If having an extremely small Instagram/blog following has taught me anything, it is that the opportunity for intimate connection is ours for the taking. I chat with so many of you on a regular basis whom I’ve never met and may never meet. But it always feels meaningful. And it always encourages me to keep writing and sharing.
These conversations often illuminate the similarities of our lived experiences. It is unremarkable to assert that they tend to outweigh the differences, but easily forgotten in the fury of surviving modernity.
I believe story is our connective tissue. Thus, it is with humility and excitement and a healthy amount of nerves that I announce the first BROKE BUT MOISTURIZED ESSAY CONTEST!!!!!!!! As a writer, I feel responsible and empowered to encourage creativity during election season when our political lives have (rightfully) superseded our personal lives. Art is self-care, and we need to take care of ourselves to fight injustice.
I started a series on my Substack newsletter called The Nut Diaries in which I recount the events and relationships that made me “the batshit lover I am today.” I have gone through therapy (both individual and couples) to work through various traumas, but have found catharsis in sharing these abridged stories with introspection and humor. You don’t have to personally consider yourself a “nut” or “batshit” to have a juicy story about why you can’t be left in the room alone with his cell phone. Your feelings and urges are valid. Now tell me about a specific event or relationship that contributed to them. **You do NOT need to be subscribed to my newsletter to enter.
DETAILS:
- Winner receives $100 and I will make a $100 donation to a Black-run cause of your choice (US-based) that directly serves the Black community. Your story will be shared with my Substack followers as the next volume of The Nut Diaries, and we’ll do a short Q&A via email for Instagram.
- Submissions should be sent to dia@brokebutmoisturized.com no later than 12 PM ET on 11/1/2020.
- 1,500 word limit specific to one event or relationship (situationships count). As much as I’d love to read your full dating history, this should be a story.
- While your darkest details are encouraged, this is not all about shock value. Aka if the story about getting ghosted by Chad from college is written more beautifully and is more compelling than that of someone who cheated on you with your dad and became your stepmom, that wins. Tell me the lesson(s) this taught you; how it changed you.
- This contest is open to EVERYONE regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.!
- Must have Venmo to receive payment.
Happy writing! xoxo