The fourth issue is here!
PROMPTED returns with another volume of prize-winning pieces from the world’s most popular weekly writing contest. Guest edited by David Restaino (associate fiction editor at The Maine Review), PROMPTED #04 highlights how captivating stories can emerge from even the tiniest sparks of creativity. This exciting collection introduces a new cast of characters who brave perilous storms, sleepless nights, unexpected romance, apocalyptic threats, and more in the name of hope and connection.
The weekly Reedsy Prompts contest has a simple thesis: Whether an opening action, a common phrase, or a specific setting, the smallest kernel of an idea can spark creativity. The stories in PROMPTED are living proof of that — each was spurred by a single prompt, written in a week, and crowned a winner.
Pick up PROMPTED #04 now and discover what’s possible when writers face a deadline armed only with their talent, craft… and a writing prompt.
In this issue
Madeline McCourt’s DANGER: UNSTABLE GROUND • Niamh O’Dea’s DO NOT TOUCH • Don Fazio’s LOST AND FOUND • K.A. Murray’s THE PARTY • Honey Homecroft’s PARADISE LOST • Eliza Levin’s LOVE.EDU • Scott Christensen’s LIABILITY IN LINGOTTO • Melissa van Rensburg’s INJURY TIME • Mallory Jones’s GOLDFISH • Lonnie Russo’s MEN ON THE MOON • Aaron Chin’s THE GINGERBREAD COOKIES • Elizabeth Hoban’s YOU
About the authors
Madeline McCourt is a 24-year-old from Texas following her dreams of being a writer. She is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa’s school of Creative Writing. As a huge fan of speculative fiction, she enjoys exploring the dark side of her imagination and creating works that challenge the mind.
Niamh O’Dea is a writer from Ireland currently undertaking a masters in Creative Writing. She lives with her two beautiful children, beautiful man and beautiful cats.
Don Fazio lives on the outskirts of New York City in Hoboken, NJ. He is a practicing attorney and a writer. Don enjoys running long distances and taking on big challenges. And occasionally telling a good story.
K.A. Murray is a mom, therapist, and writer living in Maryland with her wife and three young children. K.A. loves writing about real people struggling with real problems in the real world — although she also likes to occasionally stray into the realms of magic and fantasy. When she’s not writing, K.A. loves to read, run, and bike, but while she’s doing those things, she’s almost always working on her novel in the back of her head.
Honey Homecroft is a writer of speculative fiction from deep within the Midwest. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found chasing after her two boys and working in her vegetable garden.
Eliza Levin is a recent graduate just figuring it out in New England. She has always loved to read, but non-academic writing is still new enough that she has to google how to punctuate dialogue every time she starts a story. When she’s not busy overusing semicolons and em dashes, Eliza can usually be found indoors, surrounded by the stereotypical mix of books, cats, and coffee.
Scott Christensen is an American expat based in Hong Kong. Having travelled extensively as a digital nomad, he hopes to bring an international perspective to writing short fiction about the issues of modern society.
Melissa van Rensburg is an economist who, after having been reprimanded for making stuff up at work, found her creative outlet in fiction. Originally from South Africa, she now lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with her cat.
Mallory Jones is a social worker based in Pittsburgh who has loved reading since she could hold a picture book and babble what she thought it might say. Her dream is to write full-time someday, and for her stories to make her readers cry at least once.
Lonnie Russo is an author of short fiction from the East Coast of the United States. He grew up around his grandmother’s haunted house, the graveyard down the block, and the funeral home in which many of his relatives worked. While he enjoys exploring all topics, he considers himself largely a genre writer of horror, science fiction, and romance, of all things, but he also believes all stories are made of the same stuff—something extraordinary happening among the ordinary. He resides with his partner and two cats.
Aaron Chin is a current senior at Bucknell University majoring in Creative Writing and Literary Studies. His writing is influenced by works of horror, and he likes creating unsettling tales with fresh twists. When he’s not writing, he likes going on long walks, rock climbing, and reading in bed as the clock strikes midnight.
Elizabeth Hoban is mom to three amazing grown sons. She’s been a medical professional for over 30 years, and a writer ever since she could hold a crayon. Aside from working as a freelance newspaper and magazine columnist for many years, she has authored three books: The Final Mission: A Boy, a Pilot, and a World at War (Westholme Publishing), The Cheech Room (OldLine Publishing), and The Secrets That Save Us (OldLIne Publishing). Elizabeth spends much of her free time writing because she truthfully doesn’t know how to stop. She loves spending time with family, friends and her pets. She doubts any of them have ever fully read anything she’s written, except for maybe her cat, Dr. Seuss, given his pedigree.
About the editor
David Restaino is a writer and editor living in London, UK. He has worked with a number of literary magazines and has over a decade’s worth of experience in editing. He specializes in short stories and collections, poetry, children’s literature, and literary fiction. He has worked with several prize-winning and nominated writers and is the associate fiction editor at The Maine Review. You can view David's Reedsy profile here.
Interested in being featured?
All of PROMPTED's stories are selected from submissions to Reedsy's weekly Prompts contest. Enter for your chance to be featured in a future issue!
