Call for Submissions
THRIVING
August / September 2026
Vol 11, Issue No. 4
Guest Editor: MJ DeCoteau, Founder & Executive Director of Rethink Breast Cancer
Thriving is the decision—made again and again, in big ways and small ones—to be fully alive in the life you actually have. It’s not a finish line or the absence of pain. It’s not the end of treatment, or the moment you feel like yourself again. It is more honest than all that.
This issue of Wildfire invites your stories about what thriving looks like from where you stand right now. The rituals that anchor you. The relationships that deepened or broke. The work you returned to, left behind, or invented from scratch. The body you've learned to inhabit, negotiate with, or simply show up in. The moments—however brief—when you felt not just okay, but genuinely here.
A Message From Guest Editor MJ DeCoteau
“There are many areas within the breast cancer experience that are so little understood or often misunderstood by the general public. The phase after initial diagnosis and treatment—“survivorship,” “thrivership,” figuring out how to live life after something like this and live it well—is definitely one of them.
That’s why we were excited for Rethink Breast Cancer to team up with Wildfire once again as the guest editor for the debut of a new theme: Thriving.
When April proposed this new theme, we were immediately all in.
What I continue to learn is that thriving looks different for everyone.
It’s very personal, but one common thread is that whether you’ve completed active treatment or are in ongoing treatment, thriving is an on-going evolution, one that is a bit of a revolution through reinvention. That thriving after diagnosis means finding yourself again—now—and not trying to fit yourself into the mold of the pre-cancer version of you.
I hope these stories will be helpful to anyone who is just finishing treatment, in the thick of ongoing treatment, or who has been struggling to figure out how thrive after all this. By having these conversations, we are giving voice to the whispers long had about this reality of life after diagnosis, finding meaning and living truly, authentically well.” ~MJ
Ready to submit your story?
We accept:
Essays: 650-1200 words
Poems: 50 line maximum
Artwork: high-resolution along with a written Artist Statement
Submission Deadline: June 25, 2026
Need more inspiration to write your story in the Wildfire Journal way? We’ve got you.
✏️Use writing prompts to unlock your story:
My biggest challenge in survivorship today… and what living inspite of this challenge look like day to day…
A love letter to the life I’m building now…
What I’ve learned to stop apologizing for…
Two truths I hold at once…
I’ve redefined success as…
For me, thriving looks like…
Tip: Wildfire is focused on memoir, and memoir is about writing your transformation. As you write to these prompts, try ending your piece with a silent "... and nothing was ever the same again," to see if that rings true for you. Keep digging for how your life is has changed since your diagnosis.
Remember, we are looking for cancer-related stories, so no matter where your story begins, don’t forget to include how your experience of cancer has affected you, and the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Read more writing tips here.
Read Past Issues of Wildfire
Click the cover to download the PDF.
