Submit your EXPERIMENTAL Short Story to the festival and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
Accept only stories that fit into the experimental genre. An experimental story is a narrative that challenges traditional storytelling conventions and explores new concepts and representations of the world. Experimental stories often use innovative language, non-traditional narrative structures, and metafiction to create unconventional and complex stories.
Submit your PARANORMAL themed book by the deadlin.
A paranormal story is a work of fiction that explores phenomena and beings that are beyond the scope of scientific understanding. They include elements like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and other entities that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. They can be set in the real world, but generally includes elements that defy scientific explanation.
I have to really thank the actors for my reading, nothing short of terrific as they were, nothing short of incredibly smart, attractive, and perceptive as they were. They brought the script to life. – F. Maffai
FULL FEEDBACK on your stage play from our committee of Professional Playwriters, Production Heads and Story Consultants. Get a best scene of your stage play performed at the writing festival and made into a video for the winner.
Submit your 10 Page Play, 1 Act Play, or Full Stage Play to the Festival.
SUBMIT your STAGE PLAY Today You will receive feedback on your play in 3-5 weeks
Nothing happened in 2058, 30min., France Directed by Charles Ritter 2058. France is part of the Greater Reich, winner of the Second World War. All the world’s documents have been digitized by GAMOK, which has become the sole reference in History.
FULL FEEDBACK on your screenplay from our committee of Professional Screenwriters, Production Heads and Script Consultants. Get your entire script performed at the writing festival. SUBMIT your FEATURE, TV or SHORT SCREENPLAY.
Submissions take 3-5 weeks for evaluation. Looking for screenplays from all over the world.
Dystopian stories are a type of speculative fiction that explore the darker aspects of human nature and the human mind. They often serve as a warning about what could happen to modern society if certain aspects grow out of control.
Submit your HORROR Short Story to the Festival, and we will automatically have it performed by a professional actor and turned into a promotional video for yourself.
Accept only stories that fit into the HORROR genre.
FULL FEEDBACK on your stage play from our committee of Professional Playwriters, Production Heads and Story Consultants. Get a best scene of your stage play performed at the writing festival and made into a video for the winner.
Submit your 10 Page Play, 1 Act Play, or Full Stage Play to the Festival.
SUBMIT your STAGE PLAY Today You will receive feedback on your play in 3-5 weeks
The theme of Where Dreams Sit and They Soak is about pausing long enough to appreciate the moment with someone you love and not wanting that moment to end. Not many things in life are promised, and nothing lasts forever. Even if the moment ends and you are no longer with that person, after the hurt and pain subside, you’ll be glad you shared that moment together. The universe works in mysterious ways sometimes.
2) What motivated you to write this poem?
Ironically, I was thinking about my last relationship. Not everything has to be loud or dramatic and that relationship itself wasn’t bad. This poem came from a moment of slowing down and allowing myself to breathe. Around that time, she was going through a lot, and what followed was one of those comforting moments when the world gets heavy. Instead of venting, you just listen, really listen until things calm down. As far as motivation, I wouldn’t call it distraction, but if we’re not careful. We forget how beautiful we are and how often trivial things pull us away from what we really want and need.
3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I’ve been writing and scribbling since I was a preteen. My first published piece was in 2006, a poem called Equilibrium in an anthology titled Collected Whispers. Around my teenage years, I started taking it more seriously, writing that is. Trying to write about emotions, things I went through, and thoughts that stayed with me.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I’d love to have dinner with my parents, Wayne and Keneethia Wadley. Uninterrupted, the way it was when I was a kid. They’re both still here, which is a blessing, but with work and everything going on in the world, it’s very often just a quick hi and bye or we’re too tired to truly hang out. Still, we make time for each other and talk every day, and I’d really treasure having that slow and uninterrupted time again.
Actually with all my family honestly.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
Honestly, I wanted to hear my words interpreted through another voice. What WILDsound does is amazing the few pieces I’ve had accepted take on a new life and meaning when performed. My favorite so far was A Match That Forgot How to Breathe. I love hearing other writers’ work transformed by professional actors, and when it’s my own. I sit back in awe, it’s hard believing those words came from me.
Thank you for doing that for me.
6) Do you write other works? Scripts? Short stories? Etc.?
Yes, I write short stories and sometimes borderline essays. I also collaborate and co-create with other artists in different mediums. Poetry may be the core, but it branches out in many ways.
7) What is your passion in life?
Connection is my passion. Whether through a conversation, a poem, a book, or supporting someone else’s work, I believe connection is what reminds us we’re not alone. Whether good times and/or in bad, there’s always something be it a word, a gesture, there’s always something that triggers a memory that ties us back to each other.
——- POEM:
There is no particular sound that rustles through the trees, different from the music we listen to. different than the sounds our hearts are used to. Your hands grab and hold me like I have somewhere better to be, fingers interwoven against the middle of my back, like tiny branches, like this is where you planned to be, settling deeper into my chest.
I press my lips to your forehead, a place filled with dark honey surrounded by mahogany oak, where dreams sit and they soak until they are sticky and ripe.
I kiss you like the night has no end, like your bones have endless marrow, like there isn’t another you. Your arms are still. Your lips say nothing. There is no particular sound that rustles through the trees, no different than how my heartbeat thumps against yours.
The poem “Safety” explores the deteriorating mental state of a man struggling with isolation, delusion, and suicidal ideation. Throughout the piece, the speaker experiences persistent discomfort in his surroundings and an increasing sense of disconnection from others. The recurring “ticking” sounds symbolize his intrusive thoughts and the looming presence of hallucination. In his search for comfort and validation, the man fixates on a figure named Pearl, who represents affection, importance, and emotional relief. However, Pearl is later revealed not to be a person, but a gun—a manifestation of his delusion and desperation. The motif of “kisses” serves as a metaphor for the gun’s mechanical clicks, gradually transforming from gestures of comfort into ominous signals of his impending self-destruction. As the poem progresses, the ticking intensifies, paralleling his psychological breakdown. The final “kiss” marks both the climax of his delusion and the moment of his death. The title “Safety” functions as a powerful double entendre, referring simultaneously to the gun’s safety mechanism (safety on/off) and the protagonist’s futile desire for emotional and psychological safety. Ultimately, the poem reflects the fragile boundary between comfort and danger, love and destruction, and reality and delusion.
2) What motivated you to write this poem?
I was depressed at the time and feeling hopeless as I approached my final year at California State University, Long Beach, graduating in Spring 2026. I was trying to prove to myself—and to others—that I had talent. I wanted people to see the real me. That was when a light bulb went off. I realized that we often speak too quietly about mental illness. As I am a big supports for the disability community and mental health, writing “Safety” had clicked me. Whether or not we have a mental disorder, we all face struggles within ourselves, and none of us are truly alone. This was the first poem I ever wrote.
3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I’ve been writing since 2011. Over the years, I threw away journals and deleted stories that I didn’t think were good enough. It took more than a decade before I found the genre that truly spoke to me—psychological thrillers.
4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Wow… I would say the late Michael K. Williams. He was an actor best known for The Wire on HBO and his work with VICE News. He changed people’s lives by shedding light on poverty and the power of second chances. He was a kind, soulful man—imperfect, but deeply human—and his legacy continues to inspire me.
5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I am high functional autistic, and people sometimes see me… as simple. But I understand what it means to navigate the world while also trying to understand myself. I wanted people to see me as equal, not defined by disability. We may not all have the same experiences or knowledge, but I believe everyone carries kindness and respect within them. Sharing that understanding—and helping others feel seen and human—is what motivated me to submit my work.
6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
Yes. I have three unpublished short stories and one unpublished novella that I’m currently revising. My goal is to collect all four pieces into a single volume
7) What is your passion in life?
My major is in computer science, and I want to create video games that tell powerful stories. My dream is to become a narrative designer for games—writing scripts that connect players to meaningful emotions—and eventually to own a game studio focused on authentic storytelling and creativity. Writing allows me to express how I see the world and my place in it. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and for the actor who brought my poem to life. To anyone who feels alone, please know: you are not alone.
Festival Reviews 