The feedback thing is so important to stress. When I do coaching, I've talked to people who have workshopped first chapters to death, and they don't even have a finished draft yet. This very often keeps them from moving forward. No one should see your novel for a LONG TIME imo.

Our first issue of 2026 is officially live! pitheadchapel.com/2026/01/01/v...

Instead of a new years resolution, I'm declaring 2026 the year of rest. We've done enough. Do nothing.

At what point is it acceptable to tell the person who used to live at your address that you're not going to keep accepting their mail/packages anymore for them to stop by and pick up? Because we are going on 3 months and I'm getting annoyed.

This is a fantastic issue of @pitheadchapel.bsky.social! Congrats to @kimmagowan.bsky.social, @karenkay.bsky.social, @brttnyblm.bsky.social, and their entire staff, and to all these talented writers. pitheadchapel.com/2025/12/01/v...

My winter vacation starts in 2 days, in which I will be holed up in my snowy Maine cottage with an Agatha Christie novel, a warm dog on my lap, a kettle on the stove, and a crackling fire, and I CANNOT WAIT

Whenever a new issue of Pithead Chapel goes live, I email all of the contributors to let them know and to thank them for letting us publish their work, and this morning in that email subject line I spelled it Pinhead Chapel 😭😭😭

Our December issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-is... Words: J. CONDRA SMITH @rebecca-turkewitz.bsky.social @willwilloughby.bsky.social NICK REES GARDNER MAX LIN JASON FRALEY Cover art: DEEMS ORTEGA

Congrats to @kimmagowan.bsky.social, @karenkay.bsky.social, @brttnyblm.bsky.social, and the entire @pitheadchapel.bsky.social staff on another fantastic new issue! pitheadchapel.com/2025/11/01/v...

Our November issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-is... Words: NINA Y. MORAGON HAL WRIGHT @meliseliz.bsky.social RACHEL EPHRAIM MAGGIE LEVANTOVSKAYA @mooninabucket.bsky.social JENNY CHU CAROL ROSE LITTLE Cover art: SUSAN POLLET

This is my favorite thing I’ve written in a long time, in which a hunter is reincarnated as the deer he just killed. Thank you so much to Chris Dankland and the X-R-A-Y team, I’m such a huge fan of X-R-A-Y!! 🥰

Congrats to the @pitheadchapel.bsky.social staff on another fine issue! @kimmagowan.bsky.social @brttnyblm.bsky.social @karenkay.bsky.social

The October issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-10/ Words: @bizzycoy.bsky.social @katieburgess.bsky.social @johnwaddy.bsky.social JEFFREY FEINGOLD SARAH HARLEY ELIZABETH HASHIMURA BETH GILSTRAP SARP SOZDINLER YASHASVI VACHHANI Art: NATALIE NEE

I wrote one short story this year (because all my writing time has been focused on my novel) and it just got picked up by X-R-A-Y. Sooo excited to see what you all think of it, it’s a weird one.

Six weeks remain to send us your best short story! Read all details here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown/

Today I learned about Tyromancy: the ancient practice of divination that involves telling fortunes by interpreting the omens of cheese

Please join us in congratulating our Best of the Net 2026 Nominees! Good luck everyone!

Massachusetts has its perks

Congratulations to @kimmagowan.bsky.social, @brttnyblm.bsky.social, @karenkay.bsky.social, and the whole @pitheadchapel.bsky.social staff on another great issue! New work by @aaronburch.bsky.social, @dawnwriter.bsky.social, and a bunch of other talented folks. pitheadchapel.com/2025/09/01/v...

Yes waiter, I'll have a cup of tea, a scone, and if it's not too much trouble, perhaps some precedented times?

Saying I like a show is not the same as saying it’s good. These are two different things.

Good morning

Send us your stories!

This issue of @pitheadchapel.bsky.social that @kimmagowan.bsky.social, @karenkay.bsky.social, @brttnyblm.bsky.social, etc., have put out is really great! Work by @marybid.bsky.social, @lesliepwriter.bsky.social, and a lot of other talented writers. pitheadchapel.com/2025/08/01/v...

He’s having the time of his life, a lady at the beach had treats in her pocket. He kept going over to her and sitting so she’d give him one, and I had to put him back on his leash and literally drag him away

A big group is having a birthday party at my apartment pool and it’s very charming except they keep popping balloons (?) and it sounds like gunshots. Thinking about screaming at them.

Our August issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/08/01/volume-14-issue-8/ Words: THOMAS MIXON @francesorrok.bsky.social ROSS FEELER @lesliepwriter.bsky.social JOSIE BRAATEN MARY BIDDINGER Cover art: ERNEST WILLIAMSON III

Our annual contest opens for submissions August 1st! This year's guest judge is Andrew Porter. Keep an eye out for our Q&A with Andrew soon. Find more details about our contest here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown/

Lately we’ve started watching a couple episodes of Ina Garten every night in bed and it has made life at least 75% better

Would you try oyster ice cream? I think I’d pass

The Sunday scaries after a vacation are the scariest of all scaries

Charlie made it through surgery & they think they got all the cancer. We won’t know for sure until they get the test results back on the tissue but so far so good. But he can’t wear a cone because of where the incision is so he has to wear a t shirt, and this was the only one Petco had in his size 😂

This sweet boy is having surgery tomorrow to remove a tumor and I hope he pulls through I’m a wreck

I was watching The Princess and the Frog and it put me in the mood for beignets, but I have celiac… so I found a gluten free recipe, but it was extremely complicated including several mail-order specialty ingredients… anyway, seldom have I been prouder than I am of these babies

"Stay in the moment. Enjoy what there is to enjoy, because that is empowering, and power (and love, and uplift, and the clarity born of genuine interest) are going to be needed, by all of us." -George Saunders on how to get through these troubled times

I'm thrilled to have this CNF flash appear in the wonderful @pitheadchapel.bsky.social. My father died in April, so it's especially meaningful to have this out now. Many thanks @kimmagowan.bsky.social and @brttnyblm.bsky.social pitheadchapel.com/we-drive-the...

Uh… Maybe don’t submit work to journals if you have this kind of reaction when your work is not accepted?

Our July issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-7/ Words @mczyzniejewski.bsky.social @kimchinquee.bsky.social RENESHA DHANRAJ WYLEY FROHLICH JUNGERMAN TROY ANDERSON @danbillyc.bsky.social @theresegleason @claudiamonpere.bsky.social BRITTANY REDD TARA SHEA BURKE Art JACELYN YAP

This article describes exactly what happened to me last year: ghosted after a full manuscript request by my dream agent. Sad to see this is happening more and more frequently. janefriedman.com/silence-the-...

My dog’s daycare sent me this photo 😭

It’s been raining all day so I made a cake

When writers give you publishing advice

LOL Brian Evenson I’ll always love you

Correction: Our *May* issue is live :) Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/05/01/volume-14-issue-5/ Words @lumchanmfa.bsky.social LAUREN WOODS @sagetyrtle.bsky.social ANNABELLE TAGHINIA SARA SCHIFF TOPAZ WINTERS BRIDGET HAYES Cover Art COURTNEY BURTON

Our March issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-is... Words: @aniking.bsky.social @olangela.bsky.social Ben Gibbons @olangela.bsky.social Claire Hopple Matthew Thomas Bernell Cover art: Heather D Daigh

It’s the perfect day to find an abandoned cottage in the Scottish Highlands and go off the grid for a few years.