Welcome to the first edition of the Kudzu Monthly Writing Challenge. We've provided some examples from Kudzu Klub members to get you started, but we prize originality and style, so we're interested in how you respond to this challenge. Look for your submitted work to be featured on these pages until the January issue is released.

After that, your entry will remain available by being archived with this issue. Here's the challenge:

Interlude Challenge

Challenge Answers

Studies of the Nature of Fall (Poem)
Patricia Cresswell has had poems published in "Les chaiers de la femme" and has written a book called "Breaking the Silence" about spousal abuse. Her poems have twice appeared on the cover of Kudzu Monthly.

My First Kiss (Story)
Brenda Ross has been published in the Canadian Journal and has authored a book on writing called "On the Other Hand." She has had three short stories featured in Kudzu Monthly.

Day is Done (Story)
Jolie Howard is the sexy alter-ego of Kudzu Monthly fiction/health editor Lisa Binkley. Without her, this ezine would perish.

Where is the Romance? (Poem)
Leysa Robertson (www.leysa.poetrypages.com) is a former newspaper editor/feature writer who has penned short stories and poetry for over thirty years. Her poetry has been featured in Kudzu Monthly.

Click here for more authors' entries

Life is a series of momentous events from baby's tenuous first step to teen's clumsy first kiss, from meeting that special someone to proudly and gently holding the first grandchild.

These are some of the big events in our lives, but we actually live our daily lives in the interludes between these grand moments.

How often are we so intent upon our self-given, transiently important tasks that we fail to look up and see a ballon passing?

We exist in these passages, with our families and friends, bosses, coworkers, lovers and enemies, but we populate our stories and poetry with lusty grand ideas and swash-buckling heroes and anti-heroes.

What about these times in-between?

What about the young girl who smiles at herself in the mirror because, for the first time in her life, she's been told that she's pretty and is actually beginning to beleive it?

What about the cranky old man who laughs on the way to his mail box because the dogs have turned over his neighbor's trash can?

What about the loan officer who yawns and fantasizes about Cancun in a bank meeting but later screams curses and kicks her car when she breaks a finger nail on the door handle?

These are all interlude events, but aren't they interesting, too?

Here's the challenge: in poetry or prose, describe an interlude event. Start with something mundane, but make it interesting.

To submit your answers to this challenge

First of all, please read our submission guidelines for general information about how we use your material. (This link will open in a separate window.) We prefer that challenge answers in prose and poetry remain small - a quick read - no more than 1,000 words, please. We require that submitted work be original and previously unpublished.

Next, and this is important, please include a two line biography mentioning your previous publications, if any, and any website you want linked. Please note that we are welcoming amateur as well as more polished works from authors. All work will be considered. This could be a great way to get your creations in circulation.

Put your biographical information in the submission form with your submitted material. Having to chase down bio information might prevent your work from appearing in the Challenge section!

Sorry, but we won't be able to include bio photos and comment boxes with these challenge entries. This would be too much work for our already overworked staff!

Okay, here's some other things you should know.

This challenge expires on December 15, 2002. Submitted material will be added to this page on a time available basis as it arrives. (So don't delay, the sooner we have it, the longer it'll be up!)

Answering this challenge should be fun.

There's no need to get fancy with this, but get fancy if you must.

Please put Interlude challenge in your title when you paste your work into the form so we'll know it's a challenge entry.

When you're ready to submit your material, copy and paste it into the form below and send it to Kudzu Monthly by clicking the "Submit" button.