I posted twenty-three (23) stories and poems for you to read on social media in January. In case you missed any, here they are in summary.
Bright Future by Dave Walsh was published at Every Day Fiction in 2023.
A story of how it’s always been. Loved the ending and the lesson learned.
Flash Point SF published Gift from Santa Claws by Emmie Christie in 2024.
I’m a little behind the season on this rec, but this is a fun read of conquering fears.
Unacknowledged Cows by Emmie Christie was published at body fluids.
This is another story aimed right at me, a kid raised where we took road trips and always called out the cows in the fields and made up stories about them.
Small Wonders published:
When the Tide Comes In by Annika Barranti Klein in 2024.
A romance with the moon is never going to end well. It’s the journey that’s worth the story.
Whale Fall by Liz J. Bradley in January.
This is a beautiful poem about the cycle of life and how we learn to view it differently during our lives.
Inner Worlds published in 2024:
Euonym, by Ria Hill
I found this story about names extremely relatable and wonderfully drawn.
Planting Trees as Graves, by Rukman Ragas
A story of grief after the death of a child.
The Tree Regrower, by Nicolas Toper
I love the use of a refrain in this story.
Alkaline, by Udochukwu Chidera
This is a powerful story. It made some “read this” rounds when it first came out. If you haven’t yet, please do.
Apex Magazine published To Kill A Language by Rukman Ragas in 2024.
(May be behind paywall, I can’t tell with these.) A beautifully written list lament about the way we lose languages.
Dissonant state by C. L. Holland was published at Nature: Futures in 2022. (behind paywall)
The 3 truths device in this story is so good and describes so much in such a short piece.
Field Notes From That Time I Accidentally Got Stuck In A Time Loop For A Week by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor was published on Merc’s Patreon in 2024.
A listed time loop story of discovery about oneself. (Free to read.)
Feral Poetry published ‘Misunderstandings’ by Shana Ross.
I love this poem about communication via writing and when we fail.
The Syntax of Silk by Lindsey Godfrey Eccles was published at Fractured Lit in January.
A flash story of wonder and transformation.
Nightmare Magazine published Mnemonic Burning by Angela Liu in 2024.
This poem burns for those of us close in some way to memory loss.
How They Remembered it, Later by Simon Kewin was published at Crepuscular Magazine in 2024.
A meet-cute of what-if events.
Wyldblood Flash Fiction Fortnightly published
New Year’s Dawn by Ash Jones in 2021.
This story will probably just keep hitting harder and harder as the years pass. I wish it wouldn’t.
Custom Welding by Maura Yzmore in 2022.
So many twists in such a short story!
Speculative City published in 2019:
Sparkle and Shine by Tonia Laird
A story about the depravity of people and deals with monsters.
Fixed and Gone by B R Sanders
This flash is heartwrenching and is a piece I will reread and sit with.
So You Want to Run a Temporal Coffee Shop by R.P. Sand was published at Worlds of Possibility in 2024 and placed online in January.
What a wonderful trip through time as a caretaker of time travelers.
Flash Fiction Online published The Hag of Beinn Nibheis by M. R. Robinson in January.
When an old woman confronts the witch who destroyed her village, what does she expect to happen? It is, perhaps, not what anyone does.
Hard Times at the Four Pines Motel by P.A. Cornell was published at Short Edition in January.
This short read both outlines what happens when tech replaces reliable infrastructure on a personal level, but also holds out hope. What a great read today!
This month, I tended to read familiar and comfort magazines and authors. February will be similar. I hope to see you back here in a month with another twenty (20) stories for your reading pleasure.