Announcing The Daydreamer Prize!

Written By Melissa DiMaiella

Lehigh Valley Literary Magazine is proud to announce The Daydreamer Prize in literary arts, a prize that is funded collectively by individual donations and proceeds from magazine sales. For the Summer/Fall 2021 issue, we raised $600 for prizes of $100 each in literature and art. The prize is named in honor of people everywhere who have the courage to daydream.

Current research has confirmed that daydreaming freely about pleasant thoughts or memories in life can help to “reshape emotions and make us happier” leading to an “increased wellbeing” (Escalante 2021).  

Among benefits mentioned by mental health professionals are a decrease in anxiety, an improvement in problem-solving skills, and an increase in potential to actualize creative and goal-oriented achievements (Field 2021).

Daydreaming also plays a vital role in storytelling. Through the imagination and the arts, we can provide insight to emotional healing and understanding, all while upholding the survival, development, and prosperity of languages and cultures.

Lehigh Valley Literary Magazine would like to thank the patrons who sponsored the prize for this issue, and the authors and artists who submitted entries to the magazine with the theme, “Hope in the World.” The Daydreamer Prize winners will be announced before the release of the publication.

Acknowledgements

Kathleen Ann Hough

Melissa Lynne Maiellano

Artwork Credit: Kateryna Kovarzh

Melissa DiMaiella

Melissa is the Founder and Editor of Lehigh Valley Literary Magazine. As a writer and artist who calls the Lehigh Valley her home, she established the magazine to create publishing and prize-winning opportunities for literature and art in her community. She has worked in education, administration, and marketing and has earned her M.A. in international education at New York University and a B.A. in English and studio art from Muhlenberg College in Allentown after studying abroad in Europe. She believes that the arts are intrinsic to culture, lead to better understanding and higher achievement in all fields, and are essential for thriving in our world. She is a faithful mom and friend, likes music, traveling, and going for walks, is an avid reader, and appreciates anyone who will challenge her to a game of chess.

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