We’re unbelievably proud of the authors in this book. In fewer than 200 words, they managed to tell a compelling story. The words ‘coffee’, ‘book’, ‘dream’ and ‘light’ unite us, but the diversity and creativity of these stories is what keeps us reading.

Every 4 weeks we launch a new round, and writers from all over the world enter with their story, incorporating a different word into their story.

We received over 1200 stories in the first four rounds of the competition. The...