Dear Creative Reader, 

In this time of distance, when travel and face to face conversations are limited, we invite you to write a letter. A letter that captures your mind and heart and shares with another person over time and space. It can be a letter you want to write, a letter you should have written, a letter a character might write a story we can only know through their written conversation. It can be any topic, any writer or recipient, the only guideline is that the letter writing form – to someone, from someone, in a one-sided, direct address. It can be one letter or an exchange of letters. It can be any literary form – poetry, fiction, narrative, essay, song – as long as it is in a letter format. 

Need inspiration? Think about: 

• Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
• Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
• Paul’s epistles
• From the musical Hamilton – “Dear Theodosia” 
• Epistolary novels such The Color Purple and Dracula
• Letter to your future/past self
• Letter to the Editor
• The love letters of Abelard and Héloïse 
• Captain Moroni and Pahoran

Letters should be 700-2400 words and in Google Doc or Word form. They can be sent to exponentiihttps://exponentii.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_5173-scaled-2.jpg AT gmail DOT com. Authors should identify with the mission of Exponent II. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2020.

The winner of the contest will receive a one week’s stay at Anam Cara, a writer’s retreat in Ireland. This prize will be available when the recipient is able to use it through 2022. Our sincere thanks go to Sue Booth-Forbes, former Exponent II https://exponentii.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_5173-scaled-2.jpg, for making this award available.

We also have a special invitation for art for this issue. We would love for any of you with a creative spirit and some craft supplies to make a postcard and submit it to us to include in this issue. We welcome collage, drawing, or any other medium you want, as long as the image is 4 x 6 inches and could be sent in the mail. We hope that professional and casual artists alike will send us your postcard art. Postcard art submissions should be sent to exponentiiart AT gmail DOT com

We so look forward to reading your submissions and hope you are doing well,

All the best,

Exponent Editors