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.

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.

Walking Out: Entries due July 1, 2024
Have you ever needed to leave a marriage, a friendship, or a community? Maybe it was the right decision, or maybe you’ve always regretted it. Have you cut ties with a religious group you’ve lost faith in? Ever walked out on the job to join a picket line? Don’t leave us hanging—send us your true stories by July 1.

Tents: Entries due August 1, 2024
The musty waxed-canvas ones at summer camp. The lightweight tech-y sort you pack in when you’re mountaineering. The big white ones you string with café lights and flowers for a wedding reception. Leaky ones, the ones with a circus inside, the kind with a raccoon sniffing around outside the door, the kind where you can take the rain fly off and see a giant sky hung with stars. Pitch us your true stories about tents by August 1.