Here are the next possible writing prompts. Remember, this month your entry should be exactly 75 words.
From “Buying Lady Lobsters,” by Barbara Gearen
She has a new man, so regards
the lobster tank at Tamashiro’s Market,
shortly after sunrise, hugging her
cookbooks to her sweatshirt
like a schoolgirl. She
chants the instructions to herself
as if their confidence, like grace
might descend on her:
A live lobster should look thoroughly lively.
She should arch her back, flap her tail
against her underside, and wave her big claws.
From Bamboo Ridge, the Writers’ Quarterly, No. 33, Spring 1987, First Quarter
* * * * *
From “Song for Alice,” by Holly Yamada
I remember. The sound. The sound. Nothing else matters. And my fingers work the stops. There is nothing else. My fingers and mouth making the sound. The sound making my fingers and mouth. And the sweet becomes a growl and then sweet again. And the weeping and the growling and the sweetness are all the same. And I am wailing into my tenor and the sound has to stop. And the sound keeps going because that’s all there is. And then it stops, and the stopping is part of the sound.
From Bamboo Ridge, the Writers’ Quarterly, No. 33, Spring 1987, First Quarter
* * * * *
From “Listening,” by Kathleen Andrasick
Looking across the valley basin
I admire cloud patterns
over evening mountains
and the grey line
of rain, to miles away.
You remember a valley
and the light tells you
it is the time they began
the sunset bombing raids.
From Bamboo Ridge, the Writers’ Quarterly, No. 33, Spring 1987, First Quarter
* * * * *
Why?
* * * * *
Whatevahs.
* * * * *
Go for it. Come up with exactly 75 words. Happy New Year!
Rules
- We reserve the right to remove content that promotes hate or gratuitous violence. Be respectful and courteous to others.
- All contest challenge entries must be submitted by the designated
- Enter as many times as you like using a trigger/prompt (this page).
- Contest Challenge entries can be prose (including short stories, nonfiction essays, or whatever you write), poetry, or plays -- or any type of hybrid writing you dream up.
- Every entry must have a title -- unless you choose to enter a haiku, in which case you can simply enter the word haiku in the title section.
- All content/entries should be original work. You retain ownership of your entries; however, we may ask to use them elsewhere on the site or on social media to help promote Bamboo Ridge and/or the Bamboo Shoots online writing community.
- Winners will be announced with all possible speed after the end of each month. Winners receive 10 Bamboo Bucks credit to spend in the BRP online bookstore. Bamboo Bucks have no monetary value outside of the online store.
- Entries may also be selected for publication in the regular Bamboo Ridge Journal. If your piece is chosen, the editors will contact you via the email address on file.
- Please note that you need not enter the contest challenge in order to post on Bamboo Shoots. You may post other writing if you choose. We welcome that here: Click this link to go to Shoot da Breeze.
This prompt is closed for submissions.