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October Writing Contest 2026
Dear Wingless Dreamers,
Wow! What an eventful year so far. It’s such a blessing to see life coming out of adversities more than ever. I bet there’s nothing wrong to say that we’re shaping our lives. We are decorating our nest with brewing ideas, unstoppable spirits, and astronomical determination. Personally, I have gone through a series of unfortunate events and unexpected counters which brutally showed me the conscience mirror.
I learnt from my mistakes and held accountability and became a better person. Nobody is perfect. Guess what supported me this whole time was not some expensive crash course on lifestyle coaching, motivational tutoring, (although that’s important) or my folks. What supported me was showing up and doing everyday things. It could be washing utensils aggressively, manuring soil of my house plants, deep cleaning rigorously without hosting any house parties, segregating clothes, talking to my parents, writing on postcards and letters instead of Notes apps, slow reading books, or simply calling my friends and talk for hours. I realised this everyday thing – maybe we took it for granted. It’s our healing place.
It’s our safe house. The world out there is brutal and cruel, but people like us still exist and that’s why it makes every struggle, every frustration, and every failure worth it. This is life, indeed. We learn, leap, and move forward. We train our mind, study our body, and meditate our soul by simply listening to our heart and letting it bloom in the safe shadows of our integral values. There’s a good thing in you. Don’t let your circumstances define you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to preach but being told that I decided to host this wonderful global writing contest called “Paths to October”. This was an invite to proclaim your hidden feelings and appreciate your everyday things.
Being grateful to put your writing skills and love for poetry into practice. As a result, we receive an enormous number of submissions from all around the world. It was a pleasure reading these submissions and how these poets described the theme “Everyday things” in such an innovative and mesmerising manner. Connecting emotions and accepting your wholly self is new sexy indeed. As our dearest readers, I hope that through this book you will take away a sense of motivation, love, confidence, and a deeper appreciation for the art of living. Happy reading.
With regards,
Ruchi Acharya & Chawa Nandini Meghana
Editors
Winners paved their ways to Paths to OctoberW
What a wonderful writing contest. Cue the confetti for the true essence of October. Here are the winners.
Finally, the wait is over. Give a huge round of applause for our grand winner. The grand winner of the Paths to October Writing Contest is:
PLUME - GRACE LOUIE
Grace Louie is a sophomore at Binghamton University, studying Marketing with a minor in Art and Design. Grace has always been interested and involved in the arts, and currently works as the head illustrator for the Binghamton Free Press Magazine. Based in New York City, Grace hopes to continue developing her passion for art, and enriching her skills. In her free time, Grace enjoys drawing, writing, singing, and crocheting.
Blow the whistle. The first runner-up is:
THE LONG FALL - AVRIL SHAKIRA VILLAR
Avril Shakira Villar is a writer. She is the author of I Live Because I Almost Died and an alumna of WriteGirl LA. She is the winner of the One Room One Hour essay competition by Jack Wieland, the First Place winner in the English category of the 7th Heritage Youth Writing Contest, and one of the finalists in the English Poetry category of the 2025 Maningning Miclat Art Foundation competition. Her pieces appear in Adi Magazine, The Ex-Puritan, Deceleration News, Voice and Verse Poetry Magazine, Renard Press, and other literary magazines.
Blow the trumpet. The second runner-up is:
MIRROR ROOM - PAUL POTTS
Paul Potts (b. 2007) is a poet from Oklahoma. He was awarded the Jim Spurr Poetry Prize, won the 2026 The Howl Poetry Contest, and was a finalist for the inaugural Rowayat Poetry Prize. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing jazz on both the drums and vibraphone. IG: paulp.0526
Standing ovation for our finalists. Here are our top finalists:
THE CRUNCH - RICHARD S. CHIOCHIOS
Richard S. Chiochios lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He works as an English Language Arts teacher in the small town of Watersmeet. He is a father of two children, husband, and an avid outdoor enthusiast.
TRUTHS WHICH I HAVE TOO OFTEN FORGOTTEN - ORLY
Orly is pursuing her Masters in Social Work at NYU and lives in Brooklyn. She enjoys writing, knitting, and playing with her 120-lb Newfoundland dog, Burt.
FALLING LIKE WE ALL DO - KIM PIERCY
Kim Piercy is a poet from California who writes about the quiet moments in life. She teaches preschool full-time, where she is continually reminded of the strange, tender, and sometimes bittersweet ways children experience the world. Her work has been published in Mosaic Lit Journal and The Tule Review.
AUTUMN: WAIT - ANN TARIG ABDULRAHMAN
Ann Tarig Abdulrahman (pen name NoellAster) is a Sudanese pharmacy graduate and creative writer. Her work explores healing, self-care, and the body under conflict. She has published 12 chapbooks on Penana and Wattpad and is currently developing an AI-assisted biomedical education project, AI BioPharma.
BLUEBERRY - BAINAPALLI VISHAL
Bainapalli Vishal is a poet from the coastal ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India. His work revolves around landscapes of East and South India, mythological events and psychological realism.
TRANQUILLITY - CHRISTOPHER MOORE
Christopher Moore is a Northern Irish writer, and a graduate of English from Queen's University Belfast, as well as the MA in TV Fiction Writing at Glasgow Caledonian University. Alongside a number of playwriting achievements, including being longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2019, and shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Playwriting Award in 2024, he has had several pieces of short fiction published in magazines and anthologies in the UK and Ireland.
IN THE SEPTEMBER-COLOURED WEATHER - GAVIN BOURKE
Gavin Bourke grew up in the suburb of Tallaght in West Dublin and lives in County Meath. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Human Development and Irish from Dublin City University, a Master of Arts Degree in Modern Drama Studies and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies from University College Dublin. His work in English and to a lesser extent in the Irish language, broadly covers, the natural and socially constructed worlds. Gavin has won international competitions, for both book-length manuscripts and individual poems and is published widely internationally. He is currently completing a Master of Arts in Creative Writing.
A LOVER’S RETURN -IF I WAITED A DECADE FOR YOU – TANIA PRZYWARA
Tania Przywara is an American poet with works published in the anthologies Breath of Love and The Book of Black by Wingless Dreamer Publisher, among many others, as well as in Volumes 2 and 3 of Through Loving Words by City Limits Publishing. A classical pianist, composer, and photographer as well, Przywara often finds that her passions intertwine with each other. Above all, Przywara aims to express the deepest emotions of life through her original works and inspire others to live ever more fully and authentically. Learn more at taniaprzywara.com.
And here go our contributors whose exemplary work complemented this anthology:
AUTUMN’S EMBERS, IN THE FLOWING RIVER OF PASSING TIME - THOMAS KORON
LOST IN TRANSLATION - MELEK SALI
LONGEVITY - JENNIFER WEIGEL
PARTY GAME FOR PEOPLE WHO CALL PRESSURE LOVE - SUSHANTH SHYAMSUNDAR
THE OTHER SIDE OF AUTUMN - AUTUMN A. GONZALES
SAN GAYETANO - KIM PIQUET
THE ROAD BEYOND THE GATE - WARDA KHALIL
THE CATS KNOW - TAYLOR ENOCHS
SORE - A.J. CHILSON
THE UNBRUISED SEASON - JK KOLLI
YOU WILL COMMIT SUICIDE OR BECOME LIKE ME - JOSEPH HARMS
MY CRY IS DEEPER - EMILY GOSLING
EMPTY - JUDITA DEDI
DANCING LEAVES - TERRY BRINKMAN
AND STILL, WE MOVE - ANAYA USMAN
WHAT THE ORCHARD KEEPS - JENNY HART
AWAY. GOING - MARIA FISCHER
LIKE A RIVER FLOWING - WILLIAM DAVID
AUTUMN IS BOUND TO COME, A LETTER TO A CHILD OF WAR - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ
AUTUMN TIDE - TETIANA YATSECHKO – BLAZHENKO
NEXT SEASON - MARSHA SOLOMON
SLOW MOTION - AELITA KORE
THE DARK EYE - SUMI SEISSINGER
MAYBE IT’S THE LEAVES - O QUIET
BREAKING BREAD - JASMINE HARRIS
POSTCARD: AN OCTOBER SEASCAPE - KATE Mc GOURTY
AUTUMN DAY REIMAGINED AS LEMONADE - LARA DOLPHIN
WHAT THE TREES KNOW - CARMELLA
A BLUE LANDSCAPE - VANDANA RANI
THE OWL - EDWARD PHILLIPS
UNTITLED, THE AMERICAN WAY - LEOTIS LAMAR HARGROVE
THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN - HENRICK KAROLISZYN
A FATHER’S LOVE - CATY MCCLUNG
THE WINDOW - AMY L. IMPERO
ON THE WAY OUT - ARDA ÜNAL
THE PRINCE - ERICA LEE BERQUIST
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK - BINH PHAN
THE FLOWER BED - CELESTE VANNOY
THE DO-OVER - KERSTEN CHRISTIANSON
LIGHT ON GLASS - PM FLYNN
THE PIOUS PIMP OF SAN SEBASTIÁN - ADNAN ADNAN
WHAT FOLLOWS - BRETT SALTER
THE MAJESTY OF TEMPORARY BEAUTY - ALEX ANDY PHUONG
LEFTOVERS - LEANE CORNWELL
WISHING FOR A THURSDAY THAT NEVER WAS - GABRIEL MCLEOD
THE DRUNK MAN AND THE SAILOR - NATALIE SIEGAL
THE CAT IN THE COURTYARD - NICOLE ANTILLON
SEASONS OF CHANGE - LINDSEY K BUCKLEY
BEAUTY IN THE SEASON - TARA
MOTHER - CHENYI WU
FULFILMENT - HOWARD OSBORNE
IN SEARCH OF BETTER - LEÏKA MOLY DICKENS
SPARROW SONG - DAVID PERSON
STREET SIGNS- ALDEN CROWE
NAM AND MY KALEIDOSCOPE - RICHARD ERIC JOHNSON
ROOTED – NWSPARKS
PINING FOR THE PAST – JOANNE MACIAS
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