Identity Theory is an online literary magazine and cultural hub that has been publishing original writing, interviews, and other forms of creative expression since July 2000. Each week, BotN randomly selects a journal from the previous year's Participating Journals list to highlight.

Check out one of our 2026 Poetry Selections, "Revision" by B. Do (The Cincinnati Review), selected by Cyrus Cassells on bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-2/2026-poetry/revision/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2026 Nonfiction Selections, "Reduction" by Carrie George (Crayfish Magazine), selected by Lily Hoàng on bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-2/2026-nonfiction/reduction/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2026 Fiction Selections, "The Great Renunciation" by @laurenbarbato.bsky.social  (American Literary Review), selected by Andrew Porter on bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-2/2026-fiction/the-great-renunciation/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2026 Poetry Selections, "The Ubiquitous Garden" by Laura Da’ (A Dozen Nothing), selected by Cyrus Cassells on bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-2/2026-poetry/the-ubiquitous-garden/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Many thanks to the editors of Literary Underground for including five Emily as poems on their site today. theliteraryunderground.org/blog/2026/05...

@sachavez.bsky.social, our Poetry Coordinator, is moving on from their work here at the Best of the Net to focus on their new position as Associate Dean of Faculty & Equity/Inclusion at the University of Washington Tacoma.

@darrencdemaree.bsky.social, our Co-Editor-in-Chief, is moving on from his work here at the Best of the Net to take on a position with Sundress's Board of Directors. Thank you for your time and leadership with Best of the Net. We wish you luck on the next step of your journey!

When selecting our @bestofthenet.bsky.social nominees, we think of our favorite pieces that recognize and embrace the opportunities of digital media, experimenting with form, genre, and content. We’re beyond thrilled to have Jaqi Howard’s comic CLOVER selected for inclusion!

Long-listed for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, The Imagined Life by Andrew Porter, is "a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one’s parents, … about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son." Out now! #books

Vol. X: “Spring” featured Amy Kurzweil’s comic, which we nominated for @bestofthenet.bsky.social & whose award-winning graphic memoir ARTIFICIAL explores family, memory & technology across generations. Support Expo & grab it on @bookshop.org: bookshop.org/p/books/arti.... @catapultbooks.bsky.social

New poetry collection by Cyrus Cassels from 3: A Taos Press, is out June 5th! #poetry #art

Congrats to alum Carrie George on her @bestofthenet.bsky.social CNF win 🏆 Read her winning essay, “Reduction,” on @crayfishmag.bsky.social — www.crayfishmag.com/carrie-georg...

Join us in congratulating our creative nonfiction selections for the 2026 Best of the Net issue. Special thanks to Lily Hoàng for judging. #bestofthenet #creativenonfiction

Join us in congratulating our art selections for the 2026 Best of the Net issue. Special thanks to Octavio Quintanilla for judging. #bestofthenet #art

We are thrilled to submit work for @pushcartprize.bsky.social, @bestofthenet.bsky.social, @altcurrent.bsky.social’s Best Small Fictions, @bestmicrofiction.bsky.social, Nina Riggs Poetry Award, The O. Henry Prize (@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social)…

Join us in congratulating our fiction selections for the 2026 Best of the Net issue. Special thanks to @andrewporter01.bsky.social for judging. #bestofthenet #fiction

Join us in congratulating our poetry selection contributors for the 2026 Best of the Net issue. #bestofthenet #poetry

Announcing our 2026 Best of the Net Anthology is live! Go to bestofthenetanthology.com to see all of the contributors and finalists. Celebrate our newest issue with us and give a big round of applause to everyone involved. #finalists #bestofthenet #writingcommunity

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Little Fugue with Jean Seberg and Tupperware" by Diane Seuss (Under a Warm Green Linden), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/little-fugue-with-jean-seberg-and-tupperware/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Against Burial" by Remi Recchia (Bellingham Review), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/against-burial/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Blur" by Jennifer Martelli (NonBinary Review), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/blur/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist #poetry

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "First A-S-L Sign Me-Learn What | My First ASL Sign" by @raymondluczak.com (Tab Journal), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/first-a-s-l-sign-me-learn-what-my-first-asl-sign/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Hablando de Vallejo y Darwish" by Fady Joudah (The Rumpus) selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/hablando-de-vallejo-y-darwish/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Prayer to the Antibiotic" by Kai Ihns (Annulet) selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/prayer-to-the-antibiotic/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Pembroke Township, Illinois, Spring 2022" by Janice N. Harrington (swamp pink) selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/pembroke-township-illinois-spring-2022/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Inheritance at Corresponding Periods of Life, at Corresponding Seasons of the Year, as Limited by Sex" by @jamesallenhall.bsky.social (The Adroit Journal) selected by Ruben Quesada #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Nonfiction Selections, "The Impressionists" by Carly Stone (American Literary Review) selected by Jen Soriano on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-nonfiction/the-impressionists/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting #finalist

Please join us in welcoming our new team members: Ariadne Alexis Macquarie (Assistant Editor), Chekwube Ozieh (Assistant Editor), Mohammed U. Yusuf (Assistant Editor), and Caroline Majewski (Social Media Manager). We’re thrilled to have them on our team.

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "ON DYS•COFFERING DYSLEXIA AT 44" by Gary Dop (North American Review), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/on-dyscoffering-dyslexia-at-44/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Fiction Selections, "Orange" by Siamak Vossoughi (Pithead Chapel), selected by Ben Tanzer on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-fiction/orange/ #bestofthenetanthology #fictionwriting #finalist

Congrats to 2025 BOTN-selected writer Remi Recchia on his latest book, Addiction Apocalypse, releasing February 15th. #newrelease #poetry #preorder

Check out one of our 2025 Nonfiction Selections, "Crosshairs" Abdaljawad Omar (Rusted Radishes), selected by Jen Soriano on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-nonfiction/crosshairs/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Loving After Loss"  @cassdonish.bsky.social (COMP: an interdisciplinary journal) selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/loving-after-loss/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Fiction Selections, "Umeboshi" by Rebecca Nakaba (khōréō) selected by Ben Tanzer on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-fiction/umeboshi/ #bestofthenetanthology #fictionwriting #writing

Check out one of our 2025 Art Selections, "El Ritual" by @ylasllaves.bsky.social (Blackbird), on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-art/el-ritual/ #bestofthenetanthology #art #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Nonfiction Selections, "What to do with all the Russion Books" by @brams884.bsky.social (Fiery Scribe Review) selected by Jen Soriano on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-nonfiction/what-to-do-with-all-the-russian-books/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Untitled 1975-86" jason b. crawford (West Trade Review) selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/untitled-1975-86/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist

Announcing our 2026 Poetry judge for the Best of the Net Anthology: Cyrus Cassells! Check out all our judges at bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-judges/

Announcing our 2026 Creative Nonfiction judge for the Best of the Net Anthology: Lily Hoàng! Check out all our judges at bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-judges/

Announcing our 2026 Fiction judge for the Best of the Net Anthology: @andrewporter01.bsky.social Check out all our judges at bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-judges/

Announcing our 2026 Art judge for the Best of the Net Anthology: Octavio Quintanilla! Check out all our judges at bestofthenetanthology.com/2026-judges/

Check out one of our 2025 Fiction Selections, "In the Waiting Room" by @jjlofflin.bsky.social (COMP: an interdisciplinary journal) selected by Ben Tanzer on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-fiction/in-the-waiting-room/ #bestofthenetanthology #fictionwriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Art Selections, "Frank Along the Cumbres and Toltec" by Kathleen Frank (Gone Lawn), on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-art/frank-along-the-cumbres-and-toltec/ #bestofthenetanthology #art #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Nonfiction Selections, "I Had Better Tell You Where I am" by Danielle Batalion Ola (swamp pink) selected by Jen Soriano on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-nonfiction/i-had-better-tell-you-where-i-am/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting #finalist #nonfiction

Check out one of our 2025 Poetry Selections, "Mercy" by @bcar.bsky.social (SWWIM Every Day), selected by Ruben Quesada on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-poetry/mercy/ #bestofthenetanthology #poetrywriting #finalist #poetry

Check out one of our 2025 Fiction Selections, "Too Good to be True" by @jekwriter.bsky.social (Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine) selected by Ben Tanzer on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-... #bestofthenetanthology #fictionwriting #finalist

Check out one of our 2025 Art Cover Selections, "Sticks and Stones" by @ranarh.bsky.social (Peatsmoke Journal) on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-art/sticks-and-stones/ #bestofthenetanthology #art #finalist

The Best of the Net is now officially on BlueSky! Follow them at @bestofthenet.bsky.social!

Check out one of our 2025 Nonfiction Selections, "My Time Machine" by Arthur Asseraf (Granta) selected by Jen Soriano on bestofthenetanthology.com/2025-2/2025-nonfiction/my-time-machine/ #bestofthenetanthology #nonfictionwriting #finalist #writingcommunity