Excellent point. We have our no-AI policy for submitters of both words and art (smallwondersmag.com/submissions/) but haven’t explicitly spelled out that we don’t use AI in place of first readers, to summarize pieces, or to talk to our contributors or staff. We’ll add that to our site.

New issues of Dirty Magick, @lightspeedmagazine.com, @nightmare-magazine.com, @locusmag.bsky.social, @flashfictiononline.bsky.social, @smallwondersmag.com, are here for the month of October, and many of them are spooky! weightlessbooks.com/2025/10/

September MicroVerse roundup is out!

“A Week at the Raven Feather Salon” by @carrievaughnco.bsky.social from @lightspeedmagazine.com, “A Runaway Android’s Guide to the Oro-Ti Night Market” by @mruthrobinso from @smallwondersmag.com, and more short fic recs from @cypayseur.bsky.social

Glance up at the waning crescent moon and consider, what if it had a mind? What would it want? And how would it get it? Aimee Ogden's "To Persist, However Change" in our third issue does a fabulous job with a strange point of viiew:

Super grateful for this generous review and recommendation of “A Runaway Android’s Guide to the Oro-Ti Night Market,” online now at Locus (and super grateful to @smallwondersmag.com and guest editor @premeemohamed.com for giving it a home in the first place, too): locusmag.com/review/gigan...

Tehnuka's "I Welcome the Ant Colonies in Our House" in our issue 21 is a quiet story with a heart full of marching ants:

Sometimes, the bees take you where you need to go. Find the time today for "Bee Kept" by @jordanrhirsch.bsky.social:

Myna Chang's "Let us Dream" is a scifi horror poem that will take your breath away. Read it here in our third issue:

Oh hey, we spot a Small Wonders story in there! timothyquinn.bsky.social's The Warfighter in issue 23! smallwondersmag.com/piece/the-wa...

$2.99 a month for some really amazing stories and poems, right in your inbox! store.smallwondersmag.com

Pause before you pluck those blackberries from the brambles on the side of the road, and consider what's nurtured them. Read "The Lure of Blackberries" by R.L. Summerling in our issue 21:

Take a break today for whimsy, somewhat mad science, and cats. Discover the secret ingredients in "Dr. Hypha's Laboratory" by Brian U. Garrison:

I love a little twist on a fairytale retelling! Read this story "Princess Lilaclaire and the Witch’s Frog Faire" by my friend @indigorue.bsky.social in @smallwondersmag.com. I promise you won't be disappointed 🐸👀

I loved this one!

Quarantine was a rough time. We're not judging anyone for their hobbies or coping mechanisms. Especially not the protagonist of Rachael K. Jones's story "How My Sister Talked Me Into Necromancy During Quarantine" in our third issue:

You should absolutely go read this story by my writing friend @indigorue.bsky.social! It is a delightful little sliver of self-discovery.

It’s never a bad day for auto-cannibalism!

Auto-cannibalism, transformation, messy family relationships and more: "Erysichthon’s Daughter" is a story that has it all and holds it all together wonderfully. Read this story by M.R. Robinson in our issue 21 today:

Read this at once! It's marvelous 🐸

My story is out in Small Wonders today! “What was supposed to happen was this: on the faire’s opening day, Princess Lilaclaire would visit the pond, kiss a frog into a prince, share a candy apple with him to test their true love, and live happily ever after.” Read to see what actually happened…

Something has gone awry at the faire this year, and Princess Lilaclaire is not having a great time. Check out "Princess Lilaclaire and the Witch's Frog Faire" by @indigorue.bsky.social today and see what happens when the frogs just aren't cooperating:

Look, the zombie apocalypse is no cause to neglect the garden and the food it provides. Grab your gloves and boots and read "A Gardener Teaches His Son to Enrich the Soil and Plan for the Future" by Jennifer Hudak in our third issue:

Today needs a meet-cute involving a malfunctioning magical toaster. If you agree (and you should) you'll want to read "The Appliance Crisis" by Beth Goder in our issue 21:

When humanity is gone, what will happen to the guardians left behind? Our reprint today is "The Last Sentinels" by Dawn Lloyd:

A beautiful story on the power of kindness from Ian Li. Check it out! @ianli.bsky.social

We love a practical gardener, and this take on Sleeping Beauty by Devan Barlow is a true delight. Read "Shears" in our third issue here:

My poem "Let Us Dream" was included in the Seattle WorldCon souvenir book - which makes me ridiculously happy! Thanks to the @seattlein2025.org publication folks, and @smallwondersmag.com for publishing the poem originally! And thanks to @taracampbell.bsky.social for mailing me a copy! ❤️

Family communication is tricky, even when it's between celestial bodies. Still, you can tell they care when you read "Communications Between the Queen of the Sea and the Queen of the Sun, Sister" by Dawn Vogel in our issue 21:

What if Rapunzel, but make it computer intelligence? Today's poem, "ACCESS DENIED" by Lydian Kind is a truly unique fairy tale retelling:

A note of hope in a dystopian world. A delightful read from @ianli.bsky.social

Luc Diamant's "Once In As Many Lifetimes" is a story about beginnings and middles and ends, all together in the space between lives. And love. Lots of love. Read it here in our third issue:

This is a fantastic story 💜

If you want a jolt of optimism today, read "The Memory Technician" by Ian Li in our issue 21:

Very good read.

OK, I absolutely loved this story. Cozy, quiet, and defiant, all at once.

Today's story is one of small acts of defiance, which add up to something spectacular. Read "Five Hundred Defects" by Michael Zahniser here:

Small Wonders will be open to original flash fiction submissions this Friday, September 12th. We'll be open through October 31st! We'll also be closing to reprint flash fiction on Friday, September 12th. Send us your weird, wild, wonderful little stories with big emotions!

Brian Hugenbruch’s “So You Want to Eat an Omnalik Starfish” is a list story that's also a meditation on grief, and what it takes to let go. Check it out here in our third issue:

Come closer, closer still, and take a long look at the “Anatomy of a Haunted House” by Avi Burton in our issue 21. Don’t worry, it won’t bite. Much.

This one is for all the dreamers who know the beauty of insects. Read @melmulrooney.bsky.social's "An Insect Who Dream She Was a Woman" today in our latest issue:

Go on, sidle up to the villain at the bar and see what happens. H.V. Patterson has one view of “Seducing the Supervillain” in our third issue:

The Fire Poems by Asa Delaney does a wonderful job of telling a story by what’s unsaid, while saying beautiful things. Read it here in our issue 21:

Witness the birth of something new today in @swantower.bsky.social's "Cutting the Cord" :

Are you ready to celebrate? Christine Hanolsy’s “Festival” is a look at the regrets, promises, and wishes which shape one woman’s life. Read it here in our third issue:

Take a trip today to meet “The Sanctum of the Mad Enchantress in the Hollow of the Black Thorn Trees Near the Torrent of a Thousand Sorrows and the Cavern of the Bloodstained Moon.” Read the story by Dafydd McKimm in our issue 21:

...well I somehow completely missed this going up BUT LOOK! CREEPY MUSHROOM MANDRAKE STORY!! who doesn't love a little body horror on the first day of fall!!! :D

Hi! I have a story out in Small Wonders today! This is a little horny gremlin of a tale and I hope you take a chance on it, if you're into words and whatnot.

What takes you out of time? And what is sweet enough to bring you back into it again? Read Marika Bailey's "Gifted and Talented" today and consider what moves you so that you could move others:

Our September issue is available today! If you've got a subscription, it's in your inbox right now, and if not... well, maybe you should, yeah? Every subscription helps us put more wonders into the world! store.smallwondersmag.com/checkout