Longlisted 🎉

ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to these writers whose work has been selected for our Editor's Choice Award Longlist! Read their pieces (and a bunch of other amazing pieces!) in the new issue: www.south85journal.com/table-of-con...

My poem “Ditto Machine” is in South 85, and it’s keeping great company. Read something this week—and then read some more!

<surprise us> was the theme and YES, we were surprised!

Fabulous short story!!!!

Bet you've never read this POV before.....a wonderful piece for our theme of <surprise us>!

Thrilled to announce the new issue is LIVE! surprise us | unthemed features a lovely mix of established & emerging writers and is filled with, well, surprises! Proud of the team of Converse low-res MFA students & grads I worked w/ to pull this all together. www.south85journal.com/table-of-con...

Interview w/ essayist Kyle Minor: <Ghosts of dead friends, driving Uber after Hollywood work dried up, narcissism in writers, social class & upward mobility...& the sickness that might find its way into our song.> www.south85journal.com/2026/04/an-i...

Let us know if you haven't heard back from us...all submissions should have received a response. (Why did you make it so dang hard to choose?!?) Photo by Brian Bouldrey, South 85 artist-in-residence

Thank you from the bottom of our ❤️ for sending your work our way! We've been reading some great stuff, and definitely hard decisions are ahead... You should hear back from us by early May-ish. Email is on the site if you have questions. Photo by Brian Bouldrey.

Today! 👏 Is! 👏 The! 👏 Day! Send us your P~F~CNF~FF~FCNF by midnight TONIGHT (3/13)! Surprise us! south85journal.com/submissions/

Hey it's ME! Thanks to @south85journal.bsky.social for the great questions about TQT, erasure essays, and finding the cohesive threads in one's body of work (and for calling me an archaeologist and a poet as well as an essayist!!! Living out all of my fantasies now!!!)

New interview by w/ memoirist @suburbanprairie.bsky.social, written by Anna Petty, CNF reader: <Honestly, I like seeing boundaries and then I like walking up to the fence and leaning my elbows on it> south85journal.com/2026/03/on-m...

Deadline = 3/13 (aka FRIDAY!) Send us your poems, stories, flash, and essays! Our theme is <surprise us> but you can surprise us by ignoring the theme! More info: south85journal.com/submissions/

Surprise us with your words, your passion, your ideas, your smarts! We ~ ~nominate for prizes ~read w/ care & attention ~take only work from the queue ~offer $100 award to one published piece [Reading through 3/13] south85journal.com/submissions/

You know you can't resist these eyes...surprise us with a submission of F/FF/P/CNF/FCNF this weekend! ~all work from the queue ~$100 awarded to one published piece ~our team reads w/ care & attention ~deadline: 3/13 ~lit journal of Converse low-res MFA south85journal.com/submissions/

We sure miss your fiction/poetry/CNF...send some our way, why don't you? We're reading through 3/13. ~$100 prize for 1 published piece ~all work comes through the queue ~we nominate for prizes MORE HERE: www.south85journal.com/submissions/ photo by Brian Bouldrey

We'd love to read your: ~flash fiction/flash CNF ~fiction ~poetry ~CNF for our "surprise us" theme issue (& surprise! you can ignore the theme!) ~$100 to one published piece ~team of readers = your work read by (at least) 2 people Deadline 3/13/26 www.south85journal.com/submissions/

@south85journal.bsky.social wants YOUR poetry, fiction, CNF, and flash! 🌟 Theme: surprise us 🌟 We nominate for prizes + one published piece will receive the $100 Editor’s Choice Award. 👉🏽 Head to south85journal.com/submissions 👈🏽

Surprise us! The faculty-edited lit journal of Converse low-res MFA is reading submissions through 3/13: flash fiction & CNF ~ fiction ~ CNF ~ poetry $100 to one published piece All work from the queue. south85journal.com/submissions/ Photo: Brian Bouldrey, artist-in-residence

If you don't like theme issues, here's your chance b/c the theme for our next issue is "surprise us" which can mean <surprise us by ignoring the suggested theme>! poetry ~ essays ~ fiction ~ flash fiction/CNF www.south85journal.com/submissions/ Photo by our artist-in-residence, Brian Bouldrey

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN! We only publish from the queue ~ $100 award to 1 published piece ~ work is reviewed by 2 team members ~ we ❤️writers & nominate for prizes ~ our theme is so open you can <surprise us> by ignoring it! Plz share! south85journal.com/submissions/

Details: www.south85journal.com/submissions/

Details: www.south85journal.com/submissions/

Submissions open 1/20/26! We'll be reading for a new theme: ~~SURPRISE US | UNTHEMED~~ Oh, and 🚨🚨🚨we're taking flash CNF now! More soon, but general details are here until then: south85journal.com/submissions/

For #smallpoemsunday & @tomsnarsky.bsky.social I'm sharing my Pushcart Prize and Editor's Choice Award nominated poem from @south85journal.bsky.social

Big thanks to @south85journal.bsky.social for this nomination!

We've sent in our nominations for Best Small Fictions! Read these fab pieces now in our deluge | drought issue, and thank us later. www.south85journal.com/fall-winter-...

Super congrats to Joseph Schuster on this award! I was tickled my story “Surviving” was a finalist!

"Alligators Assassins zig and zag duck and weave Black Bears Muggers go big and go loud" Stunning breathless list micro from @angelajoynes.bsky.social

Pleased to announce the Editor's Choice Award winner & Finalists! We're so proud of our deluge | drought issue...won't you take a peek? (Also: Subs will open in January. Unthemed issue: surprise us!) south85journal.com/fall-winter-...

Read these (and other) fine writers at www.south85journal.com

Congratulations to our Pushcart Prize nominees!

Thrilled that my poem "Encapsulated" is longlisted for the Editor's Choice Award by @south85journal.bsky.social 🖤 #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetrysky

Yay! I just might doing a little jig! A first for me, making the long list for the editor’s choice prize @south85journal.bsky.social Here’s my micro in case you missed it: www.south85journal.com/surviving/ Deluge and Drought is a sparkling issue. Such incredible work!

Excited to announce our Long List for the Editor's Choice Award! Winner announced in November. In the mean time, enjoy these pieces (and ALL the excellent writing!) in our deluge | drought issue!! south85journal.com/fall-winter-...

“Bits of shell are your only tenants, though even these are few, as if everything living or that once grew life was swallowed by the night.”

It’s my birthday AND South 85 released its latest issue? Best day ever. Read at south85journal.com/fall-winter-2025 !

Very happy to have a poem from my mss in the new issue of @south85journal.bsky.social ❤️

New micro is in the latest issue of @south85journal.bsky.social! Lots of great writers in this issue. This piece came from a @kathyfish.bsky.social prompt many years ago. Always grateful for her wisdom. www.south85journal.com/to-the-empty...

From the "Deluge & Drought" issue of @south85journal.bsky.social

Pleased as punch to present the new issue: deluge | drought Great writing & photos...put together by the hard-working team at Converse low-res MFA! Please take a peek. (I mean, look at this line-up!!) www.south85journal.com/fall-winter-...

Leslie is simply the best editor from which to learn the ropes of a literary journal. This hour-ish interview is so worth a listen! ✨

Check out this interview with editor Leslie Pietrzyk, who shares observations about South 85's reading process, our team of readers & offers thoughts on how to get your manuscript noticed. Plus why art matters & thoughts about handling fallow writing times! litmagnews.substack.com/p/the-world-...

Interview w/ Abby Geni & her collection of short stories: <I find my characters through their passions. What is the mindset of a scientist who happily studies corpses? How does someone find healing in learning about porcupines?> south85journal.com/2025/09/inte...

Thanks to everyone for submitting your work to our deluge | drought issue. We're happily and BUSILY reading right now. Hoping to get out answers by the end of September, if not sooner. We appreciate your interest in South 85. Photo by Brian Bouldery, arist-in-residence.

YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY!!!!!!!

Open until 8/15/25...send us something! www.south85journal.com/submissions/

🚨~TWO WEEKS LEFT~🚨 Make the kitty happy & send us your work for our deluge | drought issue...$100 to best piece...dedicated readers...all work comes from the queue Deadline: 8/15 south85journal.com/submissions/