<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Tadpole Press]]></title><description><![CDATA[Home of the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest, an international writing competition designed to celebrate creativity and community.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 23:14:57 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.tadpolepress.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[icicle at sunset]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wrote "icicle at sunset" from a prompt at our Community Write-In on the Snow Moon. Upon listening to all the creations, I was struck by the inherent impermanence of an icicle.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/icicle-at-sunset</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698cd9d0a396cee89ab84478</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_8f9cdb7b1dfb4e86a7193d990ca293a7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mountain as Mentor]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’m an active gal. Always have been. Since moving to South Africa from Boston in 2013, I’ve discovered many happy places here. One of them is a mountain. Any mountain really. I’m not persnickety. I just love a good mountain.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/mountain-as-mentor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69962ad7f797687350e699ab</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Positivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><category><![CDATA[Guest Post]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_ddb1ac1c1bfb4fc69f173a88a3c442ae~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[submerged]]></title><description><![CDATA[I don't like to tell you this
     but when I cross the line
        I see you there too
   waiting, daring me
          with your bedazzled eyes of sapphire
          to take the final step
    until I am wholly submerged]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/submerged</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696136e2047d909b9a681b96</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_7fbf4b36720f43bdb36a036cc3324883~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding a Writing Life Through Competition]]></title><description><![CDATA[I dropped the onesie I was folding when the ad popped up. Microfiction. Two hundred and fifty words. Two days to write. Prompts. A writing competition? How strange, how thrilling, how intimidating!]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/finding-a-writing-life-through-competition</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69571850b825d96637d277ae</guid><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_f3c4a0a9fc654bf4959a6050bd4d23f5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[the place the loon calls lonely]]></title><description><![CDATA[they asked me what I'll write
 as if I could define such a thing
  as if the halls weren't covered in moss
     and brimstone
  the mountains weren't faded with fog
     and mirrors]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/the-place-the-loon-calls-lonely</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696131cf448b5a633f0e2fb8</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_4a54664c71785257516c63~mv2_d_5184_3456_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stronger Together: When Collaboration Outshines Competition]]></title><description><![CDATA[At Compassiviste Publishing, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with Tadpole Press ~ especially around their writing contests and the launch of their new literary magazine. What we’ve learned: when two organizations decide to support one another rather than view each other as rivals, something remarkable happens. Ideas expand, creative energy multiplies, and everyone benefits.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/stronger-together-when-collaboration-outshines-competition</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691a52d447774a8fb01d2f0d</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Positivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_3622a214260a4110a81c40095ebdbba7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[the shape of you]]></title><description><![CDATA[some things, I've decided,
    are better left as fossils
      crumpled, shaken things
     you never would have said]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/the-shape-of-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">691604dffc22f1d9068b9a46</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_9ae34b9125284dce8abe3686911b9216~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reclaiming Our Truth]]></title><description><![CDATA[A few months ago, I went to my tribe's powwow on Sugar Island. I've been to other powwows across the US over the years, but this was the first time I've been to the one by my tribe. There was something special about it that felt like coming home.

This is how we reclaim our truth. This is the power of owning the narrative. This is why storytellers are our most powerful allies.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/reclaiming-our-truth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68fbd747a51f8a929287fde4</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Diversity Editing]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_3654367f800547d4bc504b605b3dc195~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[how could we have known?]]></title><description><![CDATA[the heat that came in waves

   throughout our homes, our feet, our minds

   sizzled like slugs

      caught on the drying, moth-eaten rind]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/how-could-we-have-known</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f7d6334d132695a281aae5</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_5ecf72bc8564432d9487049ece82e25e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[where lost memories go]]></title><description><![CDATA[it's the place where lost memories go

   to die

      to be reborn

         and maybe

            circle back

         around

      and around

   twice or thrice

until we forget



which side was up

where fact left off

   and fiction gained

and truth became the thorn]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/where-memories-go-when-they-re-lost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f7b8f5a6f2484f3c9ed7ca</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_d3744203a55242b8afbcccedb17473fa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[words of sinew and muscle]]></title><description><![CDATA[he told me once

     that watching me write

          was like witnessing

               a professional athlete

          stretching

     primed

before a big race



     I like to imagine my words like that

          all sinew and muscle

               stretched taut across the page

                    with the force of a jaguar

                         ready to run

]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/words-of-sinew-and-muscle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f7b69ac9a84e796d0f92d0</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fa389bf8ae6f4798a350863dfd0368ef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[raindrops always sound like home]]></title><description><![CDATA[they say you're only lonesome when it rains

   something about the gods weeping

 but I don't think that's true]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/raindrops-always-sound-like-home</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f7ac84606d6d6a2e748ba2</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_bba19601facf481eb5c35abfa2000dcd~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[this is my time]]></title><description><![CDATA[they say you can see clearer

  looking backward

not a happy poem]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/this-is-my-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688bad85366993874afe2ade</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_4015820c1b284e53b588c1cc5975e20d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens When You Share Your Story: From Contest Entry to Global Impact]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is what fills me with hope: These authors entered a short writing contest. Now their words are published in an international anthology whose profits support humanitarian and sustainability projects. That’s how you go from a contest entry to global impact.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/what-happens-when-you-share-your-story-from-contest-entry-to-global-impact</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688a989a7472a1932ffd2a8e</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Positivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_7c86b49c1d314198a499eeae029f97b2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_793,h_608,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[syrupy dreams]]></title><description><![CDATA[ the consistency

of my dreams

   has changed



       recently]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/syrupy-dreams</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68682f5dd7f2edd2bbad72a4</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_c309ace8bd3341cebf4e9192033baf13~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Asking for Feedback Can Spark Creative Connection]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Mark Fryburg asked for feedback, he had no idea it would lead to rediscovering shared roots, community, and a mutual love of poetry. This is his story.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/asking-for-feedback</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6854861ef8aa8d44b1b29dbd</guid><pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_d27923cd70404844a3000b11fd02f796~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I missed the day the stars aligned]]></title><description><![CDATA[A poem by Amber Byers: 

I missed the day

 the stars aligned

   and skies were clear

  enough to see my answer]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/i-missed-the-day-the-stars-aligned</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6851b38f37311867b5ebe2b2</guid><pubDate>Sat, 31 May 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_1909524402e04c73b4e6a2eaafa01434~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building A Global Community Through Writing]]></title><description><![CDATA[How great is this, I thought in those fifteen minutes of silent writing time, to be connected with other writers from all around the world, ]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/building-a-global-community-through-writing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67c2634a40b0d8f2ff6dfe2b</guid><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2025 00:47:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_25bbbffd23b244a08573e10e44bb336d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_828,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["You are" Poems]]></title><description><![CDATA[These tiny poems are freeing because they don't have to make sense. What does it mean to be a gleam in a buffalo's eye? What does it mean to be yesterday? Or a Saturday? What if whatever you wrote made perfect sense and no sense at all?]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/you-are-poems</link><guid isPermaLink="false">681a29ee063de19bc6c264f1</guid><category><![CDATA[Poetry]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_513bd1a010054b34b389ff13ba5281ba~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Compassiviste Dialogues: A Discussion with Ali Horriyat and Amber Byers]]></title><description><![CDATA[We believe in the power of stories to drive change. Every episode of the Compassiviste Dialogues podcast is a platform for turning compassion into action. A space where diverse voices come together to inspire, educate, and challenge the status quo.]]></description><link>https://www.tadpolepress.com/post/post-compassiviste-dialogues-a-discussion-with-ali-horriyat-and-amber-byers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6800319dcc69bec1d98c75a7</guid><category><![CDATA[Living a Life Imagined]]></category><category><![CDATA[Positivity]]></category><category><![CDATA[Creative Inspiration]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5b0373_bc86b41678624b8a9d4a7c98256ceffb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_480,h_480,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Amber Byers</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>