We Are All Strange Pilgrims…
A writing prompt, a call for submissions, and a celebration of the beautiful places we’ve been…
My fellow traveler,
None of us in this small tribe of humanity knows exactly where we are going. That is what binds us.
Sit with us, in the comfort of a fire somewhere under a lost sky full of the frozen fireworks of the constellations. Rest your dusty feet.
Listen to a story…Tell us your own.
And then drift into a slumber full of restless dreams and visions,
stories to be.
No matter where we come from, no matter where we are in the world,
we are all, strange pilgrims.
From many lands, weary, wondering, strong, and forging step after step into the unknown.
We do not travel alone.
Your writing prompt, should you chose to accept it: dream up some strange pilgrims…
As you surely know, this month, we’re traveling with your stories and our reading here at Vagabond Voices.
And we happen to be reading Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez. Whether you have read the collection of stories or not, I invite you to toy with the idea of strange pilgrims.
The unusual people who find themselves in places far from home, far from what they ever imagined possible. Strange pilgrims is full of saints, outcasts, mystics, psychics, tourists…
But we are also rich in experiences in this community.
Have you ever been a stranger in a strange land? Or felt like one?
Or can you imagine such a character?
I can’t wait to hear your stories.
Whatever you are writing now is fine.
These are strange times. I’ve seen that for some of us, these times are lighting a sort of creative fire leading to prolific storytelling. Others of us may be favoring tales that match our shorter attention spans and sleepless nights.
Bring us what you are writing now. And remember, experiments are fine.
If you can write a sentence, you can write a poem.
And if you can’t write a sentence? Play with blackout or collage.
Some beautiful places you won’t want to miss…
Last week, I asked you to take us where you’ve been…and I was not disappointed. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope you enjoy these travels…
Take a fairy tale hike to Cascada Waskayacu in Ecuador with Linda Alley
Join Nicole Ak for a delicious slice of Greek summer in Saying Goodbye to a Watermelon.
Enjoy the view in Ireland on The Cork Dublin Trail with Sylvia Wohlfarth.
Watch where you step with Marta Mozolewska in her memoir from lake Ohrid: Crunch, Crunch! What Is It?
Hang onto the rails for some adventurous travel by ferry in New Zealand with Gail Walter in Mom Overboard Almost. (It makes me want to be stuck on a ferry in New Zealand…)
Rest for a moment in the silence of the Muir Woods with Sylph Hemery in Sacred Entanglement.
Stop to wonder at the peaceful treetops in Sweden with Elena Gabrielli in Still Life.
Or take another way altogether with Mary McGrath in The Myth of Sisyphus.
And in other travels…one of my favorite poets, LB has started a newsletter with an otherworldly take on poetry, prose and photography. You can sign up by visiting one of his latest stories, like Dreamside Table.
Thank you for reading. If you’d like to share your story with us, get in touch here. And if you’d like to meet us for a book chat or writing workshop sometime, get printables and writing prompts, and travel with others, you can sign up for the Vagabond Voices Newsletter here.
