December 2025 Publications
december publications
“Daryl disappeared while we were gathering wood. He’d stayed back to prep dinner. We returned to an empty camp.”
Happy Birthday by Michael Czyzniejewski
“She left suddenly. That’s what we said when the police asked. When anyone asked. Coy enough to imply there was a reason she left, vague enough to let their imaginations fill in the blanks.”
She Left Suddenly by Zelda Knapp
“It’s a Saturday in the middle of July on a white porch with an old friend. Towels along the clothesline. She’s ten years younger, so I’m always asking about her sex life. Now she’s been seeing the same man for many months and turns to me with, They say when you know, you know, but how did you know?”
Mechanical Pencils by Dina L. Relles
ten years ago
“When the woman was escorted from courthouse to squad car and the flashbulbs began to erupt, along with reporters’ questions about why, exactly, she broke through the upper Electronet on the I-95 Superflyway…”
Flyway by Melissa Frederick
“Given the chance, you say he’s 6’2, way tall, way cute and at parties you say he’ll be here and when he doesn’t turn up it is because he is older, more mature. Maybe next time you say. Your new friends drink the same drink, wear the same lip gloss. Bottle-tops start tasting like strawberries and cream.”
You Find You Can Lie Better by Carlotta Eden
mb staff is loving
Pluribus on Apple TV.
New Year’s poetry (Burning the Old Year by Naomi Shihab Nye this time).
Circe by Madeline Miller
thank you, Sarah J. Sloat
Sarah J. Sloat‘s poems, prose and collage have appeared in Seneca Review, Diagram, Shenandoah, and many other publications. She is the author of the visual poetry collection Hotel Almighty (Sarabande 2020), as well as five poetry chapbooks, including Heiress to a Small Ruin and Excuse me while I wring this long swim out of my hair (Dancing Girl Press). Born in New Jersey, Sarah has lived for many years in Europe, where she works in news and splits her time between Frankfurt and Barcelona.
Sarah has been our first mb artist, and we can’t thank her enough. You can find her most recent book of visual poetry, Classic Crimes, here.
open submissions
Submissions will be open Monday, January 5 through Monday, January 12, 2026. We are looking for works of short fiction, creative nonfiction, and indeterminate prose - read our full guidelines here. We can’t wait to see what you write.
Classic Crimes looks amazing. Thanks so much for putting it on my radar, matchbook!