Okay Donkey Magazine

On a background of a flowered field, a photo of Carolene is overlaid, put in place by a metal binder clip. The text says "Thank you, Carolene!" Sad Jack (the donkey) adorns the bottom left corner of the photo and there are two hearts at the top right.

Since coming on board in 2024, Carolene @carolenekurien.bsky.social has brought her passion for poetry to all aspects of the role, always tactful and personable, sparkling and wise. We’ll leave you with a poem by Caro published in Bennington Review: buff.ly/4sSvzP0
We will miss you so, Caro! 🩷

Learn about Writing & Selling a Debut Novel with LMC & Tolani Akinola

On March 15, at 12 pm ET, Lit Match Collective is partnering with former OKD reader Tolani Akinola for a tell-all about the process of writing and selling a debut novel. Here’s your chance to hear what authors rarely say in public about each phase of the process! LMC members may register on Discord.

“Then a gasp. A call of my name. I found her with an old armchair, whose upholstery she had begun snipping off. Somehow, it had started to bleed.”

“All Our Furniture” by Jimmy Kindree @jimmy-kindree.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/03/06/a...

Hey, Sad Jack 🫏 again. Since we open for free subs on the first of every month… we run out pretty quickly. Submit now at okaydonkeymag.com/submissions/ while there are still some left!

Sad Jack uses a very old desktop computer, with a matrix of white ones and zeroes on a light blue background. The title reads "Back into the Archives" by Eleanor Ball. The "e" in "Archives" is the old internet explorer icon.

This month, we’re diving back into the archives with help from Fiction Reader Eleanor Ball. But we didn’t stop there, as we also included a Q&A with Carolene Kurien (outgoing Poetry Editor) and Erin Malone (new Poetry Editor)! Read the full newsletter at okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/a-return-t....

OKD is open for free subs until we reach our cap! Learn more about us and submit your best poetry or flash fiction: buff.ly/chQ4jpz

Okay Donkey is always open for tip jar ($2.50) or expedited ($4.00) subs! Your contribution helps us pay our contributors and cover other mag-related expenses.

“I spent most of yesterday fracking for vague memories of second grade, fearful they had all dried / up.”

“NO OFFENSE TAKEN” by Bennett Rine, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/02/27/n...

Who could’ve guessed that there’s one more former OKD contributor with a recently published book? Gordon Brown (October 2022) has his chapbook, Skin Crawls, out with Cuttlefish Books! You can order it at bookshop.org/p/books/skin...

Yet another former OKD contributor, Allison Field Bell @allisonfieldbell.bsky.social (August 2024), has her first full-length poetry collection on the way! You can pre-order Allison’s collection, All That Blue, at www.finishinglinepress.com/product/all-.... Out March 20th.

“Our other friends had all gone home [...] suddenly and violently disappeared. I only know that I was laughing with my friend, and when I looked away my glass was empty and our friends were gone.”

“Mr. Mayor” by Sarah Bess Jaffe, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/02/20/m...

Registration is open for Kathy Fish’s 3-in-90 Workshops, including a *bonus* workshop with OKD fiction editor Steve Chang and former Guernica editor Autumn Watts on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1 pm ET. Sign up at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Another former OKD contributor, Dani Janae @danijanae.bsky.social (January 2025), has a poetry collection coming out! You can pre-order Dani’s debut collection, Hound Triptych, at bookshop.org/p/books/houn.... Out on March 3rd.

“Walking directly into the sun sounded like the only viable option. I was not going to let a man with an American traditional crocodile tattoo tell me what to do…”

“From there we came outside and saw the stars” by Lane Devers, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/02/13/f...

"The numbers which follow are the numbers you know should follow but somehow your pencil zigzags"

A piece to read and re-read to dig down into all its layers. Brilliant writing from @noranadj.bsky.social

You Don’t Have a Place Here by Anna Vangala Jones I have a scheduled meeting with Caroline, our team’s HR rep, today and I’m glad you’ll be coming with me, so I don’t have to be alone with her. There’s something cold about her I don’t like. She’s …

But before then, make sure to celebrate The Bulb Region writer Anna Vangala Jones (@anniejowrites.bsky.social) by reading her Pushcart-nominated story, "You Don't Have a Place Here," in @okaydonkeymag.com.

okaydonkeymag.com/2019/10/18/y...

😎

This is a story when the reader also has to "join the dots". Brilliant from @noranadj.bsky.social

OKD Newsletter Editor, Christine Salek @cms.bsky.social, and Fiction Reader Eleanor Ball eleanorball.bsky.social are among several amazing editors who worked on MONARCH 2026, a queer awards anthology from fifth wheel press! Pre-order it at asterismbooks.com/product/mona.... Out on March 3rd.

ICYMI...

Former OKD contributor Bill Verble (January 2022) has a poetry collection out from Broadstone Books! You can check out Bill’s debut collection, Absence Descending, at www.broadstonebooks.com/shop/p/absen...

Love this story by @noranadj.bsky.social, how we get to piece together the narrative.

@stevexisxok.bsky.social is the best!! Thank you for trusting us with your work 😊

“Start again with 1, 2, 3 and keep going until something takes shape from when you were a child. A pebble, a shard of glass, a secret memory, but find it, join the dots and see.”

“Join the Dots” by Nora Nadjarian @noranadj.bsky.social, new flash fiction out today at OKD: buff.ly/WWxn5eF

Hey, it’s Sad Jack 👋🫏. Remember how we open for free submissions on the first of every month? Well… there are only a few free subs remaining! Submit now at okaydonkeymag.com/submissions/.

This month’s newsletter features “Ways to Weird Your Work” by our very own Associate Fiction Editor, Gina Thayer! Weirding your work may include embracing speculation, upending structure, and more. 🫏

Read the full feature and catch up on OKD updates at okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/what-makes...

OKD is open again for free subs until we reach our cap! Learn more about us and submit your best poetry or flash fiction: buff.ly/chQ4jpz

Okay Donkey is always open for tip jar ($2.50) or expedited ($4.00) subs! Your contribution helps us pay our contributors and cover other mag-related expenses.

“Behind the glowing screen the doctor nods. Terminal, yes, / she says. The farmer tugs a small notebook from his shirt / pocket. Will you sign this?…”

“The Farmer” by Andrew Doll, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/30/t...

ICYMI: “Family Double-Dare, ‘The Lima Beings vs. Toledo TNT,’ June 1991” flash fiction by T.J. Martinson: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/01/23/f...

We’re happy to share that former OKD fiction reader Tolani Akinola’s debut novel, “Leave Your Mess at Home,” is coming out on April 14th! Read the synopsis and preorder from your favorite bookseller at www.tolaniakinola.com.

There's only ONE (1) WEEK LEFT to apply to be a reader for OKD! Now's your chance to be part of a kind and committed indie lit mag team. Don't let Sad Jack 🫏 continue being sad! Learn more and apply by next Saturday, Jan. 31st at forms.gle/kAQyzPW3oR8Y....