Thanks to the August writers whose pieces inspired these prompts! Everyone else, get writing.

"Nick at Nite" by Didem Uca, in case you missed it. More micros at fiveminutelit.com.

"Lifespan" by Nicole Irizawa, who grew up in landlocked Ohio and has made Japan her home for over twenty years. She works as a communications professional in Tokyo. More micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com

This month's Submissions Spotlight: The Hallway, the high-school branch of Five Minutes. Same as Five Minutes, but you can submit 3x a month & you must be in high school. Find more good news you can use in our latest newsletter (5minutes100words) at Substack.

"Gum" by Jalen Giovanni Jones in case you missed it, more micros at fiveminutelit.com

"Deleted" by Katie Veltum, a licensed massage therapist in private practice in upstate New York, more micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com

"Compliant" by Elizabeth Erin Thomas in case you missed it

High Fives to our contributors who published in other journals last month! Head to our newsletter to find out what and where, and make sure to share your good publishing news!

"Arcade King" by James William Wulfe in case you missed it, more micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com

"Fake I.D." by @kathybac.bsky.social in case you missed it. More micros at fiveminutelit.com

September newsletter is live! Meet the month's readers, get prompted, find new places to submit, and more ... visit 5minutes100words on Substack.

—"Sun Pictures" by David Lowe, a Queens, New York, writer and artist. He received his MFA from Pratt Institute and is a contributing member of Woodside Writers. Visit fiveminutelit.com for more micromemoirs.

"Crush" by Maisie McGrane in case you missed it

"Floating" by Karen Webber, a poet, cantor, and teaching artist who presents music/theatre and spoken word pieces in senior centers, college classrooms, and houses of worship. Author of Vessels of Light. More micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com.

Remedy by Sua Im in case you missed it, more great micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com

"Countdown" by Le Nga Phan, a retired administrator from Montreal, Canada, Le Nga Phan now teaches English Public Speaking, French, and math to young students in rural areas overseas.

"Reunion" by Lisa Conquet, more micromemoirs at fiveminutelit.com.

The nurse cradled her and sprinted to the resuscitation room as my postpartum body limped after. —"Breathe" by Rachel Fleming in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/breathe

September reader Jennifer A. Weigand is a writer & medical speech-language pathologist. Her fiction was an honorable mention in Creation Magazine’s The Midnight Hour Anthology. Jennifer is drafting a novel. Get micros in to Jennifer & the rest of the September team at fiveminutelit.com/submissions

Our fourth year being part of Salem Lit Fest! Now to figure out how to take this on the road ...

The nascent football star is miles off. The clever ginger girl thinks “a” is the fourth letter. Four more aren’t listening—they make the same mistake. —"Mademoiselle" by Paul Goodwin www.fiveminutelit.com/mademoiselle

September Reader Tenley Cederholm, co-editor of our high-school cousin The Hallway, loves reading all genres, especially horror, but writing is her passion. She also has a love for interviewing, music & fashion design. Get micros in to Tenley & the rest of the Sept. team at link in bio.

We weaved through throngs of football fans, traded playful sideways glances, slipped back easily into our familiar sibling playbook. —"Homecoming 1988" by Susan Michalowski in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/homecoming-1988

September reader K Roberts is a professional non-fiction writer, a published artist and poet who reads fiction for two literary magazines. Get micros in to K and the rest of the September team at link in bio.

My grandpa and I sat in his rowboat on a blistering hot summer day with cane poles in the water. —"Fishin' Luck" by M.D. Smith https://www.fiveminutelit.com/fishin-luck

September reader Susanna Blagrove is a Jamaican writer & poet who's just started sharing her work, incl. pieces in 101Words, Five Minutes & Micromance Magazine. Mother to a special girl, her nights are spent tossing. Get micros in to Susanna & the rest of the team at link in bio.

Six flimsy boxes, ten McNuggets each, and hot fries? —"McNugget Family" by Sienna Lew, originally published in The Hallway, Five Minutes' high-school cousin https://www.fiveminutelit.com/mcnugget-family

In the vending machine’s glare, I weighed my options. —"Lunch Money" by Maggie Russell https://www.fiveminutelit.com/lunch-money

I watched holes bloom on the target, nowhere near where I aimed. —"Time to Rethink" by David Ledrick https://www.fiveminutelit.com/time-to-rethink

An interior designer by day, September reader Betsy Ellor spends her free time hiking, walking the beach with friends, and annoying her tweenage son. Her novel Hera comes out this fall. Get micros in to Betsy and the rest of the September team! fiveminutelit.com/submissions

I squeeze your cheeks, questioning the tightly-meshed screen and wondering how the Middle Eastern furniture failed to protect my Middle Eastern Florida child. —"Florida Kids" by Fatima Alharthi https://www.fiveminutelit.com/florida-kids

This time, someone emails to subpoena records of my supposed coworker. —"The Double" by @yelenafurman.bsky.social https://www.fiveminutelit.com/the-double

September Reader Kai Delmas loves creating worlds & magic systems. He's a Submissions Editor for Apex Magazine & The Cosmic Background. His fiction can be found in Utopia Science Fiction, Martian, Crepuscular & several Shacklebound anthologies. Get micros in to Kai & the rest of the September team.

We want to high five you! If you're a past or future contributor and have published elsewhere lately, let us know so we can share your good news in our newsletter. fiveminutelit.com/contributor-updates

The phone rings once before her slender fingers cradle the receiver. —"Afternoon Sun" by Debdutta Pal https://www.fiveminutelit.com/afternoon-sun

“It’s time.” I know exactly what Dad means and jump up, abandoning my dolls. —"Guppies" by Kathy Lynn Carroll. Read full memoir at www.fiveminutelit.com/guppies and come hear Kathy read "Guppies" aloud @salemlitfest on Saturday!

"Didn't you think it unfair?" she pressed. I did, but I wasn't the favorite. —"Chicken Leg" by Huina Zheng in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/chicken-leg

In times before, I’d turn in the darkness and place my hand on his chest to feel the thump of his heart. —"Hollow Shell" by David Guerra https://www.fiveminutelit.com/hollow-shell

Our knives and spatulas turn into microphones and the ingredients for stuffing and the squirrels in our backyard become our live studio audience. —"Only Now" by Lauren Woodruff in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/only-now

Google Photos says the video was taken four years ago today. Back then, I recorded every miraculous thing my baby did. —"Mornin'" by Susanna Blagrove in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/mornin

I pause at a peak and take in the view, seeing past Golden Gate Park to the arches of the Golden Gate Bridge. —"We Are Old" by Eliza Mimski in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/we-are-old

Lisa had the bandages and ointment. She donned gloves. Her gentle hands, guided by loving eyes, cleaned around the feeding tube, and then placed gauze around it. —"Daily Ritual" by David Godin in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/daily-ritual

I am nineteen and newly arrived in Manhattan to become a writer. The editor of a popular magazine needs an editorial assistant and wants to see my resume. —"Big Break" by Brian Cox https://www.fiveminutelit.com/big-break

I rifle through the freezer bin in pursuit of a red ice pop, the kind in a plastic sleeve that always cuts the insides of my cheeks.—"Seven Years Old" by Kelsey Blair in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/seven-years-old

. . . I pulled a Tarot card while wondering if I should text Kelly, except I already knew the answer was No No No. Don’t text her.—"Working at Home" by Carmela Starace in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/working-at-home

My mother’s eyes open as I enter the room with Dunkin’ coffee, a blueberry cake donut, and two daisies. —"Nursing Home" by Dawn Skorczewski https://www.fiveminutelit.com/nursing-home

The mirrors dribble with dried toothpaste and the tub is furred with soap scum. —"Rings" by Cassandra Caverhill in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/rings

Why do we keep them after all these years? Who needs those surplus clackety instruments of medical misfortune, clogging up the cupboard? —"So Useful" by Evan Deign in case you missed it https://www.fiveminutelit.com/so-useful

At the theme park, the skies broke open. —"Rain" by Asmi Mahajan http://fiveminutelit.com/rain

The therapist holds back tears as I describe the summer my anorexia started. —"Peels & Peals" by Maria Ordovas-Montanes https://www.fiveminutelit.com/peels-amp-peals