On All Hallow’s Eve

A Holiday Prompt — Masquerade — Exploring Identity

You Are Cordially Invited! BNG IS THROWING A BALL!

To say we would be remiss if we didn’t engage in a fun little prompt as Dia de Los Muertos grows closer is quite the understatement. I love a ghost story, and I love a pumpkin carving. But more than any of that, I love a costume. A day to shed your skin and put on somebody else’s. My dear Shringi Kumari allows me such indulgences. And when we were talking about the next prompt we thought how fun it might be for Broads Non Grata to do a little dress up (or down) this Halloween. We came to the conclusion; A prompt on Masquerade. So, get your masks out, or better yet, have the courage to finally take them off. For the next writing prompt has begun!

Putting The Mask On

While Halloween might have begun as a Celtic Holiday, it hasn’t lost the dark fervour it was born with. As ancient ancestors used to wear masks on All Hallow’s Eve to protect themselves from dark spirits who roamed the earth on Halloween… What masks do we carry with us passed the night of deadly spirits?

In true BNG fashion, we wanted to talk about Masks as a way of making space, an invitation to those who find themselves constantly on the edge. Putting the mask on as a way to find yourself, or find different versions of who you are meant to be, or perhaps ‘thought to be.’

As E.E. Cummings once said, “The greatest battle we face as human beings is the battle to protect our true selves from the self the world wants us to become.”

This is an invitation. To share your mask experience with BNG. we want to know about the differences between who you are and who you think you need to be for the world? Do you wear a mask to cope? To Entertain? To Evolve?

We want to see you.

Taking the Mask Off

Taking off a Mask can be one of the scariest things of all, right? People see us as they want to see us, and sometimes we get so carried away living a standard that has been put on or labelled us somehow. In gardening, when planting a garden, the first step is to pull out all the weeds and unnecessary bits.

But the second part is turning the soil. Allowing what is underneath to come forward and be seen.

In an article in Psychology today, Susan Sparks writes:

Think about the masks you wear and commit to taking them off. Hold your gifts out to the world — no apology, no shame, no regrets. As the old saying goes, every creature has its rightful place, and in that place it becomes beautiful.

You are beautiful.

Joining the Masquerade

Will you please share with us your poems, essays, stories, dialogues on what it means to wear a Mask? What the weight of it has, how alive or unalive it might make you feel? What protection it might offer? Tell us your stories of the mask and where it lives? Has anyone worn it before?

Was it part of the All Hallow’s Eve protection of Spirits? Was it a Spirit itself? is it a representation from another culture, or world? A time and a place unknown or undiscovered?

Whatever your interpretation of Mask or Masquerade is, we would love to read.

Tagging some BNG Writers here, but all are welcome to attend!

Sylvia Wohlfarth, Tracy Aston, wimpy af, Christina Ward 💗POM!💗, Justcallmejillybean, Yamini MacLean, Gabriella Salazar, schian H, Johanna Naomi, Anisesh, Brian Fehler, Dennett, Zarina Dara 🥀💃🏻, Jenny Justice, Vaishali Paliwal, Rebeca Ansar, Ashwini Dodani, Shruti Sinha, Samantha Lazar, Jessica Archuleta, Michael Stang, J.J. Tung, Deborah Christensen, G.R. MELVIN, Agnes Louis, Simon Heathcote, Sarah Book, kurt gasbarra, Tre L. Loadholt, Natalie Frank, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology), Nadia Davidson, Rolli, Shobha Roy, Jordyn Schiff, Rusty Alderson, Maymuuna, Radha Chetna Laxhmi, Sean Michael, Keara Lou, Jk Mansi, Anna Rozwadowska, Chiedza Kikumi, Austin Briggman, David S., Anish Lamichhane, MD, Priyanka Srivastava, Jessi Roman

Excited to hear what you have to share! Please add BNGMasquerade as one of the tags in your post.

Love,

Shringi & Ashley

To be a writer with BNG please leave a comment on our about page.

For previous posts and to play in some of our other experimental prompts, check out the links below.