Welcome to the first Annual Writing Contest for the Winter Solstice!
Inspiration and Prizes!
Solstice derives from an ancient Latin word meaning "stop," or "to stand still." According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, it refers to one of two points when the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. The Winter Solstice (is) the season when we honor the closing of circles... learn, from nature, how to honor the darkness of Life's Mysteries without losing faith...how to recognize the seeds of growth and nurture them in our own inner warmth until the Light returns... how to dignify the elder who lives always within us, and to face our own old age with serenity and faith and power....
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These
are just two explorations of the Winter Solstice. If you are interested, you can
find fascinating sites on the web by putting "Winter Solstice" into
you browser. But before you do that... before you go looking outside of
yourself for a story, look inside!
This is not a contest about being slavish to the concept or definition of the Winter Solstice. We don't care if you even mention Winter Solstice in your story. Far more important is what the image evokes in you.
The Winter Solstice holds an ancient, archetypal resonance -- this is manna for the creative soul. The Winter Solstice speaks to the mystery of life, the cycles of life and death and rebirth, the secrets of the frozen seed and of becoming. It speaks of family and community.
All religions have holidays on or around the Winter Solstice. Their meanings rose up in the time of myths and hold the the echo of the preverbal. At the same time, the Winter Solstice may conjure a story about something that happened in your life, or a family story about winter, transitions, etc.
What
follows is a whirlwind of suggestions. One may open up a story for you --
or
you may want to ignore these ideas...
- A
story about a holiday of joy, spirit, tragedy, family friction ...
- A
story about despair or triumph over darkness ...
- A
story about ice skating on a moonlit night that evolves into a personal essay,
memory or a tale of mystery, love or tragedy ...
- A
story about a grandmother or grandfather in the winter of their lives. The story
might be poignant, funny, wise, filled with hatred, jealousy or misfortune ...
- A
story about the old one you will become or are ...
- A
story about movement, moving on, evolving; emerging; discovery; death ...
- A
story about the depth of being...
Maeshowe, on the Orkney Islands north of Scotland, shares a trait similar to other ancient monoliths; it invites the winter solstice sun. It is hailed as "one of the greatest architectural achievements of the prehistoric peoples of Scotland." More information on ancient sites and the Solstice
.
-
A story about the mystery of the unseen ...
- An
story about defying your Inner Critic and slamming
the door on negativity ... - A
story about a bear hunt in northern woods, wolves,
camping in winter, ice fishing ... -
A story about the passing on of family rituals ...
- A
story about pregnancy, birth, flying into the night
on the wings of an eagle ....
As
you can see, there are no limits to what can be submitted.
The Winter
Solstice can be only a jumping point, or it can be
central to your submission.
Submission categories are: Fiction and Memoir/Personal Essay.
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