We are so pleased to announce that six writers have made the shortlist for our December 2021 Write Prompt Challenge.

During a Thanksgiving mishap, I severely sprained my ankle and spent a full month off my feet. I fluctuated between grief and anger and self-pity; way too much Netflix and not enough productivity.

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.

The complete table of contents for the December 2021 issue of Blank Spaces magazine.

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honoured literary project in America. They welcome up to six nominations (print or online) from little magazine and small book press editors throughout the world, and selected winners will appear in their annual publication.

We are so pleased to announce that five writers have made the shortlist for our September 2021 Write Prompt Challenge.

Back in 2016, frustrated by the state of publishing in Canada and how inaccessible it felt to newcomers, I started Blank Spaces. With nothing more than a vision to champion Canadians and a hastily constructed free website, I put out the call, looking for people like me: people who wanted to be heard. I recruited volunteers, I blocked haters, I accepted my first submission, and I released the inaugural issue in September of that same year.

The complete table of contents for the September 2021 issue of Blank Spaces magazine.

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.

I feel blessed by a constitution that allows me to embrace beauty even in the ugliest situation. Ontario’s lockdown has been extended. Again. And as our government limps along and people rage on social media, I don’t find it hard to swallow a sigh and say, ‘they're just doing their best,’ even if I don’t really believe it.

The complete table of contents for the June 2021 issue of Blank Spaces magazine.

We are so pleased to announce that five writers have made the shortlist for our March 2021 Write Prompt Challenge.

Meet Iris Peña, the newest member of the Blank Spaces team!

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.

We’re ticking up to the one year mark of living beneath the direct shadow of a global pandemic. We were so naive, back in those early days of 2020, thinking it would pass us over in a week or two. There was a real sense of solidarity: people banging pots for healthcare workers, online concerts, handmade thank you posters. Gas dropped to a price I hadn’t seen since I was a child, everyone made bread, the world slowed down to try and heal itself.

The complete table of contents for the March 2021 issue of Blank Spaces magazine.

We are so pleased to announce that five writers have made the shortlist for our December 2020 Write Prompt Challenge.

We believe in creating opportunity to explore the world of publishing, as well as inviting the contribution of those who believe in our mission of offering a safe and supportive community for creatives.

When Joanne, a contributor to our December issue (Letters from Dead Artists) expressed an interest in editing, we extended an invitation to bring her on board for our next issue.

For the month of January, sign up for a digital subscription and save 10% plus get the December issue FREE!

Has 2020 left you feeling invisible? The heaviness of this year has been a lot to bear, and I’ve sadly seen it bring out the worst in some people. I’ve also seen the way it has called others to rise up and find their own potential. As I’ve navigated this—the good and the bad—I’ve been able to examine my own responses and redirect my path towards the positive. While it’s easy to wallow in the shadows, there’s small victories to be celebrated when you push through the fog and focus on the other side.