Writer Focus

Poems, Mind Control, Cats and Coffee — Oh My!

New writer spotlight and update on June writing challenges

We have some excellent and eclectic pieces from our new writers today. I never shy away from a good cat article, especially if they might be exerting a form of mind control over us humans. Plus, who can resist a good peanut butter and pickle sandwich combo? Read on and find out all you need to know for today!

Each day in June I hope to feature a few articles from writers that have just recently been added to the publication. I am doing this because I want to make a point of welcoming and getting acquainted with the new writers, and doing a feature allows me to read some of their work and pick items that catch my eye each day.

My hope is to get these authors a few extra eyes on their writing and perhaps gain a few fans that otherwise might not have seen their work. If these new-to-Illumination writers don’t have bios yet, we hope they write one soon so we can add it to our growing list:

But until then, my aim is to choose a handful of writers from the ranks of the newly added to Illumination and highlight one of their articles. Then I will have an ask of them afterward (Hint: I will ask that they pay it forward by doing the same thing for other writers).

Plus, an ongoing list of writer challenges follows the feature articles below! So, without further ado:

New Writer Spotlight

Our first story puts the lime in the coconut. Wait, scratch that, the chili powder on the mango, plus a few other food combinations that might have you initially scrunching up your nose, but then finding out you have a new favorite once you try it.

Alyssa Atkinson gives us the low down on some of the food amalgamations we probably haven’t tried yet but should. Get your mixing spoon out and read:

Your cat is controlling your mind. Yep, you read it here first. Probably not a startling revelation for anyone that owns a cat, because sometimes you see them watching you and you just have to know they are up to something.

Let Eli Snow explain how bacteria commonly found in cats gets passed on to humans and the impact it may have on our decision making. Backed by peer-reviewed studies in the Journal of Experimental Biology and The Royal Society, Eli shows us how cats might be insidiously taking over the world here:

You are probably going to need a hot or cold beverage to deal with the last news, thankfully Panera is looking out for you in that regard. While drinks aren’t the main draw when you think of Panera, they definitely have them and they want to get you in the store by offering a drink subscription.

You heard correctly, all the coffee and tea you want to drink for one low monthly price at Panera. Ashley Chang gives us the skinny on the unlimited coffee subscription at Panera and how she keeps her caffeine levels on point at all times here:

And finally, a poem that pretty much hooked me with the title alone. Natasha Curtis shares the poem she wrote for her children a few years back.

Read along on Monica-Jane Matilda May’s journey from plain to “girl with attitude, cheeky and rude.” And find out what becomes of someone that pushes the limits a bit too far in this clever and fun poem:

Let’s Make a Connection

Next I want to broker an introduction of the new writers tagged in this article and one of our editors and/or writers who has been at Illumination for a bit.

Working diligently behind the scenes as editor and writing great long form pieces and poetry is Dipti Pande. Always with a genuine positive word on Slack and in story comments, Dipti helps further the cooperative spirit at Illumination in countless ways.

Here she explains how statements that sound positive, but actually disregard the recipient’s feelings or current status are a form of toxic positivity. Let Dipti show why we might feel that we are giving good advice, but we are actually making things much worse here:

If you want to connect with me or any of the editors, please consider joining the Illumination Slack workgroup. You can request an invitation to Slack by contacting Dr Mehmet Yildiz from this link. Please type “Request for Slack” on the heading as Dr. Yildiz has many other requests from this link.

I am always willing to answer questions and provide information for anyone. The other editors and writers are as well. Slack is the best way to interact if you have questions.

If you need some tips to get up and running on Slack, this article is a good starting point:

The Big Ask

As promised, if I featured your story here, or are reading this and feel inspired, I encourage you to pay forward the concept of highlighting the work of others.

Please consider choosing another writer (or writers) and creating a story that emphasizes aspects that you appreciate about their work. It could be their style, topic choices, voice, technical aspects of writing, or maybe you just like their profile picture.

I am confident that when you do this you will find that your own writing work gets better. In many ways I believe that the person that brings attention to others’ work benefits even more than the recipient. That is one of the core premises and values of Illumination, and when you engage you will find that you reap dividends. I encourage you to give it a whirl. And, when you do, tag me in your article. I love being exposed to stuff I might not have otherwise seen.

Bonus Gift — The Writing Challenge

There are two types of writers in the world. Those who have experienced writer’s block, and those that will.

One of the great remedies to the question, “What do I write next?” is responding to a prompt or challenge provided by another writer. I personally have benefitted significantly from this and, to some extent, this section is a bit self-serving because I want to have some handy prompts to write about occasionally.

Older prompts

Some older prompts I have been involved in are: If I wasn’t a writer I would…, Self-Discovery during lock down, a funny video prompt, and a musical prompt.

List of New Challenges and Prompts

I am hoping to develop a list of newer prompts with their originators. Send me your writing prompts! Here’s what we have so far:

Kevin Buddaeus

Sarah E Sturgis

Sherry McGuinn

New one today from Tree Langdon ♾️ asks us to make up words and provide their definition. Try your hand at creating the next Neologism!

If you are participating in or originating a challenge and you want to include it here for people to find, either respond to this article or hit me up on Slack (@timothykey).

Next Group

Tomorrow I will pull from this new group of recently added writers:

Alamiin S.I, Calvin L.C., Shelby Hatch, O Garcia, Anitei Alina, Jon Lye, Imane, M.X. Christopher, Fatima Sultan, Felicia Atkinson, arun simon, Nikki Cole, Mariana De Freitas, Ella Ebner, Arthur Billingsley, A Medic’s Musings, Ruchi Das, Tan Yin Lin, Tim Guan, Danielle Hamner, MSW, Aliyah Birdman, Uchechi Obasi, Amey, Adam Tabriz, MD, Nitish Menon, Sarkis Ardjian, Martin Van Duyse, Simon Spichak, Siraj K Zahr, Sriraj, Anthony M. Davis, Rei Yi Lai, Aisha,

If you want me to highlight one of your stories in particular, or have any questions just respond to this story, or better yet, find me on Slack!

Thanks for reading, I am enjoying getting to know all the new writers on Illumination!

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Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.