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Top Stories
Find new, handpicked stories you’ll love, updated daily.
A Visitor's Guide To Victorian England
A Book Review Being interested in all things Victorian, I am constantly looking for books on the Victorian Era. In fact, I should admit that I am obsessed about ‘all things Victorian’. From the clothes worn by men and women, rich or poor, to how they lived, where they lived, what they ate and would (or would not ) drink, what kind of transport there was, who worked where, who went to school (and who didn’t), the list really is endless.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiffabout 5 hours ago in BookClub
You Should Stop Trying to Be a Better Person
A year ago, I spent two days in the Colombian mountains drinking ayahuasca as part of a spiritual ceremony. An experience that pulled apart every detail of my being and rearranged me in a new sequence. I wish that life became easier after the feat. It didn’t.
By Annaise Michellea day ago in Humans
Challenges
Enter themed storytelling contests to put your creativity to the test.
Say It Plainly
Write a poem that states its central concern directly without metaphor, indirection, or symbolic substitution.
$200 Grand Prize2 days leftThe Rule Everyone Knows
Write a story centered on an unspoken rule that everyone in the story understands and follows, allowing the rule to emerge through behavior.
$200 Grand Prize7 days leftSomething Is Beginning, I Think
Write a story that opens at the edge of a beginning that feels uncertain, partial, or reluctant and avoid resolution.
$200 Grand PrizeClosed
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Resources
Discover tips, guides, updates, and spotlights from our team.
📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 03/19/2026
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal6 days ago in Resources
Everyone Is Acting Normally Challenge Winners
In the Everyone Is Acting Normally challenge, something is clearly wrong, but no one stops to name it. Across the shortlist, that wrongness appears as resurrections, surveillance, disappearance, and denial, each treated as part of daily life.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in Resources
A Transparent Look at Vocal Challenges and Top Stories
Almost three years ago, we shared a resource article that served as a place for people to suggest new challenge prompts. We thought it would be a good idea to refresh that thread, and take the opportunity to answer a few common questions about top stories, how challenges are judged and how submissions are reviewed.
By Vocal Curation Team13 days ago in Resources
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