Kali White VanBaale – Editor-at-Large of Past Ten:
Where were you on this day ten years ago? So often we’re told to “be present” and “live in the now,” but in reality we have to look to the past in order to understand and make sense of the present. What I love about Past-Ten is that it embraces this duality—that reflection of one’s past doesn’t have to be an act of regretful self-flagellation, but can instead be an act of self-discovery and hard-earned wisdom others can learn from. Perhaps “living in the now” isn’t a real thing, because now is inextricably tied to was, and both must be lived, and contemplated, simultaneously. Past-Ten aims to explore the beautiful and complex knots of personal histories.
Past Ten Guidelines (from their Submissions Page):
The Basics:
Tell us a story about where you were ten years ago on a specific date.
For your reflection, try to recall what you were doing at the time, focusing on emotion and sensory details.
How did you feel about yourself and your life at the time?
In that moment, could you have imagined yourself ten years later?
Presently, are you where you thought you would be?
Tell us a story that conveys how you feel now about the person you were then.
Your submission can be in prose or poetry, illustrations/paintings, or another form of visual art—or all of the above! Go bananas.
Guidelines:
- Word count: 1,000 words or less
- Reflection should be from a day ten years ago. We will not accept any submission that is a shorter or longer time frame than a decade.
- All manuscripts will be titled after their reflection date (i.e. “July 15th, 2012”). If you’re passionate about using another title, we’re fine with using it as secondary or subtitle.
- Reflection date can only be for upcoming calendar days. For instance, we cannot publish a piece reflecting on July 15th, 2013 because July 13th, 2023 has already passed.
- Please do not submit previously published work.
- Past Ten does not accept any work that glorifies xenophobia, racism, homophobia, ageism, classism, sexism, religious prejudice, ableism, or anything which normalizes hatred of any marginalized group or individual
- Please familiarize yourself with previous Past Ten reflections to best see how others have approached the project. This is also a great way to gauge what we are looking for in terms of style and content.
