Join SmokeLong for Promptember! This series of write-ins and open mics is free! Let's write! Donations will go to @sundresspub.bsky.social and their fellowships/residencies for trans, black and/or indigenous writers. www.smokelong.com/ready-for-pr...

Please tell all your emerging-writer friends! Deadline December 15th! The SmokeLong Emerging Writer Fellowship Jan-June 2026! www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...

This week's featured story is "Organs" by Aimee Bender @aimee-bender.bsky.social www.smokelong.com/stories/orga...

"I still very much and thoroughly consider myself a fiction writer. But sometimes something of life presents itself directly for writing, and that was this." Our first featured author of Issue 89 is Aimee Bender @aimee-bender.bsky.social. Read her interview here: www.smokelong.com/interviews/s...

Awesome to see the former ‘greatest country in the world’ is run by people who don’t know the difference between correlation and causation I mean I know these days that’s not the worst thing wrong with them but also when you’re *in charge of America* it is quite important

Awesome to see the former ‘greatest country in the world’ is run by people who don’t know the difference between correlation and causation I mean I know these days that’s not the worst thing wrong with them but also when you’re *in charge of America* it is quite important

‘EU-wide data shows that sexual violence is committed by European nationals who are known to the woman…The problem is spelled M-E-N. Women’s rights organisations are rejecting your cynical weaponisation of our pain for your racist agenda. I have my voice. Don’t you DARE claim to represent it.’ AMEN

Oh my GOD, there is so much brilliant writing in our journal submissions queue right now and it's basically making my job so freaking hard, you guys

Announcing our nominations for the inaugural Monarch Queer Literary Awards! @monarch.gay @fifthwheelpress.bsky.social 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @seaheye.bsky.social, Sam Mainz, @jjpena.bsky.social, @allisonfieldbell.bsky.social, and C Ray Borck

Hello, friends! We're Monarch Queer Literary Awards, a project of @fifthwheelpress.bsky.social. Monarch is a new anthology recognizing the best new queer writing and art published by literary magazines and independent presses. 🦋 Submissions open September 1. Until then, get to know us: monarch.gay

Trying to work in the same room as a house bunny with the zoomies demanding constant attention, as if my own brain doing that wasn't enough

‘EU-wide data shows that sexual violence is committed by European nationals who are known to the woman…The problem is spelled M-E-N. Women’s rights organisations are rejecting your cynical weaponisation of our pain for your racist agenda. I have my voice. Don’t you DARE claim to represent it.’ AMEN

Issue 89 with new CNF by Aimee Bender, our first featured author in our Master Series, is live! Work by established writers and those new to the form rubbing elbows in this issue. All rare gems by writers from around the globe. So proud of everyone in this issue. www.smokelong.com/issue-eighty...

Cover Reveal! September 15th! Issue 89 of SmokeLong Quarterly! Ten killer flash by ten amazing writers. And we're thrilled to feature new CNF by Aimee Bender, our first featured author in the SmokeLong Master Series. Cover art by Mario Loprete.

We’re setting new members up today! Open mic party online on August 31. First September writing task goes live on Monday :) It’s not too late! ✨

Love this story!

There's still time to sign up to SmokeLong Fitness community workshop for September! Come and join us...https://www.smokelong.com/smokelong-fitness-the-community-workshop/

Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".

Kaiser Permanente Southern California studied over 19,000 adults and found that each additional COVID vaccine dose lowered long COVID risk, and antiviral treatments like Paxlovid cut risk by up to 95% beyond six months. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Not saying I'm having a stressful day but I just tried to pay for kids snacks at this cafe checkout by tapping my phone on a Cadbury's Twirl.

Today's listing of the day is: The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (fee-based) #WritingCommunity

If I die young it won't be from too many carbs or accident or not enough exercise or genetics or asteroid strike. It's the stress of trying to make desktop printers work that's going to get me.

We are a world of monsters.

The process for Issue 3 is processing! Check out our badass cover reveal thanks to designer @troypalmer.bsky.social!

Huge 🙏🏽 @christopherallen.bsky @helenrye.bsky.social for @flashficfestuk.bsky.social karaoke 🎶 Legendary rendition of OASIS Champagne Superova by @timcraig.bsky.social Getting @itssonoemi.bsky.social to sing her 1st karaoke @stillsquirrel.bsky.social literally on her knees for Like a prayer

Didn't make it to the Flash Fiction Festival, but my bookmarks did! Pre-orders open now! Thanks to @kazbarwrites.bsky.social for helping get the word out. And for taking this great picture of Festival queen and mastermind, Jude Higgins with @smokelong.bsky.social Quarterly EIC, Christopher Allen!

Me: “I’m going to finish this novel, send it to my agent, and jump on the one that’s already 30k words long…” My brain: “Write a heist novel where the heist never happens. Write that “literary” Bigfoot novel. Get back to the serial killer novel. Write a noir fantasy.”

Three recorded webinars from SmokeLong's EIC, Christopher Allen for $44—develop your understanding of the craft of the flash narrative

You can now do the webinar "The Music of Flash: Influence and Interference" even if you're not in SmokeLong Fitness! If you've submitted work to SmokeLong over the last two weeks, you'll have a voucher that will make this webinar cost next to nothing! www.smokelong.com/product/the-...

PSA! We're now reading for the Dec issue and are considering leaving the Dark Fantasy/Psychological Thriller call open. We aren't seeing what we're seeking. We'd love to see stories that trouble us but also thrill us at the line level, as flash should do. Send us something amazing and terrifying.

You're invited to our Master Series interview and reading with Aimee Bender on August 9th! This event is free! And we'll be giving away lots of books. Sign up through the SmokeLong Shop by "purchasing" this event for $0 dolares! www.smokelong.com/product/mast...

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest opens Aug 1st! www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...

The SmokeLong Flash Masterclass with Christopher Allen is available now as a webinar three-pack! Or book SmokeLong Fitness by September 1st, and we'll send you these free of charge. www.smokelong.com/product/smok...

If you're writing longform, come write with Sherrie Flick on August 2! www.smokelong.com/product/comp...

Link to my second newsletter about pride month and reading lists: tawseefkhan.substack.com/p/why-ive-ta...

Another interesting read from my buddy @tawseefkhan.bsky.social’s new substack. This week: on being a queer writer whose work isn’t considered ‘queer enough’ for reading lists… open.substack.com/pub/tawseefk...

Our competitions always introduce us to new talent. Chi Pham's story "Man Spelt Backwards" is the author's first published story. We are THRILLED to be the first. And we have nominated the story for PEN America's Robert J. Dau Short Story Award for Emerging Writers. @seaheye.bsky.social‬

The number of people who go bankrupt every year because of medical bills. Norway - 0 UK - 0 France - 0 Spain - 0 Portugal - 0 Denmark - 0 Australia - 0 Iceland - 0 Italy - 0 Finland - 0 Ireland - 0 Germany - 0 Netherlands - 0 Sweden - 0 Japan - 0 Canada - 0 United States - 643k

Palestine Action never carried out or threatened to carry out any violent action, and yet are now a ’terrorist organisation’. Meanwhile, the Spectator…

We've got a single out and here's a vid about it. Feel free to message your favourite 6 music / Radio 3 / NTS / Rinse FM / Country FM DJ’s or your local M.P. and request that they play it. The VO was recorded on a Canadian golf course inbetween mower action on the greens. Nothing but carpet, W.S. X

👀 @skamrecords.bsky.social #weviestonder #skamrecords #newabum

Thank you to our 2025 SmokeLong Emerging Writer Fellows! Read what they have to say about their experience this year—and find out how to apply for the 2026 Fellowships—here: www.smokelong.com/thank-you-to...

When your painful large leg muscle injury is due to *flailing because an imaginary spider did not, it turned out, run across your foot* but you’re going to tell everyone it’s a sports injury 👀

“There’s a novel called England Is Mine about a kid who gets turned to online extremism by a young English writer called Nicolas Padamsee. I ran into him at random yesterday; it’s a beautiful first novel. It inspired me and made me want to get back to myself.” —Pete Doherty 💛

Honoured to be a guest reader at the launch of outstanding poet Julia Webb's new collection, Grey Time, out from Nine Arches Press in July. Please join us in celebrating Julia and this lush book at Marzano's, The Forum, Norwich, 6pm, Thursday July 10th ❤️ ninearchespress.com/.../poetry-c...

Outstanding story by any measure. And THEN, read the accompanying interview and see that this is author Chi Pham's "second-ever attempt at flash—the first was four years ago, in ninth grade"...

SLQ is privileged to publish incredible work 💙

Congratulations to @jjpena.bsky.social on the inclusion of "the sky didn̶'t̶ slip inside" (winner of the SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest) in the Wigleaf top 50 💙 wigleaf.com www.smokelong.com/stories/the-...

Honoured to be a guest reader at the launch of outstanding poet Julia Webb's new collection, Grey Time, out from Nine Arches Press in July. Please join us in celebrating Julia and this lush book at Marzano's, The Forum, Norwich, 6pm, Thursday July 10th ❤️ ninearchespress.com/.../poetry-c...

Absolutely incredible turnout for Budapest Pride! So proud of all the organizers, including some old friends, who estimate hundreds of thousands— major embarrassment to Orban