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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open!

@offbeatlit.bsky.social
242 followers 123 following 141 posts

Fiction, essays, and poetry – along with unclassifiable writings, photos, and drawings – that challenge readers and bend their brains, while maintaining the highest levels of style and substance. Editor novelist Kevin Brennan.

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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If the first page of a submission sounds like AI, and Pangram says it's 100% AI, should we bother reading the whole thing? 🤔
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Writers have some choices to make ... kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com/2026/09/24/i... #AI #ChatGPT #editing #proofreading
kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com
Is 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 …
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Your moment of Zen ... Revisit a good one we published in '24, by the great Guy Biederman. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2024/05/30/s...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
Sound of a Train From A Previous Life ~ fiction by Guy Biederman
Sitting 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…
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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.
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The story thus far ... Check out the new prose poem by @JeffreyHermann! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/09/18/t... #poetry #prosepoetry #poetrycommunity #writing #writingcommunity
thedisappointedhousewife.com
The Best I Can Describe It ~ prose poem by Jeffrey Hermann
The 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…
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Emily Hall @emhall47.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Thank you to @offbeatlit.bsky.social for nominating me for Best Small Fictions 2027!! 🎉 🙌🏻 #flashfiction #microfiction #writing #writesky
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Here they are, our 2027 Best Small Fictions nominees! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/09/16/b...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
Best Small Fictions Nominations 2027
The 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We'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.com
Jonah Hill: That Was Close
ALT: Jonah Hill: That Was Close
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Jane @janestecyk.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
the 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.com
Postpartum Intake Pop Quiz ~ questionnaire by Ellen Kombiyil
Ellen 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
We'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/
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
You 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 #poetrycommunity
thedisappointedhousewife.com
To Do List ~ poetry by Kataru Yahya
To 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Come take a little trip to the apocalypse on the S.S. Persephone! New #poetry by Sarp Sozdinler. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/25/m...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
Maraschino ~ poetry by Sarp Sozdinler
Maraschino 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Wait, 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...
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Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Back 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.com
When the Cowbirds Come to Carry Your Sister Away ~ fiction by Audra Kerr Brown
They 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 …
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Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Another @smokelong.bsky.social #archivechallenge digging into @offbeatlit.bsky.social. Love this spec story as press release! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2023/03/07/v...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
Vaginal Claw Press Information ~ press release by Meredith Wadley
VAGINAL 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…
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Myna Chang @mynachang.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
New MicroVerse flash rec list, curated by Patricia Q. Bidar! @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social
mynachang.com
Special Issue * Flash Recs from Patricia Q. Bidar
Welcome 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Let's take a look at what postpartum depression feels like. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/20/p... #fiction #writingcommunity #postpartumdepression
thedisappointedhousewife.com
Postpartum Intake Pop Quiz ~ questionnaire by Ellen Kombiyil
Ellen 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
You 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
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
If you remember Dick and Jane, this #flashfiction might resonate with you. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/18/s... #fiction #writingcommunity
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Angela James @olangela.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Archive 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.com
Two Excellent People Burning ~ fiction by Travis Flatt
You, 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Death 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...
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One Punch Saitama: Whack-a-Mole Master
ALT: One Punch Saitama: Whack-a-Mole Master
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Today we have three bastardized villanelles for you. Who doesn't love a good bastardized villanelle? #poetry #poetrylovers #writingcommunity thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/12/t...
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Hot off the grill, our 2027 Best of the Net nominations! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/08/10/2...
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
On the offchance that you missed this one, better come by and feast on it now. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/08/h... #poetrylovers #poetrycommunity #poems
thedisappointedhousewife.com
How to Measure a Dog’s Loneliness Across Time ~ assignment by Chrissy Stegman
Chrissy 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…
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Emily Hall @emhall47.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Found 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
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
A 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
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Whew! Just finished filing our Best of the Net nominations! Fun times. Stay tuned for the announcement next week. ⏰
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Homer Simpson's Whoo Hoo!
ALT: Homer Simpson's Whoo Hoo!
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
If, somehow, you missed this "memoir" by the shark in Jaws, circle back and have a look now. 🤣🤣🤣 thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/23/v...
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Shark Puppet Screams at Phone
ALT: Shark Puppet Screams at Phone
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I 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
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Dottie 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... #writingcommunity
static.klipy.com
Earthmix & Earth Pirapat: Bring It On Dance
ALT: Earthmix & Earth Pirapat: Bring It On Dance
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
A gem of a #poem today, by Jill Crammond, "The First Grave Mistake." thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/07/15/t... #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #poetry
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Mike Robbins @mikerobbins.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Kevin Brennan is very good writer, and I reckon any of his novels would be a steal ay $2.99. Recommended. #books #fiction
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Now 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
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Just 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/B00FZX2L22
amazon.com
Yesterday Road
Yesterday 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.
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
We 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.com
How to Measure a Dog’s Loneliness Across Time ~ assignment by Chrissy Stegman
Chrissy 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I 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 ...
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Trump destroyed my America. kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com/2026/07/04/t...
kevinbrennanbooks.wordpress.com
They say it’s our birthday
The 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
What 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...
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Just 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.
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A word-game poem with a little subtext for you this morning. Come on over and play! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/25/s... #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A 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...
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S. M. Strand @smstrand.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
This 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.com
Vanya, Vanity, and Betrayal on the Bay ~ memoir by Jeff Bond and S. M. Strand
So 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
One 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.com
Having 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…
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Christina M Rau The Yoga Poet @christinamrau.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Thanks 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...
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
A penetrating contemplation of Jack & Jill this morning from the wonderful @ChristinaMRau. thedisappointedhousewife.com/2026/06/19/w... #poetry #poetrycommunity
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
One from last year we were rather fond of: thedisappointedhousewife.com/2025/05/06/h...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
How to be Enough ~ recipe by Tess Godhardt
Tess 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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Just 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?
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Here's another fave from our vault. Enjoy! thedisappointedhousewife.com/2025/12/17/i...
thedisappointedhousewife.com
It’s Not a Pyrrhic Victory If We’re Paid Shitloads of Money ~ fiction by Ya Lan Chang
We’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…
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The Disappointed Housewife~Submissions always open! @offbeatlit.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
In case you missed it. One of our recent faves: 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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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...
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