Writing over what time tries to erase.

Palimpsest.digital is a student-run creative writing platform centred on revision, exploration, and creativity. Palimpsest aims to foster a community of young writers who are encouraged to think deeply and write freely while recognising that thought and memory are inherently unstable, evolving, and personal. Rather than treating writing as a finished product, Palimpsest frames it as a process which is layered, revisited, and shaped over time.

Submit a response Read the archive What “palimpsest” means

Editor & curator: Annika Shenoy. Submissions and letters are read carefully. A small number are selected for publication each month.

Monthly prompt

One invitation each month. Small, specific, and open to interpretation.

Curated, not crowded

A few selected pieces, published with brief editor’s notes on craft and theme.

Conversation with the text

Letters and reflections—readers developing, exploring, and responding to a shifting archive.

Concept

the idea behind the archive

A palimpsest is a manuscript page which has been reused or altered, but still bears visible traces of its earlier form.

Each time we remember something, we reconstruct it through the lens of who we are now. Like a palimpsest, the self and our memories are layered texts. New experiences write themselves over old ones, but echoes remain in our habits, questions, reflexes, or desires.

Similarly, Palimpsest is built around three ideas. Revision recognises that rewriting is an ongoing process: earlier thoughts are returned to, reworked, and responded to rather than erased. Exploration treats writing as a space to experiment, reflect, and grapple with uncertainty as ideas change over time. Creativity allows any subject or form, valuing independent thought and originality rather than fixed answers.

Together, these ideas shape Palimpsest as a living archive — layered and revised, yet with traces that remain.

What we publish

Short works that explore what is remembered and what is left behind. Selected responses form a public archive of recorded moments.

What fits here?

100–900 words of micro-fiction, poetry, flash nonfiction, or reflective writing. You may submit anonymously.

Each month’s prompt invites a different form of “rewriting.” This can be interpreted in many different ways.

Participate

how to submit

Current prompt: Rewrite a memory twice. Write a short piece (100-900 words) about an experience or a short-term memory. One week later, write a follow-up piece (of any length) responding to or revisiting the same memory. Notice what has changed and the inconsistencies you can’t quite pinpoint. Submit them simultaneously. You can make your edits in any format, including crossing-out previous writing, as long as you distinguish new from old.

Alternatively, try and recollect a memory from long ago, experimenting with moments of doubt to write two different versions (100-900 words). These can be as specific or as surreal as you wish!

Deadline: Friday 27th February.
Length: 100–900 words (poetry flexible).
Include: title + first name or “Anonymous”.
Publication: a small number of pieces are selected each month.
Rights: you keep full rights to your work; by submitting, you grant permission to publish it on this site if selected.

Email a submission

Tip: put your piece directly in the email body (preferred). If you attach a document, please use Google Docs or PDF.

Editor’s note

Palimpsest is intentionally small. Selection depends on theme balance, space, and the shape of each month’s issue. If your piece isn’t selected, it may be because of fit—not because it lacked merit.

Letters to the text

readers responding

Letters are welcome. Write to the text — a question, a disagreement, a memory it stirred, or something you are still thinking through.

Letters are read carefully. A small number are selected for publication as part of the Palimpsest archive.

Write a letter

Response to Issue 1 ("Coming Soon")

You may sign with your first name, initials, or Anonymous. Emails are used only for correspondence related to this project.

What makes a strong letter?

Specificity. Name an image, a line, or a moment. Ask a precise question. Disagree thoughtfully. Let the writing push back.

Events

school & local participation

Palimpsest is designed to be easy to run in a school, library, or writing group: one prompt, one workshop, one small reading.

Palimpsest Writing Week: one prompt + a short lunchtime sharing circle.
Workshop: “How to revise a memory on the page” (30–45 minutes).
Cross-over session: e.g. testimonials in court (ideal for interdisciplinary thinking).

Workshop guides (PDF) These short guides are designed for teachers and student leaders who want to run a Palimpsest session independently. All workshops are reflective, non-evaluative, and adaptable.

Literary Society workshop
A writing-focused session exploring how memory is revised over time.

Law, Memory, and Testimony
A reflective workshop on memory, narrative, and credibility in legal contexts.

Using Rhetoric: Debate and Disagreement
A training-focused session examining how arguments evolve under pressure.

Invite the archive to your group

If you’re a teacher or student leader and want to run a prompt session, email the editor. The goal is simple participation and careful listening.

Contact

collaborations & questions

For collaborations, school partnerships, or questions about submissions, please get in touch.

Email Editor

Palimpsest.digital is edited by a student writer with an interest in narrative perspectives and the human condition. The project takes its name from Annika Shenoy’s novella Palimpsest, which explores related themes of memory, intertwined events, and grappling with the past.

This site is text-first: no ads, no tracking, and no pressure to perform — just careful writing and careful reading.

Privacy

If you submit anonymously, only your chosen name will be published. Email addresses are used only for correspondence related to this project.