Iridescent Words seeks stories about peace between Russia and Ukraine!
We are looking for stories that envision peace between these two countries. How could the conflict be resolved? What would it look like if soldiers lay down their arms?
How can ordinary people on either side of the border help each other during a time of conflict?
How can the lives of people affected by the conflict improve as they overcome it?
How can one person have an impact in creating peace?
Or, stories could be set in a future in which this conflict is already resolved.
We want positive and hopeful stories with minimal violence.
Stories with a speculative or magical element are welcome!
Stories can be contemporary or set any time during history that portrays Russians and Ukrainians getting along, or overcoming conflict to get along. This could be: travel or migration between Ukraine and Russia, travelling merchants, peasants or nobility, cultural exchanges between writers or artists, a marriage between Russian and Ukrainian families, Ukrainian Cossacks in Russia, Kievan Rus, or anything else you can imagine.
Length: 300-2000 words. Send stories to: iridescent words emerge at gmail dot com. Times New Roman, double spaced, 12 point, British spelling.
If we gather enough suitable submissions, we will publish them in an anthology and authors will have the opportunity to do a royalty split.
Deadline: 30 April 2022
Short stories are not only to entertain—they can provide a blueprint for other ways of thinking and being so we can create a better world.