Tell Us Your Story Of Hiraeth

Summary

The website content is an invitation to writers to submit their work on the theme of "Hiraeth," a Welsh word for a complex form of nostalgia, for a chance to be featured in an e-book anthology by Literary Impulse.

Abstract

Literary Impulse has launched a writing challenge centered around the Welsh concept of "Hiraeth," which describes a deep longing for a place or time that may not exist anymore or perhaps never did. Writers are encouraged to explore this theme through poetry or prose and submit their pieces between August 10th and September 25th. A panel led by Theme Editor Keta Nachi will review the submissions, selecting the top entries for publication in an anthology with cover art by Tanvi Naik. The guidelines emphasize the importance of beautiful writing and suggest using specific tags when submitting. The call to action includes tagging five other writers to participate in a challenge with a theme of their choice. Literary Impulse prides itself on being a collaborative platform that supports and promotes writers, with a commitment to careful editing and a growing presence in the literary community.

Opinions

The concept of "Hiraeth" is presented as a rich and evocative theme for writers to explore, with the Welsh language's nuanced expression seen as particularly authentic and inspiring.
The authentic pronunciation of "Hiraeth" is highlighted as important, with a suggested pronunciation guide provided.
The submission process is open to interpretation, encouraging writers to evoke the sentiment of "Hiraeth" without necessarily using the word directly in their work.
Literary Impulse positions itself as a discerning and supportive platform for writers, emphasizing the value of being published with them as a mark of quality and recognition.
The editorial team is described as diligent and caring, suggesting a contrast with platforms

An invitation to write your heart out

Illustration by Erica N

Hiraeth is a word from the Welsh language that has no exact equivalent in English. It refers to a kind of nostalgia, similar to homesickness, but somewhat more complex. Akin to the German Sehnsucht and the Portuguese saudade, it evokes the longing for a home you may never be able to return to, and the connection with the loved ones you left behind; or, perhaps, the longing for a place that never existed, the tribe that you haven’t found yet...

You can find various pronunciations on Google, but in my humble opinion, the most authentic one is something like HEER-eye-th with a rolled “r” the “th” barely a whisper. (I checked this with my daughter’s Welsh BF!)

An invitation to write

If you’re like me and you can’t resist a challenge, or if this mysterious word from verdant Wales stirs something in the depths of your soul, we hope you will respond by sending us your work, poetry or prose, long or short. The window to participate will be from August 10th through September 25th.

Our panel, led by Theme Editor Keta Nachi, will be reading all submissions from that period as they come in and select the best entries (we’re thinking 4 poems and 3 prose pieces) to be published in an e-book anthology whose cover, by artist Tanvi Naik, you can admire below:

What are we looking for? Beautiful writing, in the first place. It’s not necessary (although perfectly acceptable) to actually use the word “hiraeth” either in the title or the text of your submission, as long as the sentiment is evoked, described, explained or whatever else you can imagine doing with it!

How to submit? You can read our general submission guidelines here:

For this challenge, we ask that you use the appropriate tags: #hiraeth #literaryimpulse followed by your own choice (poetry, nonfiction, fiction, etc.)

NOW GET THE BALL ROLLING! Last but not least, we request that you TAG 5 other writers to take up a challenge, with a theme of YOUR choice. So, not “hiraeth” but another word or phrase that intrigues YOU!

Good things come to those who wait… “Yeah, yeah, how many times have I heard that? Why don’t I just hit “Publish” and see what happens? Or send my work to a no-editing-required, no-questions-asked medium publication?” I hear you ask.

Well, of course, you’re free to do that! However, if you are serious about your craft, you could do worse than write for Literary Impulse, where you will meet a team of diligent editors who care. We want to shine a light on your talent and help readers discover your work. Our presence is growing and the sky is the limit.

Literary Impulse is not a one-man show, but an international collaboration of dedicated Literature Lovers. Every submission is read and evaluated by multiple team members. Sometimes we may suggest a few edits. We aim to become ever more discerning in the future. To be published in Literary Impulse is fast becoming a badge of honor. We support and promote our writers on Medium, on our website, and on various social media.

And if I’m rejected?

Since we publish only a limited number of posts in each cycle, there’s always a possibility that your work may not be accepted, this time. Should that happen, please do not interpret it as a negative judgment of the quality of your work. All it means is that the majority of our panel voted for some submissions they happened to like even more, and the slate is already complete for this particular publishing cycle. Submit your work to our Medium publication anytime! We will confirm after receiving it and give you an idea of the expected time to publication. If you think it is too long a wait, we will understand and hope that you will try us again in the near future.

Yours truly, Elisabeth Khan, Editor Literary Impulse

Challenge & prompt: Hiraeth

Tell Us Your Story Of Hiraeth

An invitation to write your heart out

An invitation to write

Submission Guidelines — Literary Impulse

Poetry, Fiction, and Philosophical Creative non-fiction. Quality over quantity.

And if I’m rejected?