A heads up for those who want to submit to @lostballoon.bsky.social -- we've tweaked our submission guidelines. We're now accepting stories 750 words or less (used to be 1000). We'll be open the first week of April -- get your stories ready!
I really said "please don't call me 'buttcheek' at the Grand Canyon" loud enough for strangers to hear. parenthood is a wild and embarrassing ride
Mentally I am in a room full of my enemies singing a karaoke song that is absolutely blowing their minds and making them rethink all they've done to me
I had story come out with the Sunlight Press today!! Huge thank you to the editors for giving this piece a home.
www.thesunlightpress.com/2026/02/10/f...
Thank you so much again to everyone who has donated or shared the GoFundMe! It has been so heart-filling seeing the care and kindness for our family. (1/?)
Clicking through links on my own website and finding many of my published stories are in now defunct journals. I know this happens, but it did make me a little sad.
Some days the world feels heavy and you still need to go to basketball practice and entertain your 3yo and play with dinos and
“Summer bodies are made in winter” I say as I open another sleeve of Thin Mints
Thank you for sharing!!
"And I wonder why I agreed to this –to giving my son something I knew would die, something I knew would hurt him"
Wonderful piece from @madelineanthes.bsky.social in @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social - so much truth in this one
Since having kids I’ve been wondering if I’ll ever write again. Today I wrote 1200 words while my son wrote a story next to me at a coffee shop. Hard to explain the relief I feel.
Perfect yes I’m in
Is that a show??
Ok tell me other shows and books that changed your brain chemistry the way Heated Rivalry changed mine
Watching my 7 year old is wild. One minute he’s telling me I’m brave and that it’s ok to make mistakes. The next minute he’s speaking Italian brain rot and his teeth fall out.
I'm usually very hype-averse and suspicious when things become trendy... but I watched Heated Rivalry and holy moly. Sometimes the hype is truly worthy.
That’s pretty much what I was gonna say but in my typical vanilla wording. My MFA mentor once talked about the stage of revising where you mourn the original vision and versions of the story it could have been and accepting what it is
Maddie knew who she was from a very early age
My hot take is that every picture book should be 3-5 (or more) pages shorter.
You can find links to all of these wonderful pieces on our awards page. lost-balloon.com/awards/
We are happy to announce our nominees for this year’s Best Microfiction anthology!!!! Vic Nogay: @vicnogaywrites.bsky.social, Carol M. Quinn, Titi Kusumandari, Michael Nickels-Wisdom, and Nicole Desjardins Gowdy!
9th times the charm! Finally got my 💀 today from @havehashad.com after submitting since 2021!!
Had a little story come out with @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social!! gooseberry-pie.com/current/?fbc...
I dunno maybe I have no sense of humor but I hate the videos of kids being legit terrified by a Grinch running into their houses and dragging kids by their feet and stealing their trees. SORRY!!
My face when someone tells me to enjoy every second of motherhood bc it goes by too fast
Love this story out today with @lostballoon.bsky.social: lost-balloon.com/2025/12/17/s...
A residency where someone takes my kids for a month and I sleep for 30 days straight
I love that @lostballoon.bsky.social was # 4 on "Where to publish that piece you wrote crying in your car" on @chillsubs.bsky.social because tbh that's where I'm reading your submissions, too! (and sometimes while crying!!)
www.chillsubs.com/lists/crying...
“The current carries the box away quickly and my son sobs, saying he was just getting to know him, why did he love him so much only to lose him, how is this fair?”
@madelineanthes.bsky.social in @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social gooseberry-pie.com/current/
“My son is distraught when his fish dies…” @madelineanthes.bsky.social
gooseberry-pie.com/current/
