Congratulations to the winner of the 2026-2027 Joining Sword & Pen Competition!

Rachel Leighson and her play
C.O.V.E.N.

Starting in 2005, Joining Sword & Pen (“JS&P”) has had ten (10) playwrights win a full production and cash prize.

The winner will first take their script through the Fighting Words development program, before they receive a full production by Babes With Blades Theatre Co (“BWBTC”).

The playwright will also receive the Margaret W. Martin Award, which carries a $1,000 cash prize.

About the play

After the unexpected and inexplicable death of one of their leaders, the members of the Community for Online Visions, Enchantments, and Neopaganism (C.O.V.E.N.) decide to finally meet in person for a memorial. What starts as a heartfelt gathering quickly spirals out of control as the group fights to survive the night, protect their community, and defeat a demonic darkness.

About the playwright

Rachel Leighson is a writer and performer with a deep love of twisted stories and adorable animals. As an SAFD-certified Actor Combatant and staunch horror lover, she is especially excited to be working with Babes with Blades on this piece! Writing credits include Blood on My Mother’s Apron (Off Broadway), Little Egg, Big World (Jane Chambers Award Honoree), Clean Slate (The Larking House/The Flea), La Morte Finale (The Bechdel Project), and The Bender Girls (Winner SoCal Screenplay Comp). She has written commissions for Cultivate Theatre Project and Feminist Fairytales: A Radio Play Podcast. Multiple pieces from her short play set, The Play’s the Minyan, have been performed by colleges and Jewish congregations around the country. In all of her creative work, Rachel strives to highlight gray morality, difficult conversations, and female-centric stories. She believes in finding the humor in the horror and the lessons in the frivolity. Proud graduate of Oberlin College and Vancouver Film School and as always, all the love to her husband and cats for their undying love and support. www.rachelleighson.com

The (below) JS&P image, created by Morgan Manasa, was the inspiration behind “C.O.V.E.N.”

Three figures face each other in a bare room with big windows. The view out the windows is of three large bushes and a dark sky. Two figures are in the foreground with their backs turned to us. One has an Afro and the other is in two braids. They are wearing masks which are indicated by the strings tied at the back of their heads. The third figure stands opposite them in the open doorway, wearing a creepy, toothy, smiling mask, yellow overalls, two hair buns and is holding a sword.

Click to learn more about our Joining Sword & Pen playwriting competition.