Tag: letter from the editor

My washing machine stopped working this morning. Mid-cycle, full of stuff, just—kaput. I was trying to check off a bunch of boxes before starting my workday, to maximize the time I had in the early morning before people started asking me for things. But then, staring at the machine that had just become a hunk of junk, mentally spiraling, feeling the edges of stress punch into my temples, I realized two things:

1. I have become my mother, and
2. It’s not really about the washing machine.

It’s strange to be writing when the world outside my window feels so chaotic—as due process is thrown out the window by people with unchecked power, as fascism threatens to become the new normal, as protesters are shot and maced and beaten for exercising their rights. I’ve spoken with a lot of creatives who feel like they’re perpetually in a low-grade sense of fight-or-flight, trying to Be a Person and buy groceries and pay bills, and all the while, we’re all just one minor inconvenience away from a major breakdown.

And then, in the middle of this: New Year, New You. Fresh start. Ignore the news. Focus on your goals. 

Ugh.

I was so curious about what pieces we’d receive for this challenge. Would people even want to write about work and resolutions and productivity? Would people even want to write? But every time I opened my reading queue, I was reminded of why we’re here at Glossy Planet—to promote writing that leans into the headlines, not away from them. And, accordingly, the pieces we received were full of rage and grief, irony and ennui, humor and pain, all grounded in explorations of the Cult of Productivity. 

Here are some of the themes from the pieces we read:

• The juxtaposition of cancer and beauty
• Apps and technology optimizing our time and health at the expense of our identities
• Rest as its own form of resistance and productivity

“There were a few pieces that challenged the cult-like hold trendy health advice can have on people. Social media is flooded with life hacks, proselytized by underqualified, self-touted experts promising enviable results. One writer describes applying castor oil to her navel at the advice of friends. This trendy, anecdotally effective health remedy is found all over the internet as part of a well rounded self-care practice, but the writer considers this practice as the possible solution to all her problems. Hyperbole aside, it highlights the weight we put on alternative practices when their popularity outweighs their efficacy.” – Ashley Huyge

“Given this month’s theme, I expected a lot of submissions that mirrored how most of us live and work in the modern world—frantically and anxiously. Instead, I found a more quiet and tender thread woven through many pieces, writing that focused on simple pleasure and rest as forms of resistance in our frenetic environment. It was a pleasant surprise to have my expectations subverted, and I’m so looking forward to reading everyone’s radical and thoughtful work again next month.” – Hayley Clin

Being creative right now is a radical move. We’re constantly facing a barrage of conflicting messages that tell us to keep our heads down, ignore our eyes and ears, be better, be quiet, accept everything—but writing what we truly feel? That’s essential. I’m so excited to publish our winners at the end of February, and I’m even more excited to see what you write next month. As a preview: it’s our most intense topic yet. It’s about systems and what happens when those systems break.

Even when it feels like the world is ending and the washing machine breaks and every day is just another game of “which headline will break me today”—your voice matters. Keep writing, keep reading, and keep going.

Rebecca Paredes
Editor, Glossy Planet

We made it to 2026, and we did it with fire in our words and an eye on the headlines. When Glossy Planet launched late last year, I was deeply curious to see how people would react to a lit mag that responds to the present—and, wow, y’all showed up.

The winners from our first challenge, Monsters We Made, showcased the realities of toxic masculinity in the digital age, the damaging effects of desensitization to violence, and the insidiousness of people in power. The winners from our November challenge, A House Divided, will be published next week, and I’m excited to give you a sneak preview of what these incredible pieces cover:

The fracturing of family histories

The slow realities of erasure

And what happens when we turn the other cheek.

These pieces represent Glossy Planet’s mission: to write in response to the world, not hide from it. It’s an absolute honor to give writers a space to create this type of work. I’ve read in cover letters that our challenges have helped writers break out of a creative slump, and I’ve been told that writing groups are using our challenge copy as writing prompts—all of which makes me feel like we’re doing something right here. Even if you don’t submit your work to us, the very act of creating is worth celebrating, particularly in a time when it would feel so easy to not write and to let the world consume us.

I’m so excited to see what 2026 brings. Our first challenge of the year will launch on January 1 (you can add it to your calendar here), and without giving too much away, it’ll be a direct response to what you hear at the start of a new year. For this challenge, and all the others we release this year, I hope you’ll lean into the deepest part of your writing self and unleash it on the page. 

This isn’t the time to shy away from your truth or obscure what you really want to say with your words—this is the time to let things loose. We will give you a place that will catch those words and read them with care.

Let’s be loud this year. Happy writing.

Our first writing challenge is in the books, and I’m sitting at my desk feeling grateful, inspired, and excited. We asked for work along the theme of “Monsters We Made”—that is, the monsters of our own making and how they haunt us today. It was a pleasure to see how writers explored these themes across different genres and forms; flash fiction, poetry, and microessays were all represented, from writers who answered the call to lean into the headlines, not away from them. 

This project is very personal to me. When I joined Glossy Planet, I wanted to create a space where writers could feel compelled to turn their doomscrolling fixations into art—something that grounded me back in 2020 when the world stopped, and again this year, as every “Breaking News” headline feels like another step closer into chaos. It was validating to see just how many writers across the globe stepped up to the challenge with gusto. Submitting your work is a radical act. It’s a choice to share something carved from a piece of yourself, to put your voice into the world and trust that someone is listening. I can’t thank our submitters enough for trusting us with their writing.

Several writers noted in their cover letters that they came out of a hiatus to write and submit their work, which, wow—what an absolute honor. As someone who was once in a seven-year writing hiatus, coming out of that space and putting pen back to paper is difficult as hell, and I’m deeply moved to know that our little lit mag’s writing challenge helped ignite that spark.

Here are some quick notes:

• We received submissions from every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
• Some of the recurring themes included smartphone addiction, racism, overconsumption, fascism, and hubris.
• Our reading period continues through Oct. 25, and we’ll begin sending notifications soon after. 
• We will publish a shortlist to recognize the titles of pieces that lingered with us.
• Our third, second, and first place winners will be announced the final week of November and published on our website.

I also wanted to share some comments from our stellar reading team: 

“The quality of writing and complexity of ideas in the submissions was astonishing. It made decisions difficult but in the best possible way. My tip to future submitters would be ‘read the guidelines carefully and consider how your piece answers the prompt,’ because you don’t want to disqualify yourself by sending work that’s off-topic.” – K Roberts

“We had a lot of really creative, passionate, and sometimes shocking submissions! Some of the most impactful pieces stayed with me because of their in-depth specificity. If you want to write about something big, go small. Big themes, like racism, climate change, and mental illness management, become more relevant when we focus on intimate details and their impact. The stories where something specific happened to the characters, or poems that highlighted a singular theme and its influence, made me look at my own feelings as they relate to these issues. Those are the pieces that moved me!” – Ashley Huyge

“Given the state of our world, created by the monsters we have made, I was expecting to read many bleak pieces. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see how many people used dark humor to tackle some of the serious issues that plague our society. During dark times, it can be cathartic to find humor in our situation and remind ourselves to laugh, especially when that becomes increasingly difficult. It was fun to witness how writers were able to tackle important issues in a playful way.” – Teagan Summers

“I am so impressed and excited by the submissions I have read. In such a strange time, it’s so comforting to find community in writing about the monsters that we’ve made. I can’t wait for next month’s writing challenge.” – Ashley Anderson

“My number one tip for writers would be to really identify what makes their vision, and by extension their writing, unique. I read multiple submissions about social media/scrolling and many of them used surprisingly similar metaphors, details, and/or format. Lean in to what is weird or different about how you experience or interpret or think about a subject. It’s noticeable when you do! Also, if the piece isn’t on theme, we will notice. We are generous with interpretation but theme matters. Don’t forget that.” – Melissa Witcher

“This month’s submissions were diverse, personal, profound, and unapologetic in their reflection of the context and chaos we’re currently living through. I found the most exciting pieces to be those that embodied the messiness of humanity and the multiplicity of the modern world—writers that found poetry in everyday darkness and challenged oppressive powers through humour, experimentation, and lyricism. The submissions I passed on tended to lack specificity, they either spoke to an experience in a way that felt overly familiar or tried to speak to too much without digging into any topic deeply enough for me to connect with.” – Hayley Clin

Our next challenge opens November 1, and you can add it to your calendar now. 

Until then, happy writing!

Rebecca Paredes
Editor, Glossy Planet