Twenty-five prize-selected short stories from our 2025 Ink of Ages Fiction Prize!
Dust & Divinity: Ink of Ages Volume Two presents the 25 winning and shortlisted short stories from the 2025 Ink of Ages Fiction Prize, transporting readers across centuries and cultures through historical and mythology-inspired fiction.
“These are wonderfully vivid time capsules and mythological dreamscapes, transporting readers to unexpected places in just a few well-crafted pages.”
—Stefan Vranka, Oxford University Press
Mesopotamian tablets, ancient Egyptian murder, Norse tales of magic, and the discovery of a lost shoe … Our writers take us from the valleys of South Wales to Pakistan’s Lake Saif-ul-Malook, from Polish salt mines to the foothills of Chinese mountains.
Published September 2026 in hardback, paperback, and ebook.
Affiliate link: World History Encyclopedia gets a teeny bit of money back from Amazon, at no extra cost to you.
“I was blown away by the high standard of writing in the youth category. The writing was generally mature, innovative, well researched and a pleasure to read.”
—Wendy Orr, Author
Who Is Dust & Divinity For?
If you love global storytelling from distant and not-so-distant times and places, real history, depth of human interactions, a dash of gods, folklore, and the occasional monstrous creature, then Ink of Ages short stories are for you!
Murder, betrayal, death, and disaster meet hope, resilience, and a sprinkle of humor. In the face of despair, at least there’s family (when they’re not conspiring against you), music, art, dogs, and Danish pastries.
What endures when everything else has turned to dust?
—Joanne Taylor
Sneak peeks from inside
I remember the day I last saw John McLanahan. Sitting on the stone wall at the end of the lane, I’d been watching him making his way along the bends in the road, heading for the town in his best and only trousers. Their farm was up the valley, where the lean soil was sown with granite and spite. They came from a long, thin line of McLanahans, diluting with every generation. Spindly looking people, with pale skin that seemed to blend with the winter light, making them even more invisible.
—Mairi McCurdy, “Bog Child”
And her fingertips touched the earth, and out of it grew man. She shaped the figure, until it had a face. Then it came to life with a soft blow of her breath.”
“But Popo*, we are made of flesh. Not dirt.” Zhiya’s eyebrows scrunched and furrowed.
“It is a myth, my dear. A tale told by many before us.”
“How will we know if it’s real then?”
“Hmm. We might never. But that is the magic of a myth. Now let’s get you in your blankets, it is way past your bedtime.”
Paul Burdick, “A Mountain God’s Dilemma” – escaping Nazi soldiers in WWII Sophia Campbell, “To Forget” – Native American residential schools João Costa, “Federico” – the Spanish Civil War Miriam Culy, “To End a Nightmare” – the Black Death Jenna Davis, “The Weaver” – Arachne from Greco-Roman mythology Richard Garcka, “Shining Light” – the Lighthouse of Alexandria Peter Hankins, “The Salamander of London” – the Great Fire of London Cassandra Hughes, “The Defeat of the Emperor” – Napoleon and the rabbits Iris, “The Tortured Artist” – Vincent van Gogh Somya Jain, “The Spinster” – Arachne from Greco-Roman mythology Faaris Jamali, “Shattered Souls, Eternal Light” – folklore of Lake Saif-ul-Malook, Pakistan Michael Kowalczyk-Barker, “Encrusted” – Wieliczka salt mine, Poland Prisha Roy Mahapatra, “Maidens, Men and Raging Seas” – selkies from Celtic and Norse folklore Mairi McCurdy, “Bog Child” – church-run mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries, Ireland Anna McHugh, “Zannanza” – the Hittite prince and an Egyptian Queen Moira Lee Pellehan, “Echoes of Hunger and Hope” – the Great Famine, Ireland Emily Peters, “Wedding Flowers” – Hera and Zeus in Greek mythology Tatiana Randjelovic, “The Land We Dream Of” – the US’s Western expansion Will Reardon, “The Sound of Salt” – the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice Matt Roberts, “The Diary” – the Aberfan disaster, Wales Senthan Thomas Sivasangar, “Møya” – Norwegian folklore Morna Sullivan, “Fidelity” – the Book of Kells Kayla Williams, “The Secret of the Louvre” – the theft of the Mona Lisa Yau, “The Magic of a Myth” – Nüwa Chinese creation myth Abaan Zaidi, “The Deluge” – the Epic of Gilgamesh
About Ink of Ages
The Ink of Ages Fiction Prize is World History Encyclopedia’s international short story competition, run annually and supported by Oxford University Press. The competition welcomes submissions of historical fiction and mythology-inspired fiction in two main categories – adult and youth – and maintains its commitment to accessibility by remaining free to enter, whilst offering professional-level judging and support.
Echoes & Origins is the first published volume of the competition, with anthologies of the winning and shortlisted stories from 2025 and 2026 to be published subsequently.
About World History Encyclopedia
World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization that publishes free, high-quality historical content to advance historical literacy and improve history education worldwide. Since 2009, the organization has grown to become the world’s most-read history publication, reaching millions of visitors monthly from over 150 countries. WHE is recommended by leading universities, including Oxford University and California State University, and maintains complete editorial independence while operating as a registered non-profit in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Can’t buy a book right now? You can read the 5 winning stories for free on the Ink of Ages website. Buying a book when you can helps support the longevity of the prize.
