iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 8h

I've never been nominated for Best of the Net before!!!! Thank you, @theforge.bsky.social!! And I'll put a link to the story in the comments if you want to check it out.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Every lit journal is a labor of someone's love...and someone's labor. Much gratitude to the reading team and genre editors of South 85! Here's our new issue!!!!!!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My cute little (very little!) chapbook is officially out today! 5 flash fictions in 22 pocket-size pages. Thank you, @bullcitypress.com! Ordering info: bullcitypress.com/.../youre-a-...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My ancient literary life! My first Pushcart Prize nomination and what it means to be “on your way”! Inspired by a marketing brochure! How soon we forget…word processors! And selling something hard to believe to readers. (free to read/subscribe) lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/the-nebras...

lesliepwriter.substack.com

The Nebraska Review

In which I get my first Pushcart Prize nomination and believe I’m “on my way”

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hint: it's our Fall | Winter issue!

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Split Lip Magazine @splitlipthemag.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We're saying congratulations on ACCOMPLISHMENT SUNDAY 🙌 Contributor @lesliepwriter.bsky.social's "Hyenas" won @adroitjournal.bsky.social's 2026 Editor’s Prize in Fiction 🥳 buff.ly/nIrN0FZ

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

My ancient literary life: finding a breakthrough at a writing residency! Writing the story that scares you most. How to approach writing about your personal grief? Why, why, why did they shut down The Gettysburg Review?!? (free to read/subscribe) lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/the-gettys...

lesliepwriter.substack.com

The Gettysburg Review, 2013

In which a writing residency inspires a Big Project

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I get to share some exciting news: "Hyenas" won the fiction contest sponsored by @adroitjournal.bsky.social & will be published next month! It's a challenging story to read and I'm grateful to the editors for reading it so well. Link b/c my screenshot's sketchy: theadroitjournal.org/editors-priz...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

6 books I read this summer that I loved & would recommend. Extra-special to love a book by a friend, Caroline Bock & to be thrilled by the works of 2 writers whose work I avidly follow, @saralippmann.bsky.social & @andrewporter01.bsky.social The other 3 are new-to-me discoveries. Happy reading!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

My ancient literary life…writing about 9/11 for The Sun magazine, abt being on a train riding into the city, abt my aunt working in the WTC. How to write abt a vast horror? How to write effective political art? When to write abt a big historical event? lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/the-sun?r=...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Writers in the Anthropic settlement...anyone else suddenly have a strange "author"'s name on their listing, claiming 100%. WTAF? Why must writers suffer sooooooooooo!!!!!!!???????!!!!!!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

My ancient literary life! Writing a story to figure out a novel-in-progress! My college dorm room is immortalized! Tales of the AWP Book Fair! Why aren’t there more lit journals focused on the Midwest? (free to read/subscribe) lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/midwestern...

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We're so proud of our excellent writers!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

My ancient literary life! More Iowa girls. Voice covers many writing sins…how did I miss slipping in cicadas, my favorite writing tic (with silence “stretching” a close second)…is this title pretentious or what?! (free to read/subscribe) lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/westview?r...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

So excited to be paneling at AWP27 on the always-fraught topic of BLURBS!! Thanks for organizing, @magdabartkowska.bsky.social--who also combed through 10 years of AWP panels to learn that no panel has addressed this topic. See you in Chicago!

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Tara Campbell @taracampbell.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Woot! Excited to be teaching for @hugohouse.bsky.social again. Thinking of jumping into speculative fiction but feel like you don't know enough? This class is for YOU! It doesn't take prior knowledge to unleash your little inner weirdo. & it's on a sliding scale fee! hugohouse.org/product/slid...

Screenshot of page linked to in post:

SLIDING SCALE: A Little Weird Goes A Long Way: Finding Ideas for Speculative Fiction
with Tara Campbell
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
LocationIn Person
AudienceIntermediate, Advanced
Capacity1 Session
Start Date: September 26, 2026
End Date: September 26, 2026
Day of Week: Saturday
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm PT
Capacity: 15 seats
Price:

Choose price
SLIDING SCALE: A Little Weird Goes A Long Way: Finding Ideas for Speculative Fiction quantity
This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House.

“I love sharing these tips that I've used to break out of writers' block and unleash a little weird in my writing. One of the exercises led to over a dozen published stories and my Philip K. Dick Finalist novel City of Dancing Gargoyles. Every time I teach this course, I'm blown away by the enthusiasm and creativity of the students, and we all come away excited about the story seeds that sprout during the class.” —Tara Campbell, instructor

Writing compelling speculative fiction doesn’t always require the creation of a whole new world—a little weird can go a long way.

In this three-hour creative writing workshop, we'll explore three playful techniques for transforming ordinary ideas into extraordinary stories. We'll craft narratives from common expressions, glean horror from unfinished business, and use deliberate paradoxes to create new ways of seeing the world. Along the way, we'll read sample stories and write to prompts in all three areas.

You’ll leave with three story starts, techniques for future story generation, and a new perspective on a world that is already stranger than fiction.

Whether you're new to speculative fiction or an experienced author looking for a burst of inspiration—or a break from that stalled WIP!—this class welcomes writers of all levels and genres.

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Kathy Fish @kathyfish.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Register by Monday (8/24) and get three 90 minute workshops for $125! “Kathy Fish worked her magic today! The magician waved her wand, and in 90 minutes, we had three new flash pieces, rough, unsteady on their newborn feet, but moving. Thank you!” ~Nina Schuyler

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Congratulations to these excellent writers, whose work we've just nominated for Best of the Net!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

My ancient literary life! The benefits of sending your work to local journals. Don’t be lazy like me…shift that POV just to see what happens! Two DC-area writer icons. (free to read/subscribe) lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/the-northe...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My ancient literary life: An early “breakthrough story” that I knew was good, despite no grad school teacher telling me so…despite 35 rejections! Also, it was inevitable: I find a way to work in Jimothy! Also-also, another last line that I love. lesliepwriter.substack.com/p/cottonwood...

lesliepwriter.substack.com

Cottonwood

In which I write what I consider a "breakthrough story"

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The best kind of list to discover oneself on...a list put together by another WRITER! Thank you, @kdiannerule.bsky.social! Even if it's not mine, one of these excellent stories is sure to catch your eye, so take a moment to let words carry you away.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I have a mini-chapbook of flash fiction out in Sept, part of the (adorable!) INCH series @ @bullcitypress.com! YOU'RE A GIRL is abt <young women balanced on the precarious ledge where childhood edges into adulthood.> Preorder OR subscribe to the series (4x year). bullcitypress.com/product/your...

bullcitypress.com

You’re a Girl by Leslie Pietrzyk (Inch #69)

by Leslie Pietrzyk Inch #69, Fall 2026 23 pages, saddle-stapled ISSN: 1932-6149 release date: September 30, 2026*

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

My ancient literary life! Ambition & being oddly ballsy as a “girl.” Hitting the Big Time with an early publication in The Iowa Review. Does every writer have a single “core story” they tell over & over? open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Excellent interview about the power of hybrid writing.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

My ancient literary life…a story set in what for legal purposes is clearly NOT Bread Loaf, about POV, about grief, about writerly ambition, about pain, told in the form of a craft lecture. And here I am—with many to-this-day friends—back at Bread Loaf in 1996! open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

open.substack.com

The Collagist/The Rupture

In which I write about writers behaving like writers at a famous writers’ conference

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Please help me share this submission deadline! TIA

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

We'd love to read your work! Everything we publish comes from the queue, and 1 published piece gets $100. A team of enthusiastic readers means your work is read by at least 2 people.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

My ancient literary life...a thrill to publish this first time in @CincinnReview, and for it to be this piece, inspired by prompt writing & Willa Cather! (Also, now I want a salted nut roll and/or Thanksgiving stuffing.) ~free to read/subscribe open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

open.substack.com

The Cincinnati Review

In which I take Willa Cather's approach to writing

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Whatcha writing? Can we read it? Subs open until 8/1 ~ open-ended theme of CITY | COUNTRY ~ $100 to 1 published piece ~ at least 2 readers will see your work Photo by our artist-in-residence, Maureen Langloss. www.south85journal.com

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I'm the faculty editor of this lit journal, sponsored by the Converse low-res MFA program, and I promise that your work will be read with care by our enthusiastic team of readers.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

In honor of the MLB All-Star break...why it's hard to write about sports but why I try anyway. Also, order some of these Baltimore crabcakes since I can't. And baseball fans, check out my scorebook and please agree that my system's superior to my husband's! open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw....

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

My recent story in the fabulous @newohioreview.bsky.social! Ambivalent fatherhood, green June bugs, and a deep, lurking quarry.....

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Interview up w/ SC short story writer Kyler Campbell: <My goal was to show that the Lowcountry is way more than just Charleston. I wanted to go into the working, blue-collar Lowcountry.> www.south85journal.com/2026/07/the-...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

My ancient literary life: Maybe I don’t remember writing this story, but I remember eating this hot and sour soup. An off-kilter POV helps sell my foray into magical realism! (free to read/subscribe) open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Got a bunch of smart readers for this issue who are ENTHUSAISTIC!!

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Takes one glance at Submittable from the editorial side to realize the importance of a good title.

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Split Lip Magazine @splitlipthemag.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

We've got more fiction for ACCOMPLISHMENT SUNDAY 😁 Contributor @lesliepwriter.bsky.social story was published in Shenandoah 💕 Find it here and enjoy: buff.ly/ML7dFcd

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

My ancient literary life: I write about retirement as a twenty-something. It’s hard to live in Phoenix without knowing how to drive. And I love semi-colons as much as anyone, BUT DON’T PUT THEM IN YOUR DIALOGUE! (this stack is free to read/subscribe) open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

open.substack.com

North Dakota Quarterly

In which I imagine back in 1989 the life I’m living now

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Happy to see @south85journal.bsky.social as Duotrope's listing of the day...and our reading team is happy to read your fiction/poetry/CNF/flash prose! Theme = CITY | COUNTRY. Surely you have thoughts on that topic??? www.south85journal.com/submissions/

south85journal.com

Submissions | South 85 Journal

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

We'd love to see your poetry/flash prose of all types/fiction/CNF at @south85journal.bsky.social.

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South 85 Journal @south85journal.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

New interview by @rkalagayanpoet.bsky.social w/ poet Emma Galloway Stephens: <My habit is to write poems about subjects that trouble or puzzle me. In this way, writing feels a bit like praying. It’s an inherently spiritual process to me.> south85journal.com/2026/06/godh...

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

My ancient literary life: why is it so hard to write a happy story? Also, why do so many cicadas populate my writing? open.substack.com/pub/lesliepw...

open.substack.com

Natural Bridge

In which I "write happy"

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Me! I'm the enthusiastic faculty editor! Please share your work with us.....

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Name a TV show you're positive no one remembers but you.

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Leslie Pietrzyk @lesliepwriter.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

3 in a lovely line of recent fiction pubs, this one in Shenandoah, about olden days in DC working for a political group & learning how the world "really" works. Also includes 80s Chinese zodiac placemats that I later learned are sold on eBay for $50--!! www.shenandoahliterary.org/volume-75-nu...

shenandoahliterary.org

Enlightenment Will Come to All

She whispers slowly, “You’re not hearing me. It’s a difficult job, not because of typing. Because of who you’re typing for.”

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