’t forget, we also welcome other creative work, including illustrations and photographs.

More About Us

Write On! is a quarterly magazine published by Pen to Print and its sister, the online Write On! Extra, and has been created to encourage established and emerging writers to come together around the following ideals: Publishing lies at an intersection of entertainment, information and education and is the method by which we record our shifting culture. You can find out more about how to get involved as a writer, creative, partner or advertiser through Write On! Together.

Take advantage of some great digital advertising opportunities with Write On! and Write On! Extra. We are currently running a £50 / 1/8 page offer.

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.

 Issue 19 is out now and features actor and author Paterson Joseph.

(Issue 20 will be out on 10 April).

Find all our issues on our magazines page. Physical copies of issue 19 are in libraries and other centres that are open across London, Manchester, Kent, Devon, the West Midlands and Essex. Distribution points now include the Universities of Sunderland as well as Dudley and Manchester libraries, Newcastle’s ‘Seven Stories’ writing organisation and the Amelia Scott Centre in Tunbridge Wells.

Be part of the Write On! family; one that includes The London Library, Dialogue, Hay and The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. So far, over  200,000 of  you have engaged with us online, as readers and contributors; from the UK, but also from 198 other countries (Google Analytics lists 230 countries).

Your Writing

Write On! accepts written pieces (prose, poetry, essays, opinion), video or spoken extracts/ snapshots, illustrations and artwork. Do remember, if you have a features idea, you may be interested in recording it for Write On! Audio. Get in touch to discuss, if this appeals! Depending on content and theme, your work will be featured in one of the following ways:

Monday Moments – Stories and experiences drawn from myriad perspectives. Fresh and engaging; a real ‘magazine’ feel. (First Monday of the month.)

Thoughtful Tuesdays – Mindfulness, inspiration, poetry, quotes and ideas shared to create leadership and hope, to see us through the week. (Second Tuesday of the month.)

Write On! Showcase – This creative writing showcase includes poetry, short stories, flash fiction and book extracts. Although most will reflect the seasonal theme, some work, such as memoirs or book extracts, offer a non-themed perspectives also. (Weekly.)

Thursday Connectors – Everyone and everywhere has different experiences and different ways of dealing with these strange times. This internationally-flavoured page is all about people and their experiences, connecting us with ideas and ideals, reaching out from east London to encompass the UK and the world at large. (Third Thursday of the month.)

Write On! Features – Essays, opinions and features. In Write On! Extra, we focus on topics relevant to publishing and writing arenas, but also include wider content to encompass thinking and ideas relevant to our times. (Weekly, from April, 2x per month)

Saturday Spotlight – Spotlight offers a round-up of indie, traditional and small press releases, bringing readers an overview of what can be found on digital and physical shelves. (Monthly.)

Write On! Interviews – This Sunday profile opportunity features writers, publishers, editors, agents and other creatives, along with individuals from diverse communities in a number of different occupations. (Weekly, from April, 2x per month)

Write On! Audio – Out every Tuesday, our podcast ‘For Writers Everywhere’ connects emerging and established writers to each other and the industry. There is an opportunity to submit to our Listener Contribution Slot, as well as record your creative work and any tips and feature ideas you might have. See our pilot episode for tips on ‘how to’. (Weekly.)

Please do continue to submit your work. Our aim remains the same: bringing people together to share their experience, strength and hope, as well as having a bit of a laugh!

How To Submit:

Our new theme is ‘Overcoming.’ This will run from April to June. Please do submit work around this idea. What does the word mean to you in terms of your personal or creative life? We’d love to hear your perspectives!

  • Creative prose submissions should be between 800 and 1000 words and, if possible, fit the seasonal theme.
  • Poetry can be as short as necessary, but no longer than 1000 words.
  • Features are generally between 1000-1500. It’s best to send your feature/essay ideas through initially, so we can finalise the topic together.
  • Write On! Audio Listener Contribution Slot. See our pilot episode for tips on ‘how to’. Listener Contributions should not be longer than six minutes and should include a brief introduction to you.

Any contributions should include an image of the writer and any copyright-free images you would like us to use (adhering to our submission guidelines) to illustrate your work. For any images/ video content that include you, or someone identifiable, we will need a permissions form. This will be sent to you. Write On! Extra is also happy to accept video or audio content. Please include contact details and any relevant social media IDs, such as X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Substack or Facebook.

Submit via our Submit To Write On! page.  Further guidance can be found on the themed pages. All submissions are subject to  Pen to Print terms and conditions and can also be held in reserve until such time as publication opportunities arise, which may well be several months after the initial submission. Please note all submissions are subject to editing, at the Editor’s discretion.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES are based on the overarching theme. For example, it is worth sending in work aimed at the new theme a month before it starts.

We invite local people get in touch, as well as those who have something to say from further afield. We also welcome partnership discussions with organisations wishing to contribute, so the voices of their beneficiaries and teams can be heard. Details will be published on pentoprint.org.

Our culture is shifting. Therefore, the worlds we create don’t just serve us, but serve to inspire others as well. Make a difference to your community from your own four walls and get creating and writing!

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in individual articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Write On! or Pen to Print. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied, Write On! Extra cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the consequences of error, or for any loss or damage suffered by users of any of the information published on any of these pages. All facts and dates are correct at the time of publication.

We’re delighted to be sharing some wonderful work around 'Beginnings And Endings'. This season’s theme is shared through the online Write On! Extra pages and the Write On! Audio podcast.