Hey ,

Welcome to 2026!

This is Abasiama Udom welcoming you for the year.

I thought long and hard about how to begin the letter for the year. I did. I started writing this letter and gave up. Then, I settled for a line from a poem I gave up on in 2021, when the dust settles.

This is not to say that the dust has settled.

How's the weather where you are? It's hot here in Nigeria and I no longer have the luxury of leaving the house without a bottle of water 😭 

Enough about me, let's get to the real lit things!

News From Headquarters 

* Stripes Literary Magazine opens for submissions this January.

Theme is Places. We want poems that transport us to a location, a favourite spot, a place in time. Por favor, send us happy places too, imagined or real.

Deadline: 26th January to 28th February 2026.

* Hooray, we have a new team member. Abiodun joins out team to add his depth and strength. Wish him a fruitful stay and working experience here at Stripes.

* The Stripes Literary Magazine Chapbook Print Prize is coming. Stay tuned and excited.

Activity for the month 

Catch up on our previous issues

Read for the Month

Music to my Ears

***

Remember the poem I gave up on? Here are the only lines I could muster before it evaporated and refused to make a comeback.

we will be whole

when the dust settles

into fairy dust and magic

Use as prompt if you wish to or even better, help me find the missing parts.

Stay Stripy 🤗