Andrea Reads America

American Vignette: I remember. A Writing Challenge.

vignette¹  (vɪˈnjɛt)
– n.

1. a small illustration placed at the beginning or end of a book or chapter
2. a short graceful literary essay or sketch

I am reading my way around the United States in three books per state, and as I read, I am continually confronted by how little of my home country’s landscape and culture I have experienced. When I read a book set in a state I have lived in or traveled to, I can relate to the sense of place, and I love writing about the memories the author’s words evoke. For states I’ve never lived, though, I have no stories to share, and I am at a loss.

This is where you, dear writers, come in. I am seeking guest contributors to share scenes of life from your home states here on Andrea Reads America. I want this site to have more personal touches than just a series of book reviews, and I would like to publish your voices: young, old, gay, straight, white, black, rainbow striped. On the first and third Wednesday of each month, I will post a prompt to help get your writerly juices flowing. I invite you to write a piece on your own blog using the prompt, or if you do not have a blog, you can email your entry to me (email in the submission guidelines below). I will enable pingbacks so any entries that link to the prompt post will appear on this page for all to read.

The Prize(s)

A state is a big place with many ethnicities, landscapes, subcultures, and city streets, so on the Tuesday before the next prompt is posted I will publish a roundup with links to some of the best place-based pieces. If there is enough participation in the challenges these roundups will reflect the diversity inherent in even the smallest of states, so please, share your stories. When I come across entries that are scene-rich, or culture-rich, are well written, and that capture an atmospheric sense of place for a particular state, I will reach out to authors and ask permission to republish their works here on Andrea Reads America as accompaniment to the write-ups I post for that state’s literature. All re-publications will be credited to the original author and will include an author bio, a link to the author’s website or blog, and links to any social media the author participates in (or whatever information the author would like to share).

This week’s prompt: I remember

This week’s prompt is to begin with the words “I remember” and see where they take you.

Submission Guidelines

Have fun, and I look forward to escaping into your state!

¹ “vignette.” Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 05 May. 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vignette>.