This is Melissa - wondering if there are any fellow dog and/or pet lovers in the #epistemicfamily and #poetry community who'd be interested in collaborating with me on a volume of poems about pets with the proceeds being donated to the rescue I volunteer with? Inspired by @1dgrn.bsky.social

I'm stuck here! "Careful not to disturb her, I quietly change out her saline bag and bucket. My mind wanders in the rote movements. Mother once tried to overcome her own shortcomings, when I was young, but she only managed to stop drinking, she never left dad." #writer #WIP

I'm working on a story where the MC is an ER nurse. I'm surprised I don't already have diluted(watered down), but I will be including it!!

This was depressing and painful and so well written.

Because kids can write for kids and trustworthy adults can bring reading to life for kids!

Does anyone want to read an ARC copy of book 3? I just got them, even though the release date is the 25th...🤔 #writesky #mgfiction #mgfantasy #writingcommunity #WIPSnips friends?

I am binging late 60s music. It's interesting how some of the songs lived on through my childhood and now they just feel like they're a part of my life, my memory. All of the songs outdate me by years, but as they merge with my WIP, they become more ingrained in today. Writing is fun!! #writer

I've been waiting to tell you that this is the same Phyllis!! As always, thanks for your time and consideration.

The themes in my works include tragically selfish people, overwhelmingly plain characters, and degrees of regret. All of which represent the idea that humans are terribly ignorant creatures that inherently desire comfort. Intentional, no. Mirrored view of self, yes, and thus inescapable.

Another writing prompt for you and the kids: Imagine a character in a scary situation. Maybe they are scared of the dark. Maybe they are scared of a dragon. It can be realistic or fantasy. Who do they trust to come help them? How does this person help them? Subs open thru Nov 30! #Trustworthy

Writers need opportunities. Presses need exposure. For only £3/month, boost both—plus 33% of fees directly support the #BrokenSpineAward poetry fundraiser!

"He opens his mouth, and despite his palpable sorrow, the next words out of his mouth are little more than greed. “We need…” 'Nein,' Ingrid yells, ushering him out the door. 'You…' She pauses as I rest my hand on her shoulder, hoping to calm the vitriol waiting on her tongue." #WIPSnips

Sub!

I am the villain in some peoples stories and what bothers me is that in at least a few of those, it's legitimate.

I'm writing a story that takes place in 1972-73 and just made the statement: "she had been a nurse in the army for five years during this godforsaken Vietnam War". Though the woman is not meant to represent my step-grandmother, it is relational and a reference to a time that destroyed so many lives.

What an opportunity!! A theme on integrity is left open an extra day because you know life isn't always just right and wrong. Sometimes it means bending the rules. Also, it's All Saint's Day/Día de Muertos, and your spirit might just be moved to words on lives past lived and their integrity.

Is a parent's integrity in question if they glean their favorites from their kid's Trick or treat bag?? What if their kid is lactose intolerant and they only take the candy with dairy?(I'm also lactose intolerant, so this one is totally not me... dairy free candy, on the other hand...)

I've fallen back into the 70s and am working on my signature beautiful, melancholic dream again.

Have you physical art or woven words to share on integrity or honesty?

Seriously though! There may be a grave future ahead for us all

"'Fuck,' she said as she continued to scroll her life away. The endless stories in her head refused to bleed onto paper, so she was stuck with screaming, crying, and loneliness in her head. Neither could her art nor time wait for her to clear her thoughts. Instead, she simply went mad." -The No End

Check and see if food pantries do rummage sales, too. Our town one hosts a sale once a month and take donations. The sales help them purchase the food. I try to drop off clothing (i've got a kid, she's constantly out growing things) and books, and other stuff.

List your press for just £3! 33% of fees go directly to our #BrokenSpineAward Fundraiser, aiming to raise £5000 for a poetry award in 2026. Support indie poetry here:

Our entire back catalog is always available to read or listen free on our site - six amazing issues to date! Food — Happy Place — Anticipation — Exclusion — Resistance — Nostalgia Hard copy anthology of issues 1-5 available on Amazon! epistemiclit.com/past-issues/

articulation ambiguous stumbling upon my words tongue tied into silence so i hide behind my ink writing is easier than talking #pennedreveries #poetry

I've heard of a book hangover, but is there a name for writing a short story you're super proud of and now you can't think of writing anything else? #writer

Sadly, my kiddo is not one for writing. Maybe yours is?

It's my birthday today and if you're appreciated my coverage over all these years, please considering subscribing to my newsletter. I'm really proud of the reporting and commentary we're publishing at PN every day and paid subscribers make my work possible. Thanks.

I might have a short story but I need to clean it up!

Unfortunately, my art is painted inside the minds of others, but I wanted to have a bit of fun and accidentally have another little snippet for @epistemiclit.bsky.social

Who has morally gray characters who choose the wrong thing to make things right? What about the trope of pushing away someone to save them? Great, now I need to listen to Blue October's "Hate Me". The song deals with drug addition and depression. It's extremely sad, so skip it if today is hard.🫂🫂

Angry at an administration that continuously lies and is hungry for power? Feel like you've been let down by a loved one? Maybe after hurt, you've been saved by someone who is honestly trustworthy? Maybe you write for kids and want to show or tell what "Honesty" is (Nimblewitlit)?

I'm using self reflections to promote @epistemiclit.bsky.social's "integrity" theme... I started doing it after I got their newsletter. (They hadn't even announced the theme publicly yet.) I keep doing it for the irony and hope it encourages others to ruminate on "integrity" and what it means!!

Sell my soul for fame, My body rots away. What principles? I'm alone. I'd rather be known. Even if it's superficial.

this is pretty and makes me happy and hopeful

His books are delightfully dark and sadistically realistic, but the best part, PUMPKIN SQUIRREL SEASON! But also, check out his books and stories!

Seriously though, Epistemic Literacy is AMAZING and to throw in a small plug for them, they just opened for subs! Maybe that brings my integrity into question.😊 They are doing a simultaneous sub at Nimblewit Lit for kids. Trust me, it's a good one. bsky.app/profile/epis...

*ANGRY SCREAM* Anyway, that's my thought on integrity right now. If you have words, which I'm sure you must, then may you bring them to life.

To tell you the truth, I want to lie. To weave a web so fantastical. It blurs Reality. And fiction. Yet, I am not forthcoming, Though entirely honest. I want to destroy, Not create.

Get our #KidLit magazine in hard copy! And don’t forget to get your copy of our first EpistrmicLit print anthology while you’re there!

Let me note that if you appreciate my real time coverage of the multiple major hearings going on today, please support what I do by signing up for my newsletter. I think you'll enjoy PN and paid subscribers make my work possible. Thanks.

Robert F. Kennedy Sr. speaks on Martin Luther King Jr. www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Dk...

I should be shouting about this, because I'm so excited that When We Were Young and Hello Mello not only have another home, but an ending as well. A Real Reunion beautifully closes off this idea of nostalgia leading to healing. I love this little collection and the narrator finally has a name!!

👀 Theme reveal coming soon! (But newsletter subscribers got it today!)

I've been meaning to post this, but my brain has been away. Persons of Bluesky, I present to you Lingering! an updated When We Were Young, Hello Mello, and the final short story A Real Reunion. Sometimes, nostalgia leads us back to ourselves... epistemiclit.com/current-issu...

Recently, I got to slip into a quasi-nostalgic past. I felt myself an earlier version of me, but now I have a hangover as reality slams into me. So, read with care, these unique works of former lives once lived.

A week ago after hearing a string of sirens I text from a friend asking if we knew what was going on at our kids' school. The rest of what took place you likely know by now If you’d like to help this community, we ask you give to Annunciation Hope & Healing Fund: www.ccf-mn.org/support-annu... Thx

"My Husband's Daughter" is now live on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and hardcover. The paperback version is being discounted through the weekend. www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNWFZJ5...