Sign in

Ali McGrane

@alimcg.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.1K following 314 posts

Flash fiction in various places | Welkin win, Bath SLs | "The Listening Project" flash novella Ad Hoc Fiction bit.ly/3ohYf67 (Special Mention '22 Sab Awards) | South West UK🦻🌱🌊 alimcgrane.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Suzanne (writing as S A Greene) @sagreene1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A plea to Lit mags - please check the stories you select for AI. I've been putting some with some 'tells' through Pangram and some highly prestigious lit mags have recently published stories with percentages of suspected AI, including one that is 100% AI!!! #AIslop
1115
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Suzanne (writing as S A Greene) @sagreene1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Writers, if, like me, you're proud of your non-AI work, when you share a new story, maybe you could share your Pangram result too?
7104
Reposted by Ali McGrane
ellipsis zine @ellipsiszine.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
From the ez archive, 'The Swimming Lesson' by Sarah Wallis ‘This is nice,’ said Sharon, ‘thank you for making this a memorable anniversary picnic, one that you actually attend instead of it being just me and the kids.' www.ellipsis-zine.com/writing/the-...
042
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Deborah @deborahzafer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Another reminder about Dial-A-Poem Poems read by the original poets from all over the world. Tap on the phone and see what happens. You never know what you will get.... dial-a-poem.org
075
Reposted by Ali McGrane
ellipsis zine @ellipsiszine.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Submission details: www.ellipsis-zine.com/submit
02720
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Mizzle and cloud so the views weren't great walking in the Malvern Hills today, but there was this beauty...
A huge spreading tree against a background of other trees and sky
141
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Matt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is really a long shot, but one of the writers who was due to come to the second week of our retreat (Monday-Sunday next week) has had to pull out, so we unexpectedly have a free room. Anyone interested, please get in touch.
097
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Sara Hills @sarahillswrites.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"and when I woke up, I told her about it, how real it seemed. Roland Barthes, for Pete’s sake." This is easily one of the best micros of all time. ❤️⚡ Such superb writing from @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social
141
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
1/ "Every fraction of a degree of warming matters." True, and a dangerous platitude. It quietly suggests warming is a smooth dial, where each tenth of a degree costs about the same as the last. It doesn't. The later ones cost far more. Here's why. 🧵
516992
Reposted by Ali McGrane
La Sonnambula @lasonnambula.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Link to an open letter. Please read and consider signing. 😊 act.38degrees.org.uk/act/rnli-tha...
act.38degrees.org.uk
An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI
This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...
12111
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Matt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
My #CraftArticle for September is all about research - what counts as research, how to do it and how much to do: prattlefogandgravelrap.substack.com/p/the-resear...
prattlefogandgravelrap.substack.com
The Research Rabbit Hole
Yesterday I got so frustrated with myself.
0105
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The breathing before speaking, the passage of those tears past smile lines and into her ears - oof, the constrictive weight of this piece 👏 Congrats, Fiona! 🎉🎉🎉
112
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Matt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"I realised I may never have said that name out loud before, only read it silently, the way some words exist without form in a reader’s mind" Brilliant micro from @alimcg.bsky.social, wonderfully contemplative and full of truth
132
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Fictive Dream @fictivedream.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
ICYMI today we're featuring "That dream where Marianne said she’d found a reference to one of my stories in a Roland Barthes essay" by @alimcg.bsky.social #microfiction #MicroMonday. Please follow the link and enjoy fictivedream.com/2026/08/31/m...
fictivedream.com
https://fictivedream.com/2026/08/31/microfiction-72/
042
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Trash Cat Lit @trashcatlit.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Our prose poetry call is open until the 10th. Some ideas that fit the theme of tenacity and difference... A plant surviving in a hostile environment 🌱 A spider whose web is repeatedly broken 🕸️ A street dog helps a lost child get home 🐕 trashcatlit.com/call-for-pro...
trashcatlit.com
Call for Prose Poems
Jimothy, the Seattle trash cat with short spine syndrome, has taken the internet by storm. We obviously love how adorable he is with his squished-up body and cheeky scamper, but also how incredibly…
0106
Reposted by Ali McGrane
ellipsis zine @ellipsiszine.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Web submissions are open for historical fiction. 14th-20th September, 1,000 words or fewer. The usual guidelines apply and can be found here: ellipsis-zine.com/submit
13432
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Pat Foran @pdforan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“… or the link she’d sent to the essay with my unwritten story referenced, a story dealing with some difficult shapeless thing, my son perhaps, his name being another kind of ghost word we fear to say out loud …” @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social fictivedream.com/2026/08/31/m...
fictivedream.com
Microfiction #72
by Ali McGrane That dream where Marianne said she’d found a reference to one of my stories in a Roland Barthes essay and when I woke up, I told her about it, how real it seemed. Roland Barthes, for…
131
Reposted by Ali McGrane
L Mari Harris @lmariharris.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Our August stats ⬇️
052
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Matt Bell @mdbell79.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“The fiction writer is trying to create a false memory with the force of history." —Samuel Delany, About Writing I love both of these similar ideas!
0377
Reposted by Ali McGrane
The Village with All of the Flash Writers @heyflashvillage.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
@smokelong.bsky.social Do you know about The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest? It's an annual comp now, open to fiction, CNF, prose poetry, previously published and unpublished, and also translations. We want it all. Deadline Nov 15. 250 words or fewer. www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...
smokelong.com
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2026 - SmokeLong Quarterly
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is now an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online. The grand prize winner of The Mikey is automatical...
01513
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Eileen Tomarchio @eileentomarchio.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Will be turning this stunner over in my mind for some time. @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social ❤️
141
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.faber.co.uk/journal/sara... Sold out in Manchester but £5 online tickets still available to Faber members (free membership) for the London event 26.11.26.
faber.co.uk
Sarah Hall will deliver the 2026 Faber Lecture
Titled Burning Snowflake: Nature. Writing. Rebellion, it is a clarion call for the literary imagination as a vital weapon in the fight for climate survival.
000
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Joanna Hastings @joannahastings.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
An amazing micro. The hairs are still lifting on my scalp. Superb.
121
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Graham (Gray) Scott @graythebruce.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Okay, I followed the advice reposted below and stopped what I was doing to read the micro by alimcg.bsky.social. And... yeah. Damn. I pass the recommendation on to you.
282
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Maureen Langloss @maureenlangloss.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Hey lit mag editors. We've been worried about AI companies scraping Split Lip's site to train their models. We just learned that our web host, SquareSpace, has a native feature that allows us to stop some of this. It was quick & easy for our web editor to put in place. I encourage you to do the same
26531
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Brian Bilston @brianbilston.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Ten years ago, ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’ was published. It was my first collection of poetry and incredibly, it’s still going strong. To celebrate the anniversary, I thought I’d share a poem from it every day this month, starting with the title poem.
You Took the Last Bus Home 
 
you took
the last bus home
don’t know how 
you got it through the door 

you’re always doing amazing stuff 

like the time
you caught that train


Brian BilstonA pic of the cover of ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’ featuring a red bus with the backdrop of a beautiful moonlit night.
2034679
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Emma Harding @emmaharding.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Very sorry to learn of the death of poet Wendell Berry. Such an important advocate for our relationship with the natural world, the beauty of wild things & the value of small, individual actions.
0367
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Fiona McKay @fionamckay.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🛑 Stop whatever you’re doing RIGHT NOW and read one of THE best micros I’ve ever read!! 🛑 Congratulations to @alimcg.bsky.social for this brilliant piece of writing 🎉🎉🎉
2141
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Thrilled that this story has found such a wonderful home 🎉. Huge thanks to Laura @fictivedream.bsky.social for accepting it, and for finding such evocative artwork to accompany it. 💙
391
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The fallout from the collapse of this glacier - a torrent of mud surging down the valley - killed hundreds of people. Gone, in a flash. Those people were wiped out by anthropogenic climate change. Our governments are simply not responding quickly enough to this disaster which is already upon us.
8435641474
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Identity Theory @identitytheory.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Happy Saturday! We're accepting submissions! Mostly micro and poetry!
identitytheory.com
Submission Guidelines - Identity Theory
Literary journal submission guidelines for Identity Theory. Our online magazine publishes interviews, fiction, essays, poetry, and more.
085
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/membership/2...
theguardian.com
This is not a natural calamity: it is being done to us knowingly
Global heating is an outrage, not a tragedy. We deserve the facts about the climate crisis – I choose the Guardian because it’s one of the few places left to share them honestly
033
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
40% of Britons incorrectly believe that small boat crossings have increased this year compared to last year, according to exclusive YouGov polling for Sky News. and you wonder why… youtu.be/A6fCl-uOEVY?...
youtu.be
It’s time UK media reminded Farage how we got into this mess in the first place - BREXIT!
YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic
21587219
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Tracy Fells @theliterarypig.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
From hedgehogs and bats to butterflies and newts, the UK’s wildlife is disappearing fast – and our government is letting it happen. I’ve just signed @friends-earth.bsky.social’s petition calling for urgent action. Add your name: action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/tel...
action.friendsoftheearth.uk
Tell the government: act for nature before it’s too late
Add my name Did you know the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world? There’s less wildlife today than in living memory − and it’s still disappearing before our eyes. From hedgeho...
041
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 11/08/2026
1-in-10 adults in the bottom half of the income distribution provide at least 5 hours a week of unpaid care, with 1 million caring for 35+ hours a week. That's the equivalent of a full-time job. Read more on how disabilities & caring responsibilities affect families ➡️ buff.ly/tkVi71F
Stacked bars comparing proportions of working‑age adults in low‑to‑middle versus higher income groups who provide unpaid care at least five hours/week in the UK (2023–24), showing low‑to‑middle earners have a larger share providing 35+ hours (full‑time equivalent).
12010
Reposted by Ali McGrane
The Sam Hill! Review | SUBS OPEN @samhillreview.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Submit your short #historicalfiction & #poetry to the newest #histfic #litmag. We’re currently reading #submissions for our first issue. We want writing that makes us say: “Now that was good as SAM HILL!” Free subs on @duotrope.com Guidelines et cetera at SamHillReview.com
1149
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Paragraph Planet @paragraphplanet.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Calling all #writers: Paragraph Planet seeks your 75-word #stories. One has been published on the home page every day since 2008. Submit today! www.paragraphplanet.com/submission.php #writingcommunity #amwriting pls RT
0136
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Anti-Heroin Chic @antiheroinchic.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
"Through the dark and stormy weather, we'll make our way together." Our rusted and wobbly doors are open for submissions until 8/26. What gets you through, friends? heroinchic.weebly.com
0114
Reposted by Ali McGrane
JMWW Journal @jmwwjournal.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
August Submissions Open Open now! Submit to JMWW by August 15th. All categories (except for Poetry) are open, but some have limited entries.
jmwwblog.wordpress.com
August Submissions Open
Open now! Submit to JMWW by August 15th. All categories (except for Poetry) are open, but some have limited entries.
02516
Reposted by Ali McGrane
The Welkin Press @welkinpress.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Shortlisted in the Earth Prize, "The Boy Wraps His Arms Around You" by @karenc.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
mattkendrick.co.uk
The Boy Wraps His Arms Around You | MattKendrick.co.uk
103311
Reposted by Ali McGrane
The Dodge @thedodgemag.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Fiction and poetry submissions re-opening Aug. 1-15. Submit through our Submittable: thedodge.submittable.com/submit
076
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@gooseberrypielit.bsky.social is open for submissions: Artwork for our cover and/or to accompany published pieces of fiction. Fiction with 6 sentences and no more than 400 words. gooseberry-pie.com/submissions/
gooseberry-pie.com
Submissions - Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine
Submissions Submission Guidelines Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine publishes fiction with exactly six-sentences and no more than 400 words. Title does not count as one of the six sentences or towards the w...
02814
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Gone Lawn Journal @gonelawn.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The buck moon is a wild one, they say, with his proud antlers, coated in soft velvet. Do not mistake those long white ears & bushy white tail! Those ears have heard all of your songs & they just make him more wild. Just wait a bit and see how cute they are. GL66 is up! gonelawn.net/journal/issu...
Abstract expressionistic painting, a variegation of blues and whites and spatterings of other colors.
0187
Reposted by Ali McGrane
-ette review @ettereview.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Submissions are now open for our “Suffragette” issue. (We’re reading for a future unthemed issue too!) Flash Fiction, Microfiction, Prose Poetry No fee. Deadline: September 1 Full details here ettereview.com/submit/
Woman in early 20th century clothing holding sign “votes for Women”
02116
Reposted by Ali McGrane
X-R-A-Y @xraylitmag.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
submissions will be open on Saturday August 1st, at 9am central, until our monthly cap is met we will open all categories with a cap higher than usual, so more ppl get a chance to send their work -- things fill up very quickly. xray.submittable.com/submit
13119
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Cole Beauchamp 🏳️‍🌈 📖 @nomad-sw18.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Friends - I hope you will send us a little something. Spend some time with Louella's photos and let inspiration strike⚡️
072
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Gone Lawn Journal @gonelawn.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Who's hungry? We are! Submissions are open for Gone Lawn 67. gonelawn.net/journal/glj_...
gonelawn.net
Gone Lawn : Submission Guidelines
13424
Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I feel seen! 😆⛺️🙃 But you don't have to be 'crazy' women campers to check it out ⬇️⬇️⬇️
000
Reposted by Ali McGrane
Cole Beauchamp 🏳️‍🌈 📖 @nomad-sw18.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Writers! Brilliant set of interviews here by @heyflashvillage.bsky.social - check them out before you submit! @smokelong.bsky.social
043