In a memorable virtual gathering held on Wednesday, October 11, eight talented writers came together to share excerpts from their shortlisted stories for the upcoming anthology Sticks and Stones.

Earlier in 2021 we launched our inaugural cash fiction contest, calling writers across Canada to submit stories under the theme of The Things We Leave Behind. Though we weren’t overwhelmed with entries, the competition was furious, and we narrowed the field down to a shortlist of eight, all of whom will be published in an anthology aptly named, The Things We Leave Behind, set to be released in April of 2022.

As time has passed, engagement in our quarterly write-prompt challenge has waned. While we believe it is a valuable exercise for all who enter, there comes a time when you have to ask if this thing has run its course.

As we lean into the promise of spring, the Blank Spaces team is very excited to present a new fiction competition unlike anything we’ve hosted before.

In every new issue of Blank Spaces we publish a write prompt image hoping to invoke some great creativity and inspire new voices to send us work. When the pressure of submission is taken away, it's sometimes easier to take that first plunge into magazine publication and we're happy to make that available to our readers. It's always fun to see the unique ideas spun out of one image.