Take a road trip for a wonderful start to 2026! "Des Moines" by @keithlesmeister.bsky.social doric-literary.com/2026/01/01/d...

a new story out today. I like the editor's description here: "...every thing you'd want in a highway romance." Happy New Year!

⏰ FINAL CALL! Only two days left to submit to WTAW Press’s 2025 Open Call. If you’ve been waiting for a sign… this is it. Your book could be next to join our shelf! Submit by December 31st. ✍️

a beautiful and haunting story about friendship, art, and the muddle of one's life in their 20s. This story, I think, serves as a kind of coda to @andrewporter01.bsky.social collection "The Disappeared." The story here is available to read online thru 12/21 www.cincinnatireview.com/articles/vig...

what a fantastic group of debut collections. I already own four of these, but I'm looking forward to checking out the others. Congrats @lmichelcassidy.bsky.social @ladiwoods.bsky.social Hayden Casey, and Bob Johnson, and others!

a new all-nonfiction issue of Cutleaf! cutleafjournal.com

stories included were previously published in some wonderful lit journals. Thanks to all of them for publishing, and nominating, such wonderful work:

When I found out my story, How to Survive a Black Hole, had been selected for this anthology, by Deesha Philyaw no less, I was like, um, you have the wrong person... But it's real and I'm pinching myself. Thank you Keith, Deesha, and @kimmagowan.bsky.social ❤️ for being the best supporter and friend.

this past weekend, b/c of all the hype on Netflix, I reread Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (really, in my mind, a long short story packaged as a novella), and it me as hard on the second reading as it did the first, which was well over ten years ago now. A perfect little masterpiece.

a nice chat w/ the Daily Yonder about the Anthology of Rural Stories by Writers of Color Vol III, guest edited by Deesha Philyaw. Thanks to DY!

creating and sustaining this anthology has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life as a writer/editor. Thank you to the incomparable @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social for being a fantastic collaborator. And please check out our rural anthology Vol 3! eastoverpress.com/book/an-anth...

a nice opportunity to read/review small press books --

support your local indie bookstore

an excellent list to consult for your next book purchase. #supportsmallpresses #indiepress #universitypress

Kudos to @keithlesmeister.bsky.social and his staff. Cutleaf is a really nice journal.

this afternoon I turned in my final-ish draft of my forthcoming story collection titled Ask Me About the Money. The stories, as you can imagine, coalesce, thematically, around money. I'm excited, nervous, and relieved. Publication Nov 2026. I'm sure I'll post more in the coming months!

"navigators" is an incredible story. check it out here w/ an intro from @mdbell79.bsky.social

my fiction chapbook Mississippi River Museum is featured on this graphic, but the main point is this: check out some of the wonderful chap/books published by the inimitable @wtawpress.bsky.social!

fantastic sports-themed lit journal open to subs for a few more days.

thrilled to have an "other distinguished" story here alongside so many writers I've read/respected/admired/loved for so many years. Truly an honor. And thanks to december magazine for first publishing the story!

short story writers: the incomparable Deesha Philyaw is guest judge for this contest. #submitwork #shortstories

Submissions are still open for the 7th Annual STORY Foundation Prize, judged by @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social. Submit before December 15th to be considered.

new issue of Cutleaf! Featuring short fiction by @ladiwoods.bsky.social, nonfiction from @mbarrettwriter.bsky.social, and poetry courtesy of @taylorfthiel.bsky.social cutleafjournal.com/issue/5-19

nothing quite like the blue of a late Sept sky. #makingthemostofthemorning side note: I've always thought Decorah would be a great place for a summer writers' workshop/camp/retreat/festival. Hiking, biking, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, world class breweries. And some writing, too. #decorah

"Mama wanted a house, so she stole one she found abandoned on the corner of Sycamore and Grant" @juliastrayer.bsky.social's "Mama Wanted" trampset.org/mama-wanted-...

Epiphany’s Fresh Voices Fellowship supports one emerging BIPOC writer without an advanced writing degree. *$2000 stipend *Year-long editorial fellowship at a small non-profit literary magazine *Publication Applications are O P E N

Congrats to Kathleen McNamara! Her story collection was selected as the winner of the EastOver Press debut prize for a story collection, selected by Manuel Munoz. Congrats to Kathleen and the finalists!

Cutleaf is the "listing of the day" -- and we're currently open for nonfiction subs (cap of 200) and collaboratively written short fiction. The latter will be selected by our guest collab writers @kimmagowan.bsky.social and Michelle Ross.

...and! Giano will be presenting at the Luther Writers Festival this Saturday (Sept 13) alongside @rachelswearingen.bsky.social and Jennifer Case. More info here:

...and! Michael will be presenting at the Luther Writers Fest this weekend, Sept 12-13. Free to attend!

new issue of Cutleaf (as of last Thursday)! With a poem by @davidbprather.bsky.social, an essay by Monica Woelful, and a short story by Toshiya Kamei. Cutleaf publishes a new issue every other week, which is usually comprised of a short story, an essay, and a poem.

Send your beloved out of print subs to @abigailoswald.bsky.social! We want to print your book! ✨

My husband built a custom book stand for me to use at in person events. My book is out now from @cowboyjamboree.bsky.social.

We're down to the final 10 DAYS of the 2025 Literary Awards Program with @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social as our judge! Submit today for a chance to make it to the winners' circle and have your manuscript considered for publication! buff.ly/AMZ2510 @susanschulman.bsky.social

weekly talk story about my Bitter over Sweet (@sfwp.bsky.social) book launch with @deeshaphilyaw.bsky.social, hosted by @avitusbcarle.bsky.social, and my recent (and not so recent pubs) in @mrbullbull.bsky.social , @claudineliterary.bsky.social and Mojo www.melissallanesbrownlee.com/talk-story/2...

Cutleaf is open for collaboratively written short stories. Guest editors are @kimmagowan.bsky.social and Michelle Ross. Open through the month of Sept!

Quick reminder that we'll open for collab written fiction on Sept 1.

Let's go!!!!

My thanks to @keithlesmeister.bsky.social and Cutleaf Journal for publishing my short story, In Between. "It was 1971. No one was surprised at anything anymore. When you've seen brains splashed across the evening news, surprise seems terribly old-fashioned." cutleafjournal.com/content/in-b...

a new short story in Culteaf by @karenmulter.bsky.social - takes place in 1971. The story is a kind of character study of Evelyn, who, among other things, disguises herself on a solo vacation. A fascinating and finely crafted story. cutleafjournal.com/content/in-b...

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.

I'm looking forward to reading this forthcoming collection of stories-- Oct 2025 -- preorder available now.

new #poem in The MacGuffin. It's addressed to a farmer in Ridgeway, IA who shot a wandering black bear for no reason (it was a young male looking for a mate and we in Iowa don't have a hunting season for bears). I only had one place where I could channel my rage. This poem was the result.

A stellar line up of writers coming to my little corner of northeast Iowa.

This is going to be great! And it's all free 💜

Going to be so much fun!

I'm looking fwd to this! If you're in/around northeast Iowa, check it out. Free and open to the public. Craft lectures, readings, generative writing workshops. Sept 12-13: www.luther.edu/event/luther...

So excited to be judging the 2025 Larry Brown Short Story Award for @pitheadchapel.bsky.social ! Submissions open Friday! 👇

trying to figure out how to describe a character's hair, and then I went for a walk and saw this and thought, yes, there it is.