Sweet Fields of Queer Corn

Prism & Pen calls for stories

Sweet fields of queer corn? Queer fields of sweet corn? I’m tossing both titles around as I write. Let’s see which one I settle on for today’s Prism & Pen writing challenge. I grew up surrounded by fields of tall corn, and to me August is a glorious month because fresh sweet corn appears ever so briefly on tables.

As an American, when I say corn I mean maize, which to me symbolizes summer joy. P&P editor Artemis Shishir might think of rice instead. He’s been sending me photos of rice fields that surround his home city of Kolkata.

Children of the Corn?

For some people, corn fields are spooky and scary. To me, they bring back memories of childhood and first forbidden romance — secret kisses. What stories can you write about fields of joy or fields of terror? What do corn fields mean to you from an LGBTQ perspective?

Sweet Fields of Queer Corn

That’s our next two-week writing challenge. We’re calling for fiction, personal essays, poetry —whatever kind of storytelling LGBTQ people and friends/allies/family feel inspired to write.

Please don’t feel restricted by the exact challenge text. Think of fields of grain and let your imaginations run free! And of course, you’re always invited to submit stories about anything at any time, so long as they fall within our guidelines.

Since we also accept artist interviews and reviews, maybe somebody wants to give us their take on Children of the Corn from a queer perspective? Just a thought!

New to Prism and Pen?

You can have a look at our submissions guidelines here:

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