Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is quoted as saying “change is the only constant in life” - and he was right.
And change comes in many shapes and forms, some planned but some unplanned and totally unexpected.
Events happen, often beyond our control, leading us to change our views. Of ourselves, of life, of others, irrevocably. Sometimes for the better. Sadly, sometimes for the worse.
But it’s not just people who change due to unanticipated circumstances, it can be things also. Climate change is a prime example, a major ongoing issue worldwide.
Health is another. For example, for decades we’ve been informed fat is bad for us and we should avoid it at all costs. Now we’re told, it’s good to eat it. In fact, that fat is important for our bodies. That it’s processed and, even more, ultra-processed food, we should be avoiding.
So, ‘change’ is a key word in everyday life. Perhaps even more so in the fast-paced, modern, post-Covid world in which we all live.
As such, ‘Ireland Writing Retreat’ is delighted to announce ‘change’ as the buzzword for our latest ‘Wild Atlantic Writing Awards.’
Please note - the word ‘change’ cannot be used in stories or in the headlines of stories submitted for the competition, but judges should be in no doubt that the theme of ‘change’ is reflected clearly in your stories.
As always, this WAWA competition has two categories - flash fiction and creative non-creative, the former in any genre, the latter including personal essays, social commentary, memoir and travel stories. Winners in each category will receive 500 euro or 1,000 euro redeemable for any of our writing retreats in 2024. With author permission, the winning stories and the nine finalists in each category will be published, with the author’s bios, on the ‘Ireland Writing Retreat’ website and also sent out to the thousands of people on our database.
Deadline for submission: Thursday, November 30, 2023.
It’s the last day of the month and marks the birthday of such literary luminaries as Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain. May their ghosts inspire you to greatness.
