The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 26/09/2026If the first page of a submission sounds like AI, and Pangram says it's 100% AI, should we bother reading the whole thing? 🤔 200
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Writers have some choices to make ... kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com/2026/09/24/i... #AI #ChatGPT #editing #proofreadingkevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.comIs it okay to use AI to proofread or is that taboo too?Writers are turning themselves inside out over what to do about AI. Just about everybody agrees that it shouldn’t be used to create stories, poems, novels, or any other kind of creative writing. I … 000
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Your moment of Zen ... Revisit a good one we published in '24, by the great Guy Biederman. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2024/05/30/s...thedisappointedhousewife.comSound of a Train From A Previous Life ~ fiction by Guy BiedermanSitting on lawn chairs at the edge of the world we eat sandwiches and watch ancient monsoons rip harmlessly across space, tantrums in exile. I sip cold milk. You swig from a flask, screw the cap cl… 010
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Jeffrey Hermann @jeffreyhermann.bsky.social · 18/09/2026"I’m not saying I know how to live. I’m saying I may have invented having cake for breakfast, wine for lunch, and breakfast for dinner. I’m saying I miss my father, who is very much alive." Thank you to The Disappointed Housewife, @offbeatlit.bsky.social , for giving this micro the perfect home. 132
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The story thus far ... Check out the new prose poem by @JeffreyHermann! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/09/18/t... #poetry #prosepoetry #poetrycommunity #writing #writingcommunitythedisappointedhousewife.comThe Best I Can Describe It ~ prose poem by Jeffrey HermannThe Best I Can Describe It First came the single-celled things. Then came the urge to divide. They vibrated, stretched, and became two things. Next came fibers, then worms, etc. Then someone invent… 182
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Emily Hall @emhall47.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Thank you to @offbeatlit.bsky.social for nominating me for Best Small Fictions 2027!! 🎉 🙌🏻 #flashfiction #microfiction #writing #writesky 6217
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Here they are, our 2027 Best Small Fictions nominees! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/09/16/b...thedisappointedhousewife.comBest Small Fictions Nominations 2027The Best Small Fictions anthology threw us a curve this year by combining the 2025-year nominations with another five eligible from January through July of 2026. The anthology will be coming out in… 031
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 10/09/2026We're so glad zines started posting their Best Small Fictions nominations, since we weren't aware the deadline is 9/30 this year. 😬 Our noms are coming soon!static.klipy.comJonah Hill: That Was CloseALT: Jonah Hill: That Was Close 021
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Jane @janestecyk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026the kind of genius piece that makes you go "fuck, we can do that?!" from Ellen Kombiyil in @offbeatlit.bsky.social thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/20/p...thedisappointedhousewife.comPostpartum Intake Pop Quiz ~ questionnaire by Ellen KombiyilEllen Kombiyil (she/her) is a visual artist and author of two books and two chapbooks, most recently The American Journal of Insanity’s Diagnostic on the Plumbing & Wiring of Females (Visual Po… 011
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026We're seeing a lot of great writing lately but nothing that's hitting the bullseye where our mission is concerned. #Writers, be sure to read a few pieces in the zine and review our mission statement to improve your chances of acceptance! thedisappointedhousewife.com/mission/ 021
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 31/08/2026You think you've got a lot on your plate? Check out this To Do List we published in February! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/02/24/t... #poetry #poetrycommunitythedisappointedhousewife.comTo Do List ~ poetry by Kataru YahyaTo Do List Take on the load of the burdened. Picture cutting the baby’s cord with your teeth & cremate the fetus in your eyeballs for the rest of the ultrasound examination. Observe the next wo… 030
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Come take a little trip to the apocalypse on the S.S. Persephone! New #poetry by Sarp Sozdinler. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/25/m...thedisappointedhousewife.comMaraschino ~ poetry by Sarp SozdinlerMaraschino Marco says the pool boy quotes Cioran between laps I’m stirring negronis with menace, an aperitif for the impending apocalypse. Delphine keeps her sunglasses on through the eulogy becaus… 030
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Wait, did you miss this one? Now's your chance to come over and read "Creek Bed Meditations #24" by Darren C. Demaree. . The East light can be a tide, but what will it take with it? We return to a fragment every day. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/01/c... 020
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Back in the @smokelong.bsky.social #archivechallenge diving through @offbeatlit.bsky.social and I can say this is one by @audrakerrbrown.bsky.social blows my mind every time I think of it— the premise! The execution! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2023/02/23/w...thedisappointedhousewife.comWhen the Cowbirds Come to Carry Your Sister Away ~ fiction by Audra Kerr BrownThey descend in clattering droves, sag telephone lines, drip from the tulip tree like rotten fruit. You watch from the window, push your nose against the pane. Your mother tells you about a sudden … 054
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Another @smokelong.bsky.social #archivechallenge digging into @offbeatlit.bsky.social. Love this spec story as press release! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2023/03/07/v...thedisappointedhousewife.comVaginal Claw Press Information ~ press release by Meredith WadleyVAGINAL CLAW® PRESS INFORMATION: January 31, 2032 Positive Data Reports for Vaginal Claw® and Development of New Claws Out! Product Claws Out! proudly announces that from 2026–2031, wherever our be… 053
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Myna Chang @mynachang.bsky.social · 21/08/2026New MicroVerse flash rec list, curated by Patricia Q. Bidar! @patriciaqbidar.bsky.socialmynachang.comSpecial Issue * Flash Recs from Patricia Q. BidarWelcome to this special guest-edited issue, featuring flash recommendations by Patricia Q. Bidar! Patricia is a longtime friend and a consummate writer, from flash to novelettes. Her collection, Pa… 3216
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Let's take a look at what postpartum depression feels like. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/20/p... #fiction #writingcommunity #postpartumdepressionthedisappointedhousewife.comPostpartum Intake Pop Quiz ~ questionnaire by Ellen KombiyilEllen Kombiyil (she/her) is a visual artist and author of two books and two chapbooks, most recently The American Journal of Insanity’s Diagnostic on the Plumbing & Wiring of Females (Visual Po… 031
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026You can grab the paperback edition of our editor's chick-lit-by-a-dude novel, Occasional Soulmates, for just $7.24! You're curious, right? Go ahead and push the BUY button. 😉 www.amazon.com/dp/1500638390 000
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026If you remember Dick and Jane, this #flashfiction might resonate with you. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/18/s... #fiction #writingcommunity 010
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Archive challenge at @smokelong.bsky.social and I have selected @offbeatlit.bsky.social. Today’s piece by @travisflatt.bsky.social is voice-y, humorous, and full of Travisitude! Enjoy! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2024/10/15/t...thedisappointedhousewife.comTwo Excellent People Burning ~ fiction by Travis FlattYou, the consummate gentleman, bring me a paper plate of Little Caesars pepperoni and mushroom, my favorite. It gets me moist when you remember this intimate factoid. I ask, since it’s only us, sh… 163
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Death as Whack-A-Mole. It's been staring us in the face all this time! #poetry #poetrylovers #poetrycommunity #sonnets thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/13/w...static.klipy.comOne Punch Saitama: Whack-a-Mole MasterALT: One Punch Saitama: Whack-a-Mole Master 072
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Today we have three bastardized villanelles for you. Who doesn't love a good bastardized villanelle? #poetry #poetrylovers #writingcommunity thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/12/t... 071
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Hot off the grill, our 2027 Best of the Net nominations! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/10/2... 182
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/08/2026On the offchance that you missed this one, better come by and feast on it now. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/08/h... #poetrylovers #poetrycommunity #poemsthedisappointedhousewife.comHow to Measure a Dog’s Loneliness Across Time ~ assignment by Chrissy StegmanChrissy Stegman is from Baltimore, Maryland. Her work has recently appeared in or is forthcoming in The Iowa Review, MER, Michigan Quarterly Review, ONE ART, Rattle, River Heron Revie… 071
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Emily Hall @emhall47.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Found this today while reading the backlog on @offbeatlit.bsky.social . So much emotion arising out of a “quantitative” assignment. Really intriguing work, @chrissystegmanpoet.bsky.social 👏 👏 #poetry #poetsky #writing #writesky 162
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 05/08/2026A terrific and slyly subversive story for you today! Instructions for the Next Girl by Honni van Rijswijk thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/05/i... #fiction #flashfiction #writingcommunity #readingcommunity 072
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Whew! Just finished filing our Best of the Net nominations! Fun times. Stay tuned for the announcement next week. ⏰static.klipy.comHomer Simpson's Whoo Hoo!ALT: Homer Simpson's Whoo Hoo! 020
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/07/2026If, somehow, you missed this "memoir" by the shark in Jaws, circle back and have a look now. 🤣🤣🤣 thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/23/v...static.klipy.comShark Puppet Screams at PhoneALT: Shark Puppet Screams at Phone 062
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 17/07/2026I just reviewed a spectacular microfiction collection by Guy Biederman called "Here's Where We Get Off." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a treat! Read my review, and then grab the book today. www.amazon.com/review/R2Q6R...amazon.com 010
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Dottie and I have pretty much cleared the submission queue, so check out our guidelines and send us something funky. Happy Summer, everybody! thedisappointedhousewife.com/submission-g... #writingcommunitystatic.klipy.comEarthmix & Earth Pirapat: Bring It On DanceALT: Earthmix & Earth Pirapat: Bring It On Dance 061
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 15/07/2026A gem of a #poem today, by Jill Crammond, "The First Grave Mistake." thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/15/t... #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #poetry 160
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Mike Robbins @mikerobbins.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Kevin Brennan is very good writer, and I reckon any of his novels would be a steal ay $2.99. Recommended. #books #fiction 043
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Now that I look a little closer, ALL my novels are available for $2.99 #Kindle edition for a limited time. Skim through the samples. There's something for everybody. 😃 www.amazon.com/stores/Kevin... #readingcommunity #fiction #novels #literaryfiction 080
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Just noticed that you can pick up the #Kindle edition of my second novel, Yesterday Road, for the lo-lo price of $2.99! ✔️it out! www.amazon.com/dp/B00FZX2L22amazon.comYesterday RoadYesterday Road - Kindle edition by Brennan, Kevin. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Yesterday Road. 040
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/07/2026We have an extraordinary piece today, #poetry in the form of a poignant school assignment by Chrissy Stegman. #mustread thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/08/h...thedisappointedhousewife.comHow to Measure a Dog’s Loneliness Across Time ~ assignment by Chrissy StegmanChrissy Stegman is from Baltimore, Maryland. Her work has recently appeared in or is forthcoming in The Iowa Review, MER, Michigan Quarterly Review, ONE ART, Rattle, River Heron Revie… 071
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 07/07/2026I think we all agree that #AI shouldn't be used in creative writing. What's the point? But what do you think about using AI to polish cover letters, bios, blurbs, & such? 🤔 You know publishers are going to be using it for things like that. Probably already are ... 010
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 04/07/2026Trump destroyed my America. kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com/2026/07/04/t...kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.comThey say it’s our birthdayThe 4th of July was never one of my favorite holidays. From childhood, I mainly remember the adult men of my extended family getting blitzed on Budweiser and being scarily careless with the firewor… 011
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 01/07/2026What kind of poem does the editor of the Best of the Net write? A poem like "Creek Bed Meditations #24." Come and see for yourself! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/01/c... 031
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Just learned that two TDH pieces made the Wigleaf long list this year! Congrats to Sarp Sozdinler ("Abandonware") and Chrissy Stegman ("What Have They Done to the Horses?")! See the whole list here, along with the Top 50: wigleaf.com. 040
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 25/06/2026A word-game poem with a little subtext for you this morning. Come on over and play! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/25/s... #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity 140
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/06/2026A hilarious "memoir" today, by the mechanical shark from Jaws. Turns out he's a classically trained actor with much more to offer than Spielberg imagined. *Many people forget that his name was Bruce. 😆 thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/23/v... 111
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!S. M. Strand @smstrand.bsky.social · 23/06/2026This was so fun to work on with Jeff Bond. Proud to have it up at The Disappointed Housewife! @offbeatlit.bsky.social @jeffbondnyc.bsky.social thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/23/v...thedisappointedhousewife.comVanya, Vanity, and Betrayal on the Bay ~ memoir by Jeff Bond and S. M. StrandSo Spielberg’s “having a moment.” Again. Maybe it’s futile, but I still have hopes that my as yet unsigned memoir will find a home. The American public deserves to know the truth about their “favor… 032
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026One of our absolute faves from last year: Truly interactive fiction that's different every time you read it! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2025/07/29/h...thedisappointedhousewife.comHaving Weight ~ fiction by Cate McGowan“Having Weight” is a modular story that mirrors the narrator’s fractured state of mind, prompting the reader to collaborate in constructing meaning from the apparent chaos. Each time the reader vis… 030
Reposted by The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!Christina M Rau The Yoga Poet @christinamrau.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Thanks to The Disappointed Housewife (@offbeatlit.bsky.social) for sharing my #poem "Whatever Happened to Baby J." Thanks to the internet for being a nostalgia pit & keeping the exact TV Guide image I've carried with me all these years. #poetrycommunity thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/19/w... 131
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 19/06/2026A penetrating contemplation of Jack & Jill this morning from the wonderful @ChristinaMRau. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/19/w... #poetry #poetrycommunity 030
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 16/06/2026One from last year we were rather fond of: thedisappointedhousewife.com/2025/05/06/h...thedisappointedhousewife.comHow to be Enough ~ recipe by Tess GodhardtTess Godhardt is an attorney who has always harbored a love for creative writing. When she is not working, she can be found on the basketball court attempting to relive her collegiate glory days o… 042
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 14/06/2026Just curious, #writers. Would you appreciate it or be offended if an editor just came out and flatly told you that your work is never going to fly in the zine? We've done it once or twice, but it definitely doesn't feel good and we hate to slam the door like that. Advice? 100
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Here's another fave from our vault. Enjoy! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2025/12/17/i...thedisappointedhousewife.comIt’s Not a Pyrrhic Victory If We’re Paid Shitloads of Money ~ fiction by Ya Lan ChangWe’re storming to Zouk. We’re getting drunk tonight! we shout, drowning out the Jacky Cheung schmaltz murmuring from the taxi’s radio. We wind down the windows, stick our heads out, smirk back as t… 010
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 12/06/2026In case you missed it. One of our recent faves: thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/02/03/c...thedisappointedhousewife.comCase Notes for Snow White Ref 01812 ~ victim referral form by Kathryn Aldridge-MorrisKathryn 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… 162
The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 02/06/2026"I'm tired of crows and their death banquets." Beautiful new piece this morning by Damon Hubbs. #Poetry lovers, drop in for a look pronto! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/02/y... 031