Be it the musings of fictional lovers separated by vast oceans, the life-cycle of an email unsent for months, or a curt missive for your landlord to fix the plumbing, we are looking for a creative ‘dispatch’ in an epistolary format. Your writing can be funny, poignant, angry, melancholy—or a blend of it all. As we said, our only requirement is that it be in the form of a letter, which could be addressed to a friend, a parent, your past self, your future self, or even to our editor!
So, why letters? In times of isolation, a message or outpouring of emotion can help us cope with the blues. A letter, in particular, serves as an old-fashioned reminder of our precious human connections.
We’re excited to receive interpretations of the epistolary that illustrate how versatile, vulnerable, yet searing this genre can be.
PRIZES:
The winning entry will receive $150, and will be published in ALMA MAGAZINE.
Two shortlisted entries will also be published in the magazine.
Winners will get the opportunity to see their writing illustrated in the form of a handwritten letter!
RULES:
Please submit a single entry only.
- All submissions should be in the epistolary format, but can be written as poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction, or even a fusion of all these genres.
- The upper word limit is 4000 words.
- Entries should be sent in .docx, .doc, or .pdf formats only.
- The subject line of your email should read: “Dispatch 2020 Submission”.
- Please include your phone number and email address.
- All entries must be original and previously unpublished.
- The competition is open internationally.
Please email all submissions to [email protected] by 25th November, 2020.
Our mascot writes all ALMA Staff pieces. ORI is whimsical and unpredictable; we’ve tried being friends with him and failed.
