ICYMI: “Moo Moo,” flash fiction by Christine Aletti: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/09/m...

The Smart Search List of the Day is: Experimental Poems feat. @miraclemonocle.bsky.social @okaydonkeymag.com @paraselenemag.bsky.social et al. https://duotrope.com...

That water petting, pushing, brushing, disappearing that duck. / That water petting, pushing, brushing, disappearing that me.

“Today the milk smells like a barnyard. Grass makes animals taste like animals. Even before her belly swelled, she didn’t want cow in her coffee…” “Moo Moo” by Christine Aletti, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/09/m...

Struggling to revise your draft? Registration is now open for Kathy Fish’s 3-in-90 Workshops, including a *bonus* workshop with OKD fiction editor Steve Chang and former Guernica editor Autumn Watts on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1 pm ET. Sign up by Jan. 12 for early bird pricing!: buff.ly/PWVRCqK

ICYMI: “Quack,” poetry by Julliette Holliday: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/02/q...

Happy New Year from OKD! 🎊 Our first newsletter of the year is… a Q&A with our editors! If you’ve ever wondered about the importance of cover letters or what factors contribute to a decision on your submission, look no further. Read on for more from OKD: okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/you-asked-...

“...Here come the honeycombs. Flare ups of black / holes. My deadness in the hollows of circles and hexagons. / Do you want to eat me? I ask them.” “Quack” by Julliette Holliday, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/02/q...

OKD is open again for free subs until we reach our cap! Learn more about us and submit your best poetry or flash fiction: buff.ly/chQ4jpz Okay Donkey is always open for tip jar ($2.50) or expedited ($4.00) subs! Your contribution helps us pay our contributors and cover other mag-related expenses.

Well, well, well... the donkey has sprouted a tail fin and jumped right into spot #8 on Charlie Fish's 2026 FISH List of lively independent literary magazines. We're so excited that we might just perform some water tricks alongside the donkey! See the full list at buff.ly/G8FaEQK.

The holidays are upon us, and we continue to be enraptured by gratitude for this weird and wonderful life. Here at OKD, we're especially grateful for our many staff readers who enable us to treat every submitted piece with care. Learn more about our readers at okaydonkeymag.com/masthead/.

We are proud to be lucky number 7 in the Bold and Weird category of Chill Subs Best Lit Mags of 2025! The donkey is always happy to receive compliments (but only when we pass on the message to him, since he really can't read, despite his protests). Check out all the winners here: buff.ly/Xw4HXk6

Presenting OKD’s Best Microfiction nominees! Read the nominated pieces in the thread below.

Congratulations to OKD’s 2026 Best Small Fictions nominees! Read the nominated pieces in the thread below.

Meet OKD’s Pushcart Prize nominees! Read the nominated pieces in the thread below.

So take a peek at those chats👆 Who knows if 'good writing' is teachable but craft for sure is. Stories by @robroensch.bsky.social @lindspetersberg.bsky.social Rina Olsen Brittany Ackerman 🔥Sign up for (Better Than) MFA-Style Writing Workshops here www.litmatchcollective.com/writing-workshops

ICYMI 4 craft chats w/ Editor Steve @ The Forever Workshop Comparing pre- and post-revision versions of work @okaydonkeymag.com Think 'nothing happens' in your writing? You might be surprised by these chats www.theforeverworkshop.com/p/editor-ins... Members get 1 month of Forever Workshop, free

Hi, friends! As you might know, Okay Donkey operates a little differently in December: - We don't publish new works (but we'll be back in January!) - Expedited subs ($4.00) will close Sunday, December 7 so our staff can still promise a quick turnaround before we take a break (cont.)

Thank you, editors. I recommend this lit journal nonpareil! #writingcommunity #dirtyrealism #gritlit

Love this story (not just for shouting out my old neighborhood) and looking forward to posting our episode with @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social soon 📚💙

ICYMI: "On Your 60th Birthday, Resembling Our Mother, Dead at 61," flash fiction by @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social:

Our December newsletter is here! This month, OKD's own Megan Hannay shares some tips for writing impactful flash fiction (and getting out of our slush pile!), we recognize a bunch of award nominees, and more:

Our December newsletter is coming your way tomorrow! Make sure you're subscribed so you see it in your inbox. If you're into flash fiction (especially writing flash fiction), you'll want to see this one:

Wonderful work from @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social in @okaydonkeymag.com! ⬇️

"...you and I both hold an unfillable void inside, even as we participate now and then in life’s parade." @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social in @okaydonkeymag.com 🔥🔥

Love this tiny gem

“Except the sky has the vague look / of a person who has said too much at a dinner party.“

"We two share memories of being taken to the movies, her slipping alone to the back row where her married boyfriend waited." "On Your 60th Birthday, Resembling Our Mother, Dead at 61" by @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD:

ICYMI: "Notes Toward the Month After May," poetry by Penny Wei:

🥲🥰

We just published a really excellent feature on this with some sample answers depending on how snarky you want to be 🙂‍↕️

Ask our editors anything through November 30! We'll round up their answers for our January newsletter. 💬 Submit questions: forms.gle/NiBR9KQG2PHZzXqs7 Subscribe to our newsletter: okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com

This is awesome.

"The news says that the bees are leaving but I'm still getting stung by things." "Notes Toward the Month After May" by Penny Wei, new poetry out today at OKD:

ICYMI: "Bed Rot," flash fiction by Sarah Chin:

Hi again! The app closes FOR REAL on Sunday, November 16, but we wanted to give you all one last weekend to apply. 😇

"I want to be lovely, but my eyelids are heavy with exhaustion and SuperMax XXL Lash Wow! Mascara. In other words, I want to be unconscious." "Bed Rot" by Sarah Chin, new flash fiction out today at OKD:

ICYMI: "Decomposing at Bathhouse, FiDi," poetry by Grace Dilger:

Have you ever wondered how... • a literary magazine is run? • decisions are made on submissions? • to improve your chances of getting published by an established literary magazine? Ask our editors (almost) anything by 11/30: forms.gle/NiBR9KQG2PHZ... Answers coming in our January newsletter! 🫏

Okay Donkey is looking for a Social Media Associate focused on graphic design! This role pays a small honorarium (read: "independent lit mag"-sized). Apply with our super short form by Friday, November 14 for first consideration. More details: forms.gle/E9MCaKzEAE1x...

"Don't draw me when I'm this supple. Sketch me croissanted slow crumbling." "Decomposing at Bathhouse, FiDi" by Grace Dilger, new poetry out today at OKD:

ICYMI: "Spirals," flash fiction by @narwhallington.bsky.social:

Did you catch this tidbit in our newsletter? We're looking for someone to help us with our social media (graphics specifically)! Details within. ✨

Happy November from Okay Donkey! 🦃 In our latest newsletter, Lead Fiction Reader Jeanette broaches what can be a tricky topic: What happens when your family asks about your writing this holiday season? Read on for more from OKD:

Our November newsletter drops in just a few hours! Make sure you're subscribed:

In personal writing news, I have a flash fiction story up today in @okaydonkeymag.com! It's not scary as much as... spooky? okaydonkeymag.com/2025/10/31/s...

Love this haunting piece so much. For fans of Junji Ito, Charles Burns, and doubling down.

It's November 1, which means OKD is open once more for free subs until we reach our cap! Learn more about us and submit your best poetry or flash fiction: okaydonkeymag.com/submissions

"I start drawing the spiral on the back of my hand in crusty ballpoint pen, refreshing it whenever it fades, so when the aliens come back they'll know right away who to trust." "Spirals" by @narwhallington.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD: