Ash McCurry

As our contributor (& reader!) family grows in 2025, make sure you’re following our starter pack! ☀️

Reminder! If you’re interested in being a volunteer Poetry Reader for Okay Donkey, today (Jan. 10) is the last day to apply: forms.gle/wHuhQ1oCxShe...

I Found a Stone Under My Skin by Amanda Parrack May 10th 9:58 pm I was brushing my hair when I noticed the top part of my head was tender. When I put my fingers through my hair searching for the tender spot, I stopped and felt the bump the size …

"The doctor suggested I take iron pills, so maybe there is some correlation? Who knows, I am not a doctor. I am just a music major."

"I Found a Stone Under My Skin" by Amanda Parrack, new flash fiction out today at OKD. 📝

41 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for January 2025 These are themed calls and contests for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Some of the themed calls are: paranoia; short (b)reads; seaside gothic; fairy tales; sleeping beauty; food; underappreciated o

These publications are open for submissions. Please be sure to check the article and submission requirements before submitting. Also, please make sure your work is a good fit for their audience. #booksky #authors
authorspublish.com/41-themed-su...

Introducing Okay Donkey (again) Meet the OKD team, what we published in November, and more

The first edition of our (new) newsletter is live! If you're already subscribed, it should hit your inbox shortly if it hasn't already. Check your Gmail tabs or spam folder (?!) if you don't see it (and move it to your inbox), and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet!

“This was 1997, before everything sucked.”

Update: Please submit your Poetry Reader applications by next Friday, January 10!

It’s me!

Bright Invitations by Dani Janae after Camille T. Dungy I bathe my tongue in syrup. The rest of my body in sugaring light, black leaf, smoke poplars, sulfur. There is a stain on me that will not wash out. No matter what a river sa…

"No matter what a river says you cannot / flow in the direction of want all your life."

"Bright Invitations" by @danijanae.bsky.social, new poetry up today. 📝

Duck Girls by Nicole Hart One Wednesday morning my husband Jerry brushed his teeth and then disappeared. He is still gone. I lay awake in our bed each night, wait for the sound of his keys in the lock, and study his birds. …

And... OKD's #1 most-viewed flash fiction of 2024:

"Duck Girls" by Nicole Hart

Wow! I can’t believe this! ☺️

After His Mother Throws Him Out, Nicky Spends the Night on the High School Roof by Kathryn Kulpa This was 1997, before everything sucked. You could wander off school grounds, or back onto them. Life was fluid. It could expand. “A FIDDLER ON A ROOF!” Nicky shouted. His tenth-grade girlfriend ha…

Happy New Year! We've got a treat for you: a New Year's Day pub!

"After His Mother Throws Him Out, Nicky Spends the Night on the High School Roof," flash fiction by @writesofkathryn.bsky.social, is out now on OKD. 📝

I used to be an OKD Reader & it’s a great way to learn the other side of the submission process, read the newest poetry from all over the world, and connect with fellow poets. Give it shot!

Bonus! Check our our Nominations & Awards page to read pieces we really like: okaydonkeymag.com/nominations-...

A graphic that says, Okay Donkey, what to know before you submit. Okay Donkey is a literary magazine that likes to read the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird. We like work that’s funny, that’s sad, and that’s both funny and sad at the same time. We especially enjoy the experimental, the surreal, the magical realist, and the genre-bending. Okaydonkeymag.com/submit.

With the new year approaching, we'd like to take a quick moment to share Okay Donkey's vision — that is, what we'd like to see in submissions and the general vibe we hope the mag reflects.

Our About page has all this plus some lists of writers we like: okaydonkeymag.com/about/

4 Reasons To Embrace Jólabókaflóð for a Cozier, More Mindful Holiday Season Celebrate the joy of mindfulness and bookish giving this holiday season by discovering the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð.

My first article with @bookstr.bsky.social went live yesterday! 🥳

An all-OKD contributor lineup?! 🤩

This Thursday evening! Register here to attend this star-studded reading:

Emerging Writer Fellowships / 2025 Finalists & Honorable Mentions - Miami Book Fair ... Read More

Huge news! Fiction Editor Steve Chang (@stevexisxok.bsky.social) was a finalist and Poetry Editor Carolene Kurien (@carolenekurien.bsky.social) received honorable mention for the 2025 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowship! 🤩

Come join the team!!! I can’t wait to work with you 🌸

Being a fiction reader for Split Lip has absolutely made me a better writer and allowed me to join a fantastic community. Also, I love OKD! If you’re a poet and you’ve got the time, jump on this opportunity!!!

A graphic that reads, Want to join the OKD team? Call for poetry readers! There is art of megaphones, sparkles, and the Okay Donkey donkey surrounding the text. At the bottom it says, No donkeys were harmed during the creation of this announcement, okaydonkeymag.com.

🔖 The rumors (that we started) are true: We're looking for Poetry Readers to join our team!

As an OKD Poetry Reader, you'll read and vote "yes," "no," or "maybe" on 10 poetry submissions every two weeks.

• Check out what we publish: okaydonkeymag.com/poetry/
• Apply here: forms.gle/wHuhQ1oCxShe...

If you like what you've seen this week and you're interested in joining our team, we may have a lead on some Poetry Reader openings on Friday… 👀

A graphic that says, Meet OKD's Staff Readers, at the top. On a pink background with binder paper lines are seven photos with names and titles underneath: Eleanor Ball, Paul Ruta, Jeanette Smith, and Gina Thayer are fiction readers. Jessica Heron, Jingyu Li, and Jessica Nirvana Ram are poetry readers. Fiction readers are outlined in blue, while poetry readers are outlined in green.

OKD Staff Spotlight, Day 4:

Meet our readers! Seven of them were generous enough to share a little more about themselves…

A graphic that says, Meet OKD's Social Media Team, at the top. On a purple background are two photos with names and titles underneath: Christine Salek, social media manager, a biracial person with curly hair smiling at the camera in front of a library, and Ashley McCurry, social media associate, a white woman with long brown hair smiling at the camera in a professional headshot.

OKD Staff Spotlight, Day 3:

Meet our social media team, Christine Salek and Ashley McCurry! (Fun fact: They're both also longtime OKD Fiction Readers.)

A graphic that says, Meet OKD's Poetry Editors, at the top. On a green background are two photos with descriptions underneath: Carolene Kurien, poetry editor, a brown-skinned woman with dark hair smiling at the camera. Eric Lochridge, associate poetry editor, a white man with a beard smiling down at the camera. At the bottom is the text, and Jonah Meyer, associate poetry editor.

OKD Staff Spotlight, Day 2:

Meet our poetry editors: Carolene Kurien, Eric Lochridge, and Jonah Meyer!

Our week of highlighting OKD’s awesome staff begins tomorrow! Make sure you check out our starter pack that includes OKD staff and contributors, the coolest people around. 😎

A graphic that says, Meet OKD's Fiction Editors, at the top. On a blue background are two photos with descriptions underneath: Steve Change, Fiction Editor, an Asian man wearing a baseball cap staring off-camera. Heidi Marjamäki, Associate Fiction Editor, a white woman looking at the camera slightly smiling.

OKD Staff Spotlight, Day 1:

Meet our fiction editors, Steve Chang and Heidi Marjamäki!

We love the #library. That is why our magazine is available on #Libby and #Hoopla.

Just search "After Dinner Conversation" to read our magazine for free! (Don't worry, we still get paid by the library)

The work I have done at OKD has been some of the most fulfilling of my writing career. A big thank you to Eric for carrying the OKD weight for so long. It was a tough decision to step away and only possible because of Steve and Heidi's work. I love OKD and can't wait to see what they do next 💖

Hi, all. This is a note from your friendly and long-serving Okay Donkey Magazine Founders and Editors, Eric and Genevieve. While Genevieve stepped down from her day-to-day OKD editorial duties about a year or so ago, Eric has recently stepped down from his day-to-day OKD editorial duties just a few months ago in September. After almost 7 years of running OKD Magazine, we’re pretty tired, yet grateful and fulfilled, and ready to move on to new projects and adventures. We want to send our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the many wonderful readers, contributors, and fans who have read and written all the terrific OKD stories and poems over the years, as well as all of those who have worked with dedication as OKD’s Volunteer Readers and Associate Editors on our small, but mighty staff. You might be thinking to yourselves, but wait, OKD has continued to publish a lot of great stories and poems over the past few months, and the artwork and social media presence have only gotten better. Instead of closing our doors, G and I have decided to hand over our once small, but now growing literary child to the set of incredible hands who have worked tirelessly side-by-side with us over the last few years, and we have every faith they’ll continue the amazing work they’ve already been doing.

We’re so excited to have Steve Chang, previous OKD Contributor and long-serving Fiction Associate Editor and Co-Editor finally take over the editorial reins as Fiction Editor of OKD Mag. We’re also equally thrilled to welcome aboard the wonderful and talented Carolene Kurien as OKD’s new Poetry Editor. In addition, we want to give a big thanks and shout out to our Volunteer Fiction and Poetry Readers and to those who have served on our terrific team of Associate Editors, both new and old, Téa Franco, Veronica Klash, Eric Lochridge, Heidi Marjamaki, Jonah Meyer, and Elizabeth Upshur. Finally, we want to welcome two of the newest members to our steadfast staff, Christine Salek as our Social Media Manager and Ashley McCurry as our Social Media Associate. They’ve already been up to many great and wonderful things to make OKD look even better. G and I know that this excellent new crew of literary rock stars will continue to carry Okay Donkey Magazine far into a fantastic future. All Best, Eric and Genevieve

A note from OKD’s founders, Eric and Genevieve, on some changes you may have noticed around here lately…