peaceweaver writing.

We are seeking to publish short-stories by talented writers. Our aim is to create a book with unpublished work and promote writer’s voices, ideas, and dreams. Your short-story must meet the following criteria:

It must contain over 7,000 words.

It must be original.

It must be unpublished. 

Ten short-stories will be chosen. Email your work to [email protected]. The submission deadline has been extended to May 31, 2015. If you have questions please email [email protected].

Best,

‘April is the cruellest month’ ~ T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land 

Reading poetry in spectacularly pretty Cambridge coffee shops has to have been one my favourite things to do during this Easter break. I first experienced The Waste Land when I was invited to a study day at Oxford University at the age of 16, and each time I read it the memories from this day flood back to me. I also always find something new in Eliot’s poetry each time I read it, it always keeps me interested, so I’m actually looking forward to revising his work for my Modern Paper exam this summer. 

The lovely Amber Kirk-Ford from The Mile Long Bookshelf is our very first guest blogger. First things first, here’s some of her favourite first lines. Have we over used the word first there? Nah!

1) “Now that I’ve found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night? My wings aren’t white or feathered; they’re green, made of green silk, which shudders in the wind and bends when I move – first in a circle, then in a line, finally in a shape of my own invention.” -  Matched by Ally Condie

Isn’t that beautiful? She’s talking about a dress, but it’s so poetic and really sets the tone for the rest of the book - which is amazing, by the way.

2) “Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.” – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I am a firm believer that we need more diversity in fiction, and I love books that can talk about mental health freely and unapologetically. This line ticks those boxes.

3) “Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure.” - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I love how unique this is. Are they lies? Only one way to find out…

4) “Is today a good day to die?” - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Is it? Have you achieved some of your dreams? Did you tell your parents you loved them before you left this morning? Isn’t there anything you can think of that’s worth living for?

5) “Hello, world! I’ve decided to start a blog.” - Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I love this line because it’s the start of a journey and, no matter how successful some bloggers get, they all had to start somewhere. If I hadn’t decided to start a blog, I don’t know where I’d be, and if Penny in Girl Online hadn’t decided to start a blog… well, there would be no Girl Online!

6) “’School is the armpit of life,’ my best friend Kenzie once told me.” – Popular by Maya Van Wagenen

This is hilarious and absolutely true. Can I get this on a t-shirt, please?

7) “Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Of course I had to include Harry Potter on this list – I’d be mad not to! These are the wonderful words that drew generations of people into a world of magic. Potterheads for life!