NEWSLETTER | FEATURED ESSAYS

Age of Empathy News: October 2023 Edition

Another month of celebrating top-notch wordsmithery

Happy October to all of our wonderful essayists and readers.

I can’t believe we’re here already, with the colours all around us changing by the day, the tones merging into the reds, oranges and yellows of the earth in her beautiful post-summer prime.

But here, indeed, we are!

The seasons keep on coming around, we keep on growing a little older, inspirations keep on coming as if from nowhere, and Medium’s mysterious algorithms keep on delightfully surprising and then painfully freaking out its hard-working writers. It all simply becomes part of life for us. So here I am, rolling into autumn again and ready to fully embrace the changing of the seasons.

October Prompt

Since we’re on the subject, this conveniently takes us straight to our prompt for the month of October. It’s all about change, more specifically, transitions.

We love you to get as creative as you wish with the prompts so let it conjure up what it will for you. How have ‘transitions’ played a part in your life? Read the prompt article here:

And now, let’s take a look at the month that has been.

Responses to last month’s prompt

Well that was a popular one! We had, I reckon, a record number of responses to our “First Day” prompt for the month of September. Check them out:

When You’ve Swallowed So Much Pride that It Pushes You Off a Bridge by Arpad Nagy

A Ratty Old T-Shirt for the Win by J.C. Anne Brown

Braving First Times by Susan Nicolai, writer, artist, your guide inside

Left Behind — My First Day at Boarding School by Ruby Noir 😈

Numberless First Days by Matthew Clapham

It’s Not in My Nature to Say ‘No’ Unless My Well Runs Dry by Sally Prag

Modest But Memorable First Days by Chris Raymond

A Wild Swim, Joy Ride & Rock Star Run by Mary Chang Story Writer

How I Became a Military Mom by Beth Riungu

There’s Always Going to Be a ‘First Day’ by Monica Ray, M.Ed, MS

The Day I First Held Him in My Arms by Kay Yoon

First Day Jitters and Buyer’s Remorse by Lori Stratton

The Worst Awakening: Yes, My Beautiful Mother Was Gone by Lynn L. Alexander

The 33-year streak ends with a first. by Jaclyn Weber

Highlights from the month

In the last thirty days, we have seen our average views and reads reach double those for July and August. And while we have had a fair few new writers join us, there has also been an impressive selection of well-received, high-quality, and engaging essays that have hauled in those reads and views.

Here are a selection of our highest performing pieces of the month in no particular order. These were mostly boosted ones — but not all!

The Pain of Exclusion and Being Left Out Once Again by Michele Maize

The Wisdom of Innocence — How Children React To A Wheelchair User by Jimwebster

Today I Married My Best Friend — After He Married Me 18 Years Ago by All My Little Words

Don’t Make Me Choose by Conni Walkup Hull

It Took Me Years To Quiet the Echo of My Mother’s Sneering Voice by Liberty Forrest, Author

Growing up Fatherless Proved to be a Blessing in Disguise by Neeramitra Reddy

I’m A Suburban Nomad with a Desk Job by Christopher Robin

Mountain Climbing In A Wheelchair And The Power Of Community by Jimwebster

What Are We Doing to Our Youth? by Becca CO 🌵

“Resiliency” After Trauma- a Sham? by Melissa Corrigan

Recovery Doesn’t Mean You Get Your Friends Back by Hogan Torah

After 22 Years of Motherhood, I Finally Have Time For Myself by Jacqueline Dooley

Why I Talk About My Ex On First Dates by Vishnu*s Virtues

Nature Always Wins: Why I Set My Broken-Winged Butterfly Free by Ilona Goanos

I Didn’t Expect My Ex To Move On So Quickly With Someone New by Yana Bostongirl

When Summer Is A Fading Dream by Aimée Brown Gramblin

Window, Ocean, Song — How Mortality Arrived The Other Day by Stephanie Wilson

How I Stumbled into Six Marriages — and the Shame of Six Inevitable Divorces by Liberty Forrest, Author

Growing up with Selective Mutism by Maleesha Perera

On My First Day Of Business School, I Wanted To Run Away. by Dr. Preeti Singh

A Swim With a Seal Reminded Me That No Man Should Ever Control Me by Sally Prag

A short hiatus from adding new writers

As you may or may not have been aware, we are currently taking a break from adding new writers to the publication. This is purely because, with so many joining us, in addition to the current writers, we aren’t able to keep on top of the many daily submissions to the pub without burning out. But as things calm down a little, we will begin gradually adding new writers again.

So if you have sent a request email and had the automated response, rest assured that we will get to you before we open the doors again officially. And those doors will not be closed for long, we promise.

That concludes the month’s roundup. Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed!

We all look forward to continuing to support everyone who writes with us, and to publishing more of your beautiful work.

Big love ❤️

The AoE Editorial Team 🙌

KiKi Walter | Christopher Robin | Sally Prag | Suzanne Pisano | Arpad Nagy | Michele Maize | Yana Bostongirl | kasey sparks | Bernice R. | Bob Merckel | Marketa Zvelebil | Dr. Preeti Singh | Stephanie Wilson | Maria Hayes | Lindsey Otto | Lindsay Rae Brown | Melissa Corrigan | All My Little Words | Ilona Goanos | Jacqueline Dooley | Preeti Ramachandran