I like that mistletoe increases the odds of being kissed. More plants should offer temporary environmental status. Brawling under lingonberries. The soft yearning of a love that dare not speak its name beneath the nightshade.

It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans. 🧵 1 of 9

Being GenX in perimenopause means knowing the song is on Bone Machine but not being able to recall Tom Waits is the guy singing it

Normalize buying literary magazine subscriptions for friends and family for the holidays!! 🎁

Me reading a romance novel for bookclub: Ugh I am not a fan of this genre! Ok fine there’s some fun banter and the pacing is good. This is predictable. *Cries* Godammit.

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

If you do not wash the mascara from under your eyes (because you just didn’t last night, okay??) before shoveling morning snow you WILL wind up in a long conversation with your neighbor and possibly look like a depressed lunatic.

Reading Joy Williams is such a singular experience. Even if you leave a story puzzled, you have at least read something that feels new. Every small moment, no matter how mundane, is viewed through a distorted glass.

A nomination! I am surprised and thrilled :)

I have an emotional hangover from the Springsteen movie. The scene with the Flannery O’Connor lines? Are you kidding me

ICYMI

Sure someone might say you’re pretty, but have you ever had a fellow cyclist tell you that your form is great and they’re following your cadence?

We're thrilled to announce the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize, recognizing a US poet aged 40 or older for their first or second poetry collection. In addition to publication by Graywolf, the awardee will receive $10,000 from the Poetry Foundation. www.poetryfoundation.org/awards/poetr...

Up before dawn, still in bed, crying through a beautiful Pithead Chapel story submission, snow falling outside, my feet too hot in new socks beneath the covers.

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

join me and my fellow locke-chinned and wolf-cheeked and stubble-lipped bards to raise a bunch of money for Trans Lifeline while hearing poems too

Just a few weeks left until our deadline.

There’s so much going on, there’s no way newsrooms and the public can keep up.

This book is a banger. I'm proud to have been one of the editors and I think you should buy it. @roxanegay.bsky.social thinks you should too, as does my mom, who saw an early draft when it was open on my computer during a visit. She was like "i don't like comics (besides Archie), but this is great."

A great issue this month!

our new submissions call for rehoming out-of-print books is opening in two weeks!

Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it

People who experienced homeless encampment sweeps in Washington state and Tennessee wrote about the impact it had on their lives. Our team @propublica.org added these to our page featuring stories from people across the country: projects.propublica.org/impact-of-ho...

Ummm don’t chat with bots at all. And keep your kids away from them. This is disgusting.

"I say, *Okay babe shoot me*, because if you can’t beat them, join them." "I ask, *Do you wonder if a woman could ever have power like a president, govern you into behaving?*" @stateofkate.bsky.social in @tangledlockslit.bsky.social tangledlocksjournal.com/2025/08/10/e...

It was cancelled because of the flooding in Milwaukee :/ Very glad they made a safe choice although obviously it was a serious bummer.

@tangledlockslit.bsky.social Thank you for publishing my story “Exposure”! tangledlocksjournal.com/2025/08/10/e...

Attention Readers, especially those in the heartland, this is a catastrophe: The Associated Press tells its book critics that it's ending weekly reviews dankennedy.net/2025/08/08/t...

This weekend I am doing the sprint triathlon distance in the national championships race in Wisconsin. I expect to be smoked. I’m doing it because I qualified based on a tiny local race last year. I’ve never done a race this huge and I’m slightly terrified—but here’s to saying yes to new experiences

This summer I sort of forgot about Bluesky and Substack and it turns out that’s where all the writers are hanging out! 🥹

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/

Congratulations to Siamak Vossoughi for his story “Orange” (from PC 13.1) making Best of the Net 2025! bestofthenetanthology.com

The August issue is here!

We're collecting some info for future projects. If you've participated in a SmokeLong workshop (and maybe even if you haven't), please take a few minutes and reply to our survey. It's anonymous. fx4n25ehm8e.typeform.com/to/A78qM4SM

just found out that if you write, you will have written. big if true

I'm so grateful to have this piece appear. Big 💙 to @stateofkate.bsky.social @rudribhattpatel.bsky.social and all the editors at @pitheadchapel.bsky.social. Thank you so much for reading this one. 💙💙💙

I made this list of Nonviolent Political Actions for Writers for a course I taught during TFG 1.0 on Writers & Resistance. Please share. You do not need to be a writer to participate. "You are here on this earth at this time. Don't act like you're not a part of what's going on."

Happy publication day, @abigailmyers.bsky.social !! Order The Last Analog Teenagers in print or as an e-reader-friendly PDF directly from the Stanchion shop. Or, pick up a physical copy from wherever you buy book online. www.stanchionzine.com/product-page... www.stanchionzine.com/product-page...

Long weekends give me a little too much time to wonder why we exist

I said it would get worse very quickly. By tomorrow we will have completed the most dangerous & frightening 24 hours thus far of Trump 2.0. Just to name a few: 1. Defiance of a court order by sending migrants to Sudan without due process (despite clear DP decision SCOTUS) & Dist. CT. order.

made my move to @libro.fm and never looked back 😎

The NEA has terminated the grant for 826NYC, which is an incredible resource for kids to write, read, and stretch their creativity. It's also a great place for kids to go after school with supportive, fun, knowledgeable staff. If you can support them, please do: 826nyc.org/donate-us/?m...

Micro Monday returns with "Lullaby to the Old World Order" by @esfletcher.bsky.social

Today I bought @kristenarnett.bsky.social’s Stop Me if You’Ve Heard This One from The Curious Squirrel in my town.

today’s 325 word creative nonfiction piece by Chel Campbell @chelcampbell.bsky.social is about mother struggling with intense, primal instincts -- someone who is both fiercely protective & deeply afraid of her capacity for harm. such a wonderful piece !! xraylitmag.com/the-compulsi...

"We come into this world on our own, and we live here for the rest of our lives." In a memoir, everything begins with you and what you remember. Join NY Times bestselling writer @smashfizzle.bsky.social for this four-session ONLINE class --- 4 Lessons on the Memoir. buff.ly/DO5367y

With each mass shooting, I’m now reminded of this poem someone shared a while back… Thank you @kathyfish.bsky.social jellyfishreview.wordpress.com/2017/10/13/c...

The Split Lip FAM’s work over the past two months has been sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always important. Take a moment to enjoy this batch of good news and great publications from our community. buff.ly/zQNZ5yN

"'she teased, as if such an adventure might happen, loop-de-loop tricks, a cobalt sky. She sought adrenalin, the excitement of being alive reflected back to her." That's from contributor @stateofkate.bsky.social 's new flash in @stanchion.bsky.social ! Check it out here: