When journalism was cool. And risked everything to challenge power.

Having had a recent airing on Inverness Hospital Radio, my Tahitian Princess in Scotland story is now re-published in the stellar (and very kind!) @bulbculture.bsky.social as of today! My grateful thanks to them for being such stalwart supporters of my writing. 🙏

Hooray! It’s Friday! Which means there are 2 ways to listen to Sherry’s Shorts today: live at 12 noon UK time on HHR.scot or use the Listen Again anytime link below for brilliant stories from @fionajanemack.bsky.social @Lindy biller & me.

Cutleaf Journal will be open in Sept for collaboratively written short fiction up to 4k words. Guest editors for this call are @kimmagowan.bsky.social & Michelle Ross, who wrote a collab story in Cutleaf which you can check out here. Also included: an interview with them abt their process.

The NY Times has a new article on the Fife Coastal Path. Pic 1 shows the Isle of May, the setting for my novel in progress As Birds to Sky, and pic 2 shows the beach in Anstruther where we scattered my mum's ashes in 2022. 💞https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/travel/scotland-hiking-fife-trail.html

Delighted to have my story The Other Half of the Sky featured on Sherry's Shorts on Inverness Hospital Radio. It's about a young Tahitian Princess who marries a Scottish merchant and finds herself the subject of unwelcome attention in her new home town (which is also mine!). 🌏

Can any of my fellow writers on here recommend a sensitivity reader (for a historical novel) who specializes in disability issues (Down's syndrome)? Someone you've worked with personally and liked their work? Thanks!

I'm sorry to be missing the cherry blossoms in DC, but I found some at Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park instead. 🌸🌸🌸🌸

As more and more Americans get their news from online shows and streamers, our analysis found that this expanding media ecosystem is overwhelmingly right-leaning. 🧵: www.mediamatters.org/google/right...

Kidnapping an activist and jailing him in the middle of the night is a brazen act of authoritarianism. Punishing dissent by revoking legal status is a dangerous precedent to set.

I don't know what world y'all are living in, but every day is #worldbookday in this house. 📚📚📚📚😱

Many thanks to the amazing @fictivedream.bsky.social for reposting my Arizona otter story from a year ago. 🌵🦦

“Even now, with more wealth than she could ever need, Mary hears the scratch of the wolf at her door and feels the stir and fret of Baby Gladys deep within her.” @fionajanemack.bsky.social and Mary Pickford in @fictivedream.bsky.social fictivedream.com/2025/02/25/f...

I’d like to apologize to President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine on behalf of the people of the United States of America

I just booked. Something to look forward to amidst the dumpster fire that is the world right now.

"But it turns out she was nothing but a pop of cotton candy before the latest starlets came along and spread themselves across the screen like butter." Fantastic story about Mary Pickford from @fionajanemack.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social #FlashFictionFebruary

"Even now, with more wealth than she could ever need, Mary hears the scratch of the wolf at her door and feels the stir and fret of Baby Gladys deep within her." Such depth of character here from @fionajanemack.bsky.social - a whole life on a postage stamp

This, my friend is brilliant. Have a read of this by the so-talented-its-crazy @fionajanemack.bsky.social over at @fictivedream.bsky.social

"When the press first called her America’s Sweetheart, she’d thought they meant sweet like honey dripping from a comb or the cane from which the sugar juice flows." This is a phenomenal story by @fionajanemack.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social 💙💙💙 fictivedream.com/2025/02/25/f...

My grateful thanks to the stellar @fictivedream.bsky.social for publishing my flash about the extraordinary but troubled Mary Pickford today. One in my series of pieces about women in the silent film era. #flashfictionfebruary 🎥🎞️🎬

I have a little interview up @bulbculture.bsky.social today about my short story Les Soeurs Jumelles (aka The Twin Sisters) - the link to which is in the post below the interview. Many thanks to Jared and L.M. for their support and enthusiasm and to you guys for checking it out!

Congrats to all on the list and in the anthology! 🥂

Justifying yet again my decision to cancel my subscription. 🚫

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” ― Former President Theodore Roosevelt, May 1918

This morning, we won a court order blocking Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, from accessing Americans’ private data. Musk and his DOGE employees must destroy all records they've obtained. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: no one is above the law.

Using royalties from her novel, Barbara Kingsolver purchased a house, fixed it up and established a nonprofit recovery residence called Higher Ground. Here, in rural Southwest Virginia, women can live for up to 2 years while they get their lives back in order. s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

My senator ladies and gentlemen. I'm proud to be from Maryland. 💪

If you only read one story today, make it this one by @susanperabo.bsky.social. It's 💥.

The deadline to submit to @retreatwest.bsky.social‘s 2025 Hermit Crab Prize is almost here! £6 submission (~ $7 USD) £23 with feedback (~ $29 USD) Story Max: 650 words (excluding titles) Deadline: February 23, 2025 And I’m the guest judge! westword.substack.com/p/hermit-cra...

And check out the great short stories of @fionajanemack.bsky.social here: fionajmackintosh.com/stories/

‘Watch the lights flare, the fresco spring to life, Ghirlandaio’s pinks, blues, and greens.’ Each sentence brings this winning micro so brilliantly to life. A timeless story from @fionajanemack.bsky.social in @natflashfictionday.bsky.social 🪙 www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/index.php/co...

On my walk round the neighborhood today in sunshine and mild temps, it was like spring on the south-facing side of the streets (green grass and buds) and winter on the north-facing side (2-3 inches of still unmelted snow from two weeks ago).

On my walk round the neighborhood today in sunshine and mild temps, it was like spring on the south-facing side of the streets (green grass and buds) and winter on the north-facing side (2-3 inches of still unmelted snow from two weeks ago).

Honestly, the reason why I haven't left the other place yet is because I've had so little engagement on here (except for too many friend requests from random guys/bots with no posts). Is it the algorithm's fault? WHERE ARE MY WRITING PEEPS?? PLEASE CHECK IN SO I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! 🙏

As the dreadful day of the felon's inauguration approaches, I'm resharing a post from my blog from December 2016 about the helplessness we writers feel when the wider world around us spins out of control. fiona-midatlantic.blogspot.com/2016/12/fidd...

I'm delighted that my story about silent film star Mary Pickford will be featured during the stellar Flash Fiction February on @fictivedream.bsky.social. "Female of the Species" will be published on February 25th. Grateful thanks to editor Laura Black.

Very pleased to start the year with a longlisting in the @welkinprize.bsky.social mini competition (for pieces under 100 words). They say it's harder to write short than long, and they're right! Congrats to all my fellow longlisters. 🥂

A million thanks to @fictivedream.bsky.social for featuring my story set in the Sonoran desert where the saguaros look like "they’re cheering and reaching at the same time. Like they’re trying to stop something from falling." 🌵

We’re about to see how much loss, pain and suffering people are willing to take in exchange for not wanting to vote for a woman.

I'm delighted and honored that @natflashfictionday.bsky.social has nominated my story "Skulking" inspired by the foxes who live in our back garden for Best Small Fictions! Congrats and good luck to all the other nominees. What a lovely way to end the year! 💃

Be there or be square. (Does anybody still say that anymore? 🤔)

Limited time, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬! Through Dec 15th, we'll consider flash up to 600 wds. Give us surreal, gut-wrenching, or beautifully crafted flowery flash. No such thing as too flowery for us! https://inkinthirds.org/submissions/ Knock our socks off.

I'm going to be reading from my brand new novella-in-flash titled Beautiful for You at this lovely online event on Thursday, December 12th, 7pm (UK), 2pm (EST). Admission is free - click on the link below to register. www.tickettailor.com/events/dubli...

Another chance to hear my dulcet tones reading my story The Ring about the marriage of William and Mary Wordsworth. It's the first story featured and is about 6 minutes long, but I hope you can stick around and listen to Sherry's excellent show in full. 🤩

💯 Also, my right to make decisions about what happens to my body.

"While they are numerous, that does not make them right." 👏 👏👏

Beautiful, nuanced writing and read in Fiona’s unique voice. I love that @uksherka.bsky.social is bringing short stories of such quality to a hospital.

The New Writing Flash Fiction Competition 2025 is open for entries: newwriters.org.uk/flash-fictio... - Top prize: £1,100 - Head Judge: Shreya Sen-Handley (@shreyasenhan on Insta) - Donating £1 from each entry to the brilliant creative writing charity First Story #flashfiction #writingcommunity

Thanks a million to @uksherka.bsky.social for featuring my story The Ring on her radio show - read by my own self no less! And so much more..... 🤩