Upcoming Readers Write Deadlines

Readers Write is a feature in The Sun where readers share their personal writing on a given topic—a unique fixture of the magazine since the section’s inception in 1978. Send us your true story on an upcoming topic, and if we publish it you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription.

Not sure what to write? See below for some prompts to spark an idea. Writing style isn’t as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity, and topics are intentionally broad to give room for expression and interpretation.

The Basement: Entries due April 1, 2024
Concrete floors. Stone walls. The vaguely menacing furnace. Bare incandescent bulbs that turn on with the pull of a chain. Were you scared of it when you were young? Did you huddle there when the news issued a tornado warning? Or is it the place you retreat from your family nowadays? Get to the bottom of it and send us your true story about “The Basement.”

Timing: Entries due May 1, 2024
They say timing is everything, and we want your true stories that prove it. Did you meet a special someone at just the right (or wrong) moment? Ever make or miss a travel connection that had unexpected consequences? Would you have avoided a fight or lost out on an opportunity if you’d shown up a minute later? Don’t miss the deadline: send us your submissions about serendipitous or unlucky timing by May 1.

Luxuries: Entries due June 1, 2024
Could be those cherries in the fancy stoneware jar that are three times the cost of the store brand. Maybe it’s the seat on the airplane with extra legroom and complimentary booze. Or perhaps it’s something else entirely: a remote spot in the woods, or running water, or a quiet moment to yourself. What’s the luxury that makes you feel like you’re getting away with something? What didn’t you grow up with that you always pined for? What’s the thing you really, truly want, for which there’s no ad campaign or celebrity endorsement? Send us your true story on “Luxuries” by June 1.