Imagine March: Storied Stories
Scene by scene, one writer at a time walks us through a specific house or apartment building. It might be a physical progression through space, or it might be a journey through time.
The audience gets to peek into the lives of each of the residents and the writers get to practice being creative within fairly strict boundaries.
Alameda Shorts: Grown Up Story Time
Writers pick up the one-word theme and play with it until they find the story they want to tell. The word must be included in some way.
The result is a curated collection of short fiction (any genre) and mini memoir pieces that can be read to a live audience in five minutes.
Submissions are for consideration only; being included as a reader at an Alameda Shorts lit night is not guaranteed.
Selection is based on personal likes and dislikes as much as quality, much like the whims of editors who accept and reject submissions in the world of publication.
Imagine August: Between the Lines
Writers choose their first line from a long list. First come, first served, and no repeats; once a first line has been claimed, it’s removed from the list.
Once the list of writers and their first lines have been established, I go back and randomly assign first lines as last lines to each writer and they write the scene they imagine happens between the lines.
Imagine March Submission Guidelines
Theme drop: February 1 – scene choice due within 24 hours Length: 5-minute read out loud (800-1,000 words) First draft deadline: February 21 Final draft deadline: March 1 Format: Times New Roman; 12pt. Word or Google Docs only File name: Imagine March 2025-Your Name Email to: info@toliveandwrite.org Subject line: Imagine March 2025-Your Name Event: Second Thursday in March
Alameda Shorts Submission Guidelines
Alameda Shorts has a fun spin to it this month: Collaboration. Hold on — that’s NOT the theme; it’s just the first part of the process.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Find a friend or family member and tell them you need a story to fit the theme. Have them make up a story while you take notes. Do a bit of back-and-forth: Ask questions and make suggestions.
Step 2: Write their story to the best of your ability, but use your voice and storytelling style. Basically, you write an interpretation or translation of their story for Shorts and submit it by deadline (usual submission guidelines)
Step 3: If your piece is selected, read it to a live audience on event night.
