iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Today, our summer 2026 contributor spotlight is on Elisha Emerson, author of "My Dwindling, Infinite Mouth," and some orgs she'd like you to support.

A teal background with a vintage illustration of a train car full of giant oranges. Text reads: "Bluestem / Eastern Illinois University * Since 1966 / Contributor Spotlight / Summer 2026 / Elisha Emerson /Nonfiction / "My Dwindling, Infinite Mouth""

A teal background with a photo of Elisha standing in snowy woods. Text reads: "Bluestem / Eastern Illinois University * Since 1966 / Elisha Emerson wrote this piece and all its teeth."

A teal background. Text reads: "Bluestem / Eastern Illinois University * Since 1966 / Elisha's current favorite organizations to support: / The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) - Working around the clock to fight for the legal rights of Maine immigrants. / Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition (MIRC) - A unique coalition of more than one hundred organizations, a majority of which are led by people of color, working together to enhance the lives of immigrants and strengthen Maine. / Maine Association for New Americans (MANA) - Provides quality, free, trauma-informed peer support, mental health education, and programs centered on cross-cultural wellness to Maine immigrants. / Intercultural Community Center (ICC) - Supports Southern Maine immigrants with award-winning, no-cost after school and summer youth programs as well as free social, educational, and health services for adults."

A teal background. Text reads: "Bluestem / Eastern Illinois University * Since 1966 / A line from "My Dwindling, Infinite Mouth": "I excuse myself to the bathroom to stare. This is something I do now. My mouth, enclosed in the dark of my head, feels grotesquely enormous. Church-sized, holy proportions, but in the mirror, my gums, teeth, and tongue shrink to normal-sized. Tiny! I open and lean close. Every time, a flashbulb shock. Oh, dwindling mouth. Oh, fragile scoop of teeth and tongue. Is this all I've got?""

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today's summer 2026 contributor spotlight is on Krystle May Statler and her late brother, BJ, whose murder in 2019 led to the writing of Krystle's poem "Naga Claw."

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Next up for our contributor spotlight is an interview with Imani Marie Joseph, author of "Desperado"!

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Melissa Ostrom @melostrom.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Delighted to have a new flash in the excellent @bluestemmag.bsky.social. Thank you, Editor Mike McClelland, for picking this one.💙

bluestemmagazine.com

Cattails and Regret — Bluestem Magazine

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

First up for our contributor spotlight for our Summer 2026 issue is @melostrom.bsky.social (with her dog, Mocha!)

Melissa Olstrom / Flash fiction / "Cattails and Regret"

Melissa Olstrom is the author of this deliciously colloquial flahs piece.

First line: "I grew up in Silver Marsh and almost didn't leave."

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Anna Vangala Jones @anniejowrites.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

writing tip: when in doubt, read

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Anca L. Szilágyi @ancaszilagyi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I'm happy to have three pieces of micro nonfiction in @bluestemmag.bsky.social today: "Soup Baths," "Children's Food," and "Beef Sausage on a Pink Leather Couch." bluestemmagazine.com/s26/anca-szi... #booksky

Picture of oranges with green leaves attached, sitting in a box with a blue sky behind. Text says "August 26, 2026 The Summer 2026 issue of Bluestem is here"

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Our summer 2026 issue has arrived on our webpage!! We'll be spotlighting our contributors over the coming weeks, so keep those eyes PEELED 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊

A vintage stock image of a traincar full of giant oranges. Text overlay says, "August 26, 2026. The Summer 2026 issue of Bluestem is here."

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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 26/08/2026

Is there no other

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Big news. Our annual literary festival—fka Lions in Winter—is now the Little Bluestem Literary Festival. This year, it will be held at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, October 10 and will feature Ae Hee Lee, author of Asterism, and Athena Dixon, author of The Loneliness Files!

A flyer featuring information about the little bluestem festival, complete with a spring of bluestem grass against a dusty-pink background. At the bottom of the flyer are Lee and Dixon's headshots and bios.

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Uncanny Magazine @uncannymagazine.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

PLEASE SHARE! Writers! Uncanny Magazine will be open for short story submissions from August 24 to September 7! WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR AMAZING, HUMAN-WRITTEN STORIES! www.uncannymagazine.com/submissions/

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Reminder for writers: Your submission not changing to "In-Progress" does NOT mean it hasn't been read or reviewed! Subs have default assignees. Unless eds REassign or take an action on the sub (such as marking w/ a label) you won't see status change! Status designations are often meaningless.

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Reminder: You have until August 15 to submit! Summer issue out soon and some exciting announcements about the coming year... bluestemmagazine.com/submit

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

We know you're busy. You wish you had four hands and four feet to help you get everything done. We get it. But don't wait too long to submit to Bluestem's opening reading period. Open through 8/15 for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and comics. bluestemmagazine.com/submit

ID: Illustrated image from Pierre Boaistuau’s Histoires Prodigieuses (1559) of a light-skinned man with four arms and legs walking a path with a castles in the background

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Here's a secret you might not know: editors see a lot of the same names in their submission queues. The Reliable Submitters who send every time you're open. This is great. It builds name recognition. But we also LOVE to see new names. Thinking of submitting? Do it! bluestemmagazine.com/submit

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

You know what goes with hot dogs and potato salad? Submitting work. bluestemmagazine.com/submit

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

We know you have a ton you're dying to say. Submissions are OPEN & FREE. July 1 through August 15. Fiction, cnf, poetry, comics. bluestemmagazine.com/submit

A wide open mouth illustration with tongue and throat visible.

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robyn 🎃 @haykebyr.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

truly, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart: fuck ai

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

we love that @chillsubs.bsky.social is allowing journals to clarify their AI policies on their listings! ours: bluestem editors will never use AI to do *any* part our jobs; in turn, we're not interested in publishing work created with AI. There are much better ways to hallucinate! #noAI #noAIart

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Kathleen Rooney @kathleenmrooney.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Earlier in May we poemed while people waited at the Chicago Literary Salon & were impressed w/how the evening made books the center of conversations among strangers. On 7/8 Man Overboard! will be featured & part of the proceeds go to @rosemetalpress.bsky.social www.hastybooklist.com/hbl-store/an...

hastybooklist.com

An Evening with Kathleen Rooney: Man Overboard!

Join the Chicago Literary Salon on July 8 for an intimate evening with bestselling author Kathleen Rooney celebrating Man Overboard! at Liminal. Your ticket includes a signed book, themed cocktail and...

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Travis Flatt @travisflatt.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Proud and excited to have my new flash out in Bluestem with so many fantastic authors. 😊

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

We deliberately gravitated toward hopeful gestures in our brand new Winter 2026. We are so excited to share it with you. bluestemmagazine.com

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

will you be our ... contributor? Tomorrow is the last day to make a potential love match with us! Send in your fiction, comics, essays, or poems. We close tomorrow, February 15. bluestemmagazine.com/submit

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

This weekend, we hunker down. Next weekend, we gather. Central IL, join us for Lions in Winter at EIU. thekeep.eiu.edu/lionsinwinte...

A poster advertising the Lions in Winter literary festival at the Doudna Fine Arts Center at EIU. The poster shows the headshots and bios and book covers for Ruth Awad and Aram Mrjoian and the daily events on January 31, 2026. Find out more at link.

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Being in community to celebrate art is one of the best ways we know to combat fear and sadness. Come join us at the end of January in central Illinois when we host Alice Bolin, Ruth Awad, and Aram Mrjoian. More info here: thekeep.eiu.edu/lionsinwinte...

A poster advertising Lions in Winter literary festival 2026 on January 31 at Eastern Illinois University at the Doudna Fine Arts Center. The poster has headshots of the featured writers and their book covers below their photos.

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Wouldn't it feel good to start your new year off by sending out work? Think of us! Free subs from January 1 through February 15 in Poetry, Fiction, CNF, and Comics.

ID: A shimmery silver flyer that proclaims "We're open!" in black font at the top and 2026 at the bottom.

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

We've had an uptick of traffic to our site of late. Welcome one and all! We're making final decisions for our Winter 2026 issue and it will be our gift to you to start the New Year off right. (And we'll be open again in January for free submissions!)

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Is that Aram Mrjoian we spy on this list? The very same who will be visiting us in central Illinois this January as part of our annual Lions in Winter literary festival? Seriously, read his novel Waterline; it's a triumph.

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

We absolutely love seeing Bluestem contributors doing amazing things in their careers and lives. Never hestitate to get in touch and let us know about a publication, an award or an accolade! bluestemmag@gmail.com

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

If you're in central Illinois on Wednesday evening, come over to EIU's Booth Library where we will be featuring the prolific Ben Tanzer and EIU students Athena Ballard and Pamela Zimmerman!

A poster advertising the Nancy Hennings Reading Series in Booth Library's West Reading Room at 5 p.m. on October 22. The poster has a green and blue watercolor background and overlapping circles with the bios and photos of the three readers.

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Cassandra Whitaker @casswhit.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Congratulations to all the nominees! Good luck everyone! Many thanks to the editors!❤️❤️❤️

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Congratulations to our Best of the Net nominees! Thank you to our nominees, and to all our contributors, for their minds and words.

Green poster with pink text naming our nominees. It reads:
Aaron Burch “The Zoo”
Dustin Hoffman “Ecdysis”
Cassandra Whitaker “Even Ann Lister Is In My Blood Marrying Ann Walker”
Prosper Ifeyani “Conscription”
Sara Quinn Rivara “Two Foxes”
Michael Copperman “Nightlight”
Sharon Davis “Pammie”

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

We don't know about you, but one of the things that reliably still brings us joy these days is a damn good reading. We are so excited to bring Jennifer Martiza McCauley to EIU this week! If you're around, we'll give you cookies and coffees and little sandwiches and, best of all, lovely words.

This poster advertises "Coffee and Conversation with Jennifer Maritza McCauley" on Wednesday 9/10 from 2-3:30 p.m. in Coleman Hall 1150 on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

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Daniel Gene Barlekamp @dgbarlekamp.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Check out "After Winter," a stunning poem by Katherine Gaffney in the Summer 2025 issue of @bluestemmag.bsky.social: #poetry #writing shorturl.at/xEL70

shorturl.at

After winter, — Bluestem Magazine

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Dana Cann @danacann.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Not a surprise that they canceled creative fellowships, but the NEA’s new priorities are…odd?

Email from the NEA that notes new priorities to “foster AI competency, empower houses of worship, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, and make America healthy again.

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Dr. Han VanderHart @hanvanderhart.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Hi poetry reviewers, writers, readers: here’s a document I made of paying reviews markets. Holler at me if you see something that needs to be updated/deleted/added! 🙏 I would appreciate it. Would love this to be a community resource for freelance writers to be paid for their criticism.

docs.google.com

Poetry Review Submissions: Paying Markets

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

You have until August 15 to submit to Bluestem! Fee free in all genres: -poetry! -fiction! -cnf! -comics!

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Congratulations to Rose McLarney for being named a Best of the Net finalist for her essay, "Negative," which appeared in Bluestem! bluestemmagazine.com/fs2023/rose-...

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Our central Illinois neighbors! Great things happening here...

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Electric Literature @electricliterature.com · 31/07/2025

In our latest Personal Narrative, author Colleen Abel questions whether being a writer actually helps her at all in making sense of a murder. buff.ly/xTdL4YQ

electricliterature.com

I Thought Being a Writer Would Help Me Make Sense of a Murder. I Was Wrong. - Electric Literature

“All Evidence of Animal Behavior” by Colleen Abel

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Sarah Sunfire @sarahsunfire.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

BY THE WAY isn't now a pretty good time for lesbian werewolves? an excerpt of my novel, Sugar Moon, has been published in @bluestemmag.bsky.social ! With many thanks to Fiction editor @magicmikewrites.bsky.social: bluestemmagazine.com/s25/sarah-su...

bluestemmagazine.com

Sugar Moon — Bluestem Magazine

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Chelsea Utecht @chelsea-utecht.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

My piece "Suburbs" is in Bluestem's summer issue <3

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Bluestem @bluestemmag.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Our summer 2025 issue is here! Work by E.P. Tuazon, Mark Brazaitis, Joey Damiano, Chelsea Utecht, Erin Slaughter, Katherine Gaffney, Anna Zgambo, Jennifer A Sutherland, Carolyn Oliver, Nico Santana, Eddy Alvarez, Mary Senter, and Danielle Shorr. Art by Suzanne Zimmerman. bluestemmagazine.com

An acrylic painting by Suzanne Zimmerman. Dark and lighter blues comprise most of the canvas. Vertical scratches are etched into the paint. On the far right is a white tree with a wooden swing.

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