Love Bites… Explained

Have a juicy short story you want to share? Love Bites is a new column that focuses on furthering XO’s platform of exploring and examining romantic and sexual landscapes through smaller, seductive pieces of no more than 200 words. Love Bites strives to reinforce and support our mission of uplifting marginalized voices in the Brown, RISD, and Providence communities: we hope to engage more voices through the short format and introduce new and unique perspectives to the magazine. Monthly themes will be posted on our Instagram a couple of weeks prior to the start of the month and submissions will be accepted via GOOGLE FORM for two weeks on average. For safety and comfort, submissions may remain anonymous or be published under a pseudonym. Additionally, we encourage you to submit multiple pieces if you are interested in doing so. Submissions will be reviewed and select short stories that best fit the theme and mission of XO will be published.

February’s Theme: TROUBADOURS AND TOBLERONES

Whether it was a heart-shaped box of melt-in-your-mouth chocolates or a love song fit to be performed in princely courts, this Valentine’s Day we want to hear about the gifts you have given to or received from the people you love. In 200 words or less, tell us about a time when you frantically searched for the perfect anniversary present or when a particularly touching/terrible gift changed your heart. What is there of love in the things we give each other? Can we (and should we) escape the transactional nature of relationships?

Submit here: https://forms.gle/Ki1JrSHcvzMrYsuA8

Deadline: February 27th at 11:59pm