This is a fantastic initiative! What a brilliant way to encourage creativity and strengthen the community.

The theme of 'trust' is incredibly rich and central to so much of what we discuss here, from sound money to social contracts. It's a perfect prompt. I also have to give a huge shout-out for the explicit "Do not post AI-generated stories" rule. It builds trust in the competition itself. Very clever.

The timing is perfect, too. August is right in the middle of the rainy season (kiremt) here in Ethiopia, which provides the ideal atmosphere for curling up with a good story.

I'll definitely be reading, zapping, and commenting to support the writers. Huge props to ~BooksAndArticles and 21 Futures for putting this together. Can't wait to see the stories that emerge!