iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Matt Kendrick @mattkendrick.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

This month's #Mondettes have been picked by Laura Black @fictivedream.bsky.social - wonderful to mark 10 years of FD in this way. ⚡Ten wonderful flash fictions 🔍Ten splashes of analysis 🪴Three fantastic prompts to get you writing mondettes.substack.com/p/july-2026

mondettes.substack.com

July 2026

Ten stories picked by Laura Black at Fictive Dream

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Gillian O’Shaughnessy @gilloshaughnessy.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Feel like a child high on jelly babies. Bath Flash Fiction Festival beyond my WILDEST. Meeting my heroes. Brilliant workshops from @fionamckay.bsky.social @kathyfish.bsky.social @mariegethins.bsky.social SO inspired. @bathflashaward.bsky.social

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Neil Hegarty @neilhegarty.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Many thanks to @pva-books.bsky.social & @booksupstairs.bsky.social & a terrific audience for a great launch of the latest Paper Visual Art tonight. Enjoyed it so much.

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Neil Hegarty @neilhegarty.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Glad to be part of Words, in Other Places - a new festival coming to Dublin and Belfast in April. I'm looking forward to my conversation with peerless @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social & @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social & Leontia Flynn. With thanks to @eatthestorms.com @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social

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Marie Gethins @mariegethins.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Looking forward to reading exciting #flashfiction submissions! Do polish & send in your best for Issue 22.

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James Montgomery @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

‘(I’m one of those literal people with no imagination)…’ As always, super writing from @sagreene1.bsky.social in @gonelawn.bsky.social - especially love that honest, vulnerable note it ends on… 🚐 gonelawn.net/journal/issu...

gonelawn.net

Gone Lawn 63 : S A Greene

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Jenny Wong @jenwithwords.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

✨LIGHT CHEMICAL SEA - Cover Reveal!✨ After years of writing tiny stories about small moments, I’m so excited to announce that my flash fiction chapbook LIGHT CHEMICAL SEA is forthcoming November 10, 2026 with @bullcitypress.com Preorders are now available: bullcitypress.com/product/ligh...

Front cover of book is an abstract painting of ocean blue paint over white canvas. The title is in blocky font with pale navy blue letters.

JENNY WONG
LIGHT CHEMICAL SEA
STORIES & SMALL FICTIONS

Back cover of book with the following blurbs:

"Quiet, contemplative, transformative, Light Chemical Sea, will send you on a meditative journey through wavelengths of sound, of light, of love, of loss, on pathways of auroras, of highways, of elements, of life. Jenny Wong's singular voice will whisper, will call, will summon you to be present in the warp and weft of her words."
-MELISSA LLANES BROWNLEE, AUTHOR OF BITTER OVER SWEET
"Jenny Wong is an alchemist turning moments of being into illumination of character. Wong is drawn to those on the periphery, people who don't quite fit in. In small flashes of brilliance she highlights the elements of their lives as they find solace in nature or catch glimpses of their true selves."
-DEBBIE ROBSON, AUTHOR OF A GLIMPSE AND THE HERMITAGE
"The obscure and almost-absurd become visible and believable under the skillful care of writer Jenny Wong in the compelling Light Chemical Sea, a collection of stories and small fictions. In three parts, she delivers us into the essence of light, dips us full-bodied into the effervescent chemicals we are made of, and then returns us to the sea where life as we know it really begins. The words, beyond language-rich, flawlessly represent images we want to hold under a microscope to try to assess the ways she gives them voice. It's a magic only a few can master. Make no mistake, this is the work of a sterling storyteller who weaves mystery with mundane to concoct a world view that draws us not only into her personal reflections of such basic natural forces (light, chemical, and sea), but leads us, sometimes unknowingly, into a labyrinth of cues and clues towards to the majesty of life we all belong to."
—KAREN PIERCE GONZALEZ, AUTHOR OF DOWN RIVER WITH LI PO

Description:
Jenny Wong peeks into the lives of characters caught in lighthouses, subways, shorelines, Walmart aisles, and airports. With a talent for lingering and looking, with the elemental precision of a poet, her small mosaics imbue the quotidian with quiet wonder. The international traveler, the preteen chemistry student, and the perimenopausal millennial who spends her days in the sun are trail guides for landscapes saturated with solitude and vastness, the whispers of ancestors and the ironies of aging. Light Chemical Sea reports back from the transpacific diaspora, glimpsing into the liminal pause between what happened and what happens next.

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James Montgomery @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

‘She reported she had explicit instructions to 'not let anyone in the house.’’ The dark humour in this excellent new hermit crab flash from @kazbarwrites.bsky.social in @offbeatlit.bsky.social, which also breaks your heart in equal measure… 🗂️ thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/02/03/c...

thedisappointedhousewife.com

Case Notes for Snow White Ref 01812 ~ victim referral form by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris

Kathryn Aldridge-Morris is a Bristol-based writer of short fiction and creative nonfiction. Her debut flash fiction collection Cold Toast (Dahlia Books) was listed in “Best Small Press fictio…

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Chloe N. Clark @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

I've been out of work since October so this could not have come at a worse financial time for my ability to help my family. So, I really really appreciate everyone who has donated or shared this!

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The Poetry Society @poetrysociety.org.uk · 03/12/2025

🕰️ With the year coming to an end, we asked a selection of Poetry Review contributors to give us their favourite poetry books and pamphlets of 2025. Next is Chris Arning's pick: High Jump as Icarus Story by Gustav Parker Hibbett (Banshee Press). Thank you, Chris!

Chris Arning recommends High Jump as Icarus Story by Gustav Parker Hibbett and says: I just thought - what an audacious conceit to pattern a whole volume on the concept of the high jump. There is a lot of daring work in it.

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Jess Traynor @jesstraynor.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Celebrating 20 issues and 10 years of @bansheepress.bsky.social yesterday at @booksupstairs.bsky.social Thank you so much to the @bansheepress.bsky.social & @booksupstairs.bsky.social teams, and to all our writers and readers. It was a magical night ✨️

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Banshee Press @bansheepress.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Now available for pre-order: FOUND IN A CONTEXT OF DESTRUCTION, the debut poetry collection by acclaimed writer Tim MacGabhann, out in February 2026. Cover design by @jackflag.bsky.social 🪨 bansheepress.org/shop/p/found...

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Banshee Press @bansheepress.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

@jackflag.bsky.social's cover for Claire-Lise Kieffer's Tenterhooks was also cited by Jack's fellow designers as one of the best covers of the year in @literaryhub.bsky.social 🫴 lithub.com/the-173-best... (2/3)

lithub.com

The 173 Best Book Covers of 2025

Per Literary Hub tradition, I am pleased to present the best book covers of the year—as chosen by some of the industry’s best book cover designers. This year, I asked 52 designers to share their fa…

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Banshee Press @bansheepress.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Some lovely press this week – first up, @jackflag.bsky.social's cover for @bebeashley.bsky.social's Harbour Doubts was listed as a best book cover of 2025 by @nytimes.com 🧡 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/b... (1/3)

nytimes.com

The Best Book Covers of 2025

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Fictive Dream @fictivedream.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

It's gives us great pleasure to nominate Miss Sunkissed 1962 by @mariegethins.bsky.social for @bestmicrofiction.bsky.social #microfiction #nomination. If you missed it the first, here's another chance...please click on the link and enjoy fictivedream.com/2025/08/25/m...

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Justine Sweeney @justine1902.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

So happy to have a wee story in this issue of @bansheepress.bsky.social Thanks to @clarakiyoko.bsky.social @mariegethins.bsky.social and the team, and congrats to all the other contributors 🥳

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Laura Besley @laurabesley.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Thank you for all your hard work, Laura! It's an honor to be published by @fictivedream.bsky.social again. #fiction #flashfiction #amwriting #writingcommunity

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Sharon Telfer @sharontelfer.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Subs for the 2026 National Flash Fiction Day anthology & micro comp are now open, closing 15 Feb. Please repost for #FlashFiction friends.

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Fictive Dream @fictivedream.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

ICYMI we're open for submissions of #shortstories #flashfiction #microfiction and #translations. Please click on the link for our guidlesines #callforsubmissions fictivedream.com/submission-g...

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Tania Hershman 🏳️‍🌈 @taniahershman.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Honoured to be this year's @bridportprize.bsky.social flash fiction judge! Send me your word-shapes of 250 words & under, the pieces you think only you might love, that might be “too strange” or “not quite enough…” There are no rules! bridportprize.org.uk/the-competit... #flashfiction

Screenshot of the Meet the Judges page from the Bridport Prize with a black and white photograph of a woman with very short hair grinning, and the following text: "Tania Hershman
Flash Fiction Judge
Line Break

Tania Hershman is a queer writer of odd things, the author of three collections of short stories and flash fiction, four books of poetry and two hybrid books. Tania’s creative-non-fiction hybrid book on Time is forthcoming from Guillemot Press. Tania is editor of Fuel: An Anthology of First-Prize-Winning Flash Fictions Raising Funds to Fight Fuel Poverty, offers monthly writing prompts/provocations/exercises through Unbox Your Words – Give Yourself Permission to Play on Substack, and has a PhD in creative writing inspired by particle physics. 

www.taniahershman.com

Instagram: @tania_hershman_writes

“What I am always looking for is a voice that grabs me right from the first words so that I have no choice but to carry on reading. This might be a character, or a narrator, but what I want is freshness of language. No need for long fancy words or complicated plots, just write what only you can write in the way you want to write it. And send me the pieces you think only you might love, that might be “too strange” or “not quite enough…” There are no rules!” Tania Hershman, Flash Fiction Judge

What I wish someone had told me when I was starting out:

That everyone does it differently, this writing thing. That there definitely isn’t “one way” to write, and that each writer probably has more than one way. You find what works for you, and no-one else can tell you what you “should” or “shouldn’t” do. There are no rules!

When I’m stuck, this is what helps me move forward:

I don’t ever think of myself as “stuck”, I call it a “creative pause”, and for me that really is how it feels. I don’t write every day, sometimes a few weeks will go by. I let it be, I don’t feel bad about it. I feed myself – by reading, watching TV, films, going for a walk. "

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Chloe N. Clark @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

This is out in January and still would be grateful if anyone wants to pitch a review or interview for it!

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Damien B Donnelly @eatthestorms.com · 03/11/2025

Join us tomorrow night in your living room for the 3nd launch of The Storms, Issue V ⚡️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-storms...

eventbrite.co.uk

The Storms, Issue V. The Zoom launch

Get ready for the fifth installment of The Storms series as we launch Issue V on Zoom - it's gonna be a wild ride!

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Dr Carrie Etter @carrieetter.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Brighten up your November with a prose poetry workshop! Please share.... bsky.app/profile/carr...

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Jenny Wong @jenwithwords.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

One of my favorite (and FREE!) contests is opening soon… Get those 100 words ready!!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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bathflashaward.bsky.social @bathflashaward.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Many congratulations to our winners! 5 brilliant stories selected by @kazbarwrites.bsky.social 1st Adam Brannigan, 2nd @emilyrinkema.bsky.social 3rd @debdanthewriter.bsky.social Highly commended @dawnsteffler.bsky.social All stories published bathflashfictionaward.com

bathflashfictionaward.com

Bath Flash Fiction Award

International Rolling Flash Fiction Competition

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Banshee Press @bansheepress.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Starting Tuesday – a fantastic 4-week online course with our flash fiction editor @mariegethins.bsky.social at @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social ✨ irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/flas...

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Marie Gethins @mariegethins.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

A few places left on my online POV course starting 4 Nov (NEXT WEEK) for four sessions. Move beyond the ordinary & really use this superb tool in the writer toolbox to enhance emotional resonance.

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Marie Gethins @mariegethins.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Delighted to have a piece in this handsome tome! Meridian celebration 20 years of the Uni of Oxford Creative Writing Masters with 25 alumni featured. Int shipping, purchase here: www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...

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bathflashaward.bsky.social @bathflashaward.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

This weekend & one more till our 31st Award ends on Sun 5th Oct. Up to 300 word #flashfiction Results by end Oct. £1460 in prizes + publication offer in our 10th anniversary anthology for all 50 longlisted Bathflashfictionaward.com/enter

media.tenor.com

a cartoon duck is writing in a notebook with a pencil

ALT: a cartoon duck is writing in a notebook with a pencil

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Jude Higgins @judehwriter2.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Open the Door to Flash! Just in case you are in or near Bath, U.K, I’m hosting a Free evening of #flashfiction readings on Sat, 27th Sept. 18 writers reading flash + snacks, raffle + book sales. Fun! St James Wine Vaults 7.30 pm till 10.00 www.judehiggins.com/blog/

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Bristol Short Story Prize @bristolshortstory.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Congratulations to this year's winners and to all the writers featured in the Volume 17 anthology. Read all their stories: bit.ly/4l0zhk8 @zoemeager.bsky.social @morrislau78.bsky.social #writing #shortstories #writingcompetitions

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Marie Gethins @mariegethins.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Want to up your POV game? Uncover the mysteries of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and use of multiple POVs to deepen your reader experience. Come join my 4-week online course in November through @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/flas...

irishwriterscentre.ie

Flash Fiction Point-of-View Deep Dive with Marie Gethins - Irish Writers Centre

The most distilled prose form, flash fiction relies on suggestion—layered meaning that is off the page.

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Marie Gethins @mariegethins.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

“Sometimes I think I’ll just float up into the sky and disappear.” Brilliant story @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social Fantastic amphora use & deft shifting of timelines, character arcs. 💙✨

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bathflashaward.bsky.social @bathflashaward.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

2 weeks till the deadline of the 31st Award on Oct 5th. £1460 in prizes. Want to give an up to 300 word story a go? Try out Jude’s prompt in the post www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2025/09/two-...

bathflashfictionaward.com

Two Weeks to go!

Our 31st Award, judged this time by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris from the UK,closes on Sunday 5th October at midnight GMT. For stories up to 300 words. Prze fund of £1460. 1 entry £9.00, two entries £15…

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Bloodaxe Books @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Irish poet @jesstraynor.bsky.social will be reading from her brand new fourth collection New Arcana @outspokenldn.bsky.social at London's Southbank Centre on Thursday 18 September, 7.45pm, alongside Leo Boix, Sara Mansour and fellow Bloodaxe poet @imtiazdharker.bsky.social.

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Bloodaxe Books @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

September news: New books from @poetclare.bsky.social, @jesstraynor.bsky.social & @emiliejelinek.bsky.social; prize news for Matthew Caley, Kris Johnson & Niall Campbell; radio & podcasts for @pascalepetit.bsky.social & Greta Stoddart; Ruth Fainlight film premiere. mailchi.mp/263b340dbcf3...

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RUBY @literaryruby.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

“Food is alive. Food is us.” The upcoming issue will be our last. Submissions are now open until October 15. Thank you to all who’ve written, read, & edited. RUBY’s spirit continues in a hybrid cookbook antholgy. rubyliterarypress.com/submissions/

rubyliterarypress.com

SUBMISSIONS

RUBY is a bi-annual literary magazine and press that publishes short-form food narratives that strive for voice, artistry, and character. We want work that grabs us and doesn’t let us go—fier…

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Amber Sparks @ambersparks.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Guys, I could NOT be more excited to have a story published at Short Story, Long, and I honestly really love this story in a way that I think you love just a few stories you’ve written. Maybe it’s the encroaching nostalgia, maybe it’s just the fun I had with the form, but I hope you’ll read it!

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bathflashaward.bsky.social @bathflashaward.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Your three-week-to-go deadline reminder for our 31st Award. Closes 5th Oct. £1k top prize. Some tips in the post. The picture of the 4 leaf clover here, is for luck. www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2025/09/the-...

bathflashfictionaward.com

The Power of Three

Just three weeks until our 31st Award closes on October 5thl .Thank you to everyone who has entered so far. We’re getting pretty busy. To remind you, the prize fund is £1460. All 50 longliste…

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Nuala O'Connor @nualaoconnor.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Tomorrow in Cork, remembering Elizabeth Bowen 🌸

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Emily Rinkema @emilyrinkema.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Thank you @andrewcareaga.bsky.social for this incredible opportunity and for such great questions!

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