A Late Call to Contribute to the Book “October 2020”

All month, nearly one hundred writers have been writing short pieces–prose, poetry, journal entries–that reflect their thoughts and feelings in this time in history.

It is my belief that this month–October of 2020–will be thought of as one of the most consequential and pivotal points of inflection in all of human history.

Maybe to some that’s a bit of a stretch, but I know that years from now I’ll be looking back at this month and recalling what I was thinking and feeling as COVID rages around the world, the US is reeling from accelerated racial injustice and a government on the precipice of collapse, and the planet is on fire and suffering historic flooding and sea levels rising as climate change is wreaking havoc in every arena of human life.

The month is almost over, and while many have been writing daily or every few days, compiling pieces on different topics, I’d like to extend an invitation to you to write something about how you feel in this moment in history.

You can write on anything that you’re thinking about these days, and it doesn’t have to be couched in any historical context. This book will be curated to present as many voices as possible on many issues.

If you’re interested, here’s what you need to know:

• Keep your pieces to under 300 words. If you’ve written pieces before now but they pertain to issues and feelings you are still experiencing this month, you can include them. You can send me one piece or twenty. Whatever you like, but make sure they fit the purpose of the book. We are capturing a moment in time.
• Polish them and put them all in ONE Word doc, one entry per page (use a page break to separate them: control/command + enter).
• In front of all your pieces, include a 100-word bio (or close to that number). Your bio needs to have your full name (first and last, or if you go by first initials, like I do), where you live (city/state/country), and any little bits about yourself you would want to share with the world. If you are willing, it would be nice to get your age (or thereabouts). We have writers in their teens up through folks in their eighties.
• I’d love some pieces by children, so if you have any or can enlist any that you know, get them writing something about what they’re feeling right now–about not being in school and missing their friends and having to be home and wear a mask–all that. I would just use their initials since they are minors but would state their age and town/country.
• By sending me your work, you are giving me permission to reprint it in this book (ebook and possibly a coffeetable hard-cover version).
• You will not be compensated in any way monetarily for contributing. However, if/when the print book comes out, you’ll be sent a copy.
• The plan is, hopefully, to do a 4-color version with artwork, so if you are a visual artist, let me know if you’d be interested in contributing some artwork for the book (cover and interior). I may do a Kickstarter campaign for this.
• Send me your Word doc after Nov. 1, anytime before Dec. 1. It may take some weeks to curate all the pieces and put the book together.

If you’ve never had any writing published, this may be a nice place to start!

I hope you’ll participate. Your voice matters. Your feelings in this moment matter. Think what you’d want your grandchildren to know about this moment in time. I believe this creative work will be timeless, and I’m excited as I see pieces coming into my in-box that these writers have been sharing with me. They are beautiful and haunting and powerful.

Don’t pressure yourself to be brilliant; just be yourself and share your perspective.

Please also email me at contact@livewritethrive.com to let me know you are participating, if you want to be added to my list on Mailchimp. I’ve been sending out prompts and other bits of info. But you don’t have to do this. Sending me your Word doc next month is fine all by itself.

And tell your writer friends and spread the word on social media. The more voices, the better!

Let’s make history by commenting on history. Our words can remain long after we leave this life. They are the indelible witnesses to the events we experience now. Please join me in this book project entitled October 2020.

Featured Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash