New Pop Lit

“Optional Nourishment” by John Zedolik NEW POETRY Foolish to be consuming a huge juicy pear at seventeen degrees of a mid-January day while the wind whipped so froze my fingers flushed with the fruit’s water as the naked skin burned then numbed in the stripping air young in this year and even an iota more foolish to be toting a bilingual book of Borges’ verse…

“Optional Nourishment” by John Zedolik

NEW POETRY Foolish to be consuming a huge juicy pear at seventeen degrees of a mid-January day while the wind whipped so froze my fingers flushed with the fruit’s water as the naked skin burned then numbed in the stripping air young in this year and even an…

The Fall of Established Literature? A REPORT Sure looks like an establishment collapse, anyway. The above two covers are for the two most heavily-hyped literary books of the past two years. Can people not see how bland and neutered t…

A New Report on Big 5 #publishing, exclusively at New Pop Lit's NEWS page. Check it out!
newpoplitnews.com/2026/03/07/t...

An Excerpt from “Contact” by Joe Del Castillo NEW FICTION “Oh no, he can’t. My father died a year ago yesterday.” She tapped his shoulder. “Do you think that’s significant? The fact that they died on the same day, a year apart?” Blake didn’t think so and didn’t want to hear some stranger’s life story. Hoping it would end the discourse, he said, “I think it means your dad was a very special person.” 

An Excerpt from “Contact” by Joe Del Castillo

NEW FICTION “Oh no, he can’t. My father died a year ago yesterday.” She tapped his shoulder. “Do you think that’s significant? The fact that they died on the same day, a year apart?” Blake didn’t think so and didn’t want to hear some stranger’s life…

Surviving the AI Slop Onslaught WHAT’S YOUR SURVIVAL STRATEGY? (image c/o YouTube) STUDY what remains of the established literary scene and you’ll see they have no intention of altering anything about how they think a…

A quick new post at our NPL News site:
newpoplitnews.com/2026/03/04/s...
#books #publishing

“Blessed Are the Warmakers” by Joe Johnson NEW "FICTION"? (image c/o cnn) NOTE: This is not an Official White House press release. Blessèd are our warriors. No nation rises to greatness without great warriors. The Council of Virility feeds our warriors war foods. Our warriors are pure with the eating of factory-fed cattle. This food makes warriors with fervent testicles. We are blessed to send our virile warriors and fecund missiles to a desert war.

“Blessed Are the Warmakers” by Joe Johnson

NEW "FICTION"? (image c/o cnn) NOTE: This is not an Official White House press release. Blessèd are our warriors. No nation rises to greatness without great warriors. The Council of Virility feeds our warriors war foods. Our warriors are pure with the…

Checking the news every morning is like getting hit over the head with a baseball bat.
#war

Our current feature.

"Stormtroopers."
newpoplit.com/portfolio/st...

“Notes From a Hotel Balcony” by Joseph Pfister NEW FICTION Who knows what thoughts cross the man’s mind as he gazes upon this glittering, green slice of paradise? Who can map that tangled interior, those labyrinth chambers of his mind? What memories flare like sparks, and which corners remain dark, dormant? Does the sight of so many all-but-naked bodies stir something in him? Or does it pull him backward—to his mother, to her hand tugging him toward the car after swim, to a half-remembered sermon about shame, to the certainty that beauty and loss are always intertwined?

“Notes From a Hotel Balcony” by Joseph Pfister

NEW FICTION Who knows what thoughts cross the man’s mind as he gazes upon this glittering, green slice of paradise? Who can map that tangled interior, those labyrinth chambers of his mind? What memories flare like sparks, and which corners remain…

All about #ICE and #Minneapolis?
newpoplit.com/portfolio/st...
#fiction

Topical Art IS THE TOPICAL POLITICAL? ("Guernica" by Pablo Picasso.) CAN a story, essay, or poem be political without being topical? Of the now, the moment, addressing today's dark dilemmas and hectic happenings? Can an art form truly be meaningful or important if it never does? After all, literature is supposed to be "news that stays news," but people forget the first part of the equation: becoming news to begin with.

Topical Art

IS THE TOPICAL POLITICAL? ("Guernica" by Pablo Picasso.) CAN a story, essay, or poem be political without being topical? Of the now, the moment, addressing today's dark dilemmas and hectic happenings? Can an art form truly be meaningful or important if it never does? After all,…

Our current feature.

"Stormtroopers."
newpoplit.com/portfolio/st...

Topical Art IS THE TOPICAL POLITICAL? ("Guernica" by Pablo Picasso.) CAN a story, essay, or poem be political without being topical? Of the now, the moment, addressing today's dark dilemmas and hectic happenings? Can an art form truly be meaningful or important if it never does? After all, literature is supposed to be "news that stays news," but people forget the first part of the equation: becoming news to begin with.

Topical Art

IS THE TOPICAL POLITICAL? ("Guernica" by Pablo Picasso.) CAN a story, essay, or poem be political without being topical? Of the now, the moment, addressing today's dark dilemmas and hectic happenings? Can an art form truly be meaningful or important if it never does? After all,…

Stormtroopers by Karl Wenclas (image c/o tutorperini) He took the job for the money. From the first day, for Stewart it was go-go-go, like being pushed through a tunnel. Beginning with the Academy, which crammed four months of training into 47 days. A hiring blitz was on. 120 were in his class, which was one of more than a dozen classes at the facility.

Stormtroopers

by Karl Wenclas (image c/o tutorperini) He took the job for the money. From the first day, for Stewart it was go-go-go, like being pushed through a tunnel. Beginning with the Academy, which crammed four months of training into 47 days. A hiring blitz was on. 120 were in his class,…

Have you seen this petition yet? Ban or Limit AI-Generated Content on Youtube

People are running a petition to limit or ban AI videos on YouTube. How can anyone NOT sign it?
c.org/VH74DB7Dbt
#StoptheSlop

“The Moment He Realized She Wasn’t For Him” by Brenton Booth NEW POETRY (image c/o wtfarthistorydotcom) They were at the National Gallery of London. He stood frozen before Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". Totally mesmerized by Vincent's artistry; the still life's vast confounding beauty. She casually pulled up beside him. Intensely focusing on the painting an extended period. Asking why he was wasting so much time on such an amateurish work. Brenton Booth lives in Sydney, Australia. His poetry has appeared in New York Quarterly, Midwest Quarterly, and North Dakota Quarterly, among other journals.

“The Moment He Realized She Wasn’t For Him” by Brenton Booth

NEW POETRY (image c/o wtfarthistorydotcom) They were at the National Gallery of London. He stood frozen before Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". Totally mesmerized by Vincent's artistry; the still life's vast confounding beauty. She…

“Taylor and Boyfriend Go Incognito” NEW FICTION (image c/o usatoday) a short story by K. Wenclas “ARE YOU SURE people won’t recognize us?” Taylor’s boyfriend– nicknamed Big T– said to her in whispered tones as they sat in a McDonald’s chowing down on Big Macs and vanilla shakes. Neither had actually sat inside a Mickey D’s in over a decade. Even drive-thru orders were scary, especially for Taylor, who’d be mobbed by hordes of fans within minutes of word getting out that her customized Mercedes Viano MPV or her Ferrari 458 Italia V10 was in line.

“Taylor and Boyfriend Go Incognito”

NEW FICTION (image c/o usatoday) a short story by K. Wenclas “ARE YOU SURE people won’t recognize us?” Taylor’s boyfriend– nicknamed Big T– said to her in whispered tones as they sat in a McDonald’s chowing down on Big Macs and vanilla shakes. Neither had…

Billionaire Frenzy! OUT-OF-CONTROL MONEY (image c/o onlocationxp) EPSTEIN FILES revelations are showing the true face of our corporate-financial overlords, and it’s not pretty. More like viewing a monster movie.…

"Billionaire Frenzy!"

Or: What's the real purpose of the #SuperBowl?
newpoplitinteractive.com/2026/02/07/b...
#greed #money #plutocracy

“True Punk” by Chris Cipollini (image c/o taylorbazinetdotcom) "TRUE PUNK" is not CBGB relics or boots crusted with the sweat of a hundred nights.It is not for sale in the windows of John Varvatos or hot topicstitched into leather and priced for the hungry ghosts of tourists. It is not the mythology of trashcan flames,or the dead boys canonized in gutter smoke.

“True Punk”

by Chris Cipollini (image c/o taylorbazinetdotcom) "TRUE PUNK" is not CBGB relics or boots crusted with the sweat of a hundred nights.It is not for sale in the windows of John Varvatos or hot topicstitched into leather and priced for the hungry ghosts of tourists. It is not the…

“The Moment He Realized She Wasn’t For Him” by Brenton Booth NEW POETRY (image c/o wtfarthistorydotcom) They were at the National Gallery of London. He stood frozen before Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". Totally mesmerized by Vincent's artistry; the still life's vast confounding beauty. She casually pulled up beside him. Intensely focusing on the painting an extended period. Asking why he was wasting so much time on such an amateurish work. Brenton Booth lives in Sydney, Australia. His poetry has appeared in New York Quarterly, Midwest Quarterly, and North Dakota Quarterly, among other journals.

“The Moment He Realized She Wasn’t For Him” by Brenton Booth

NEW POETRY (image c/o wtfarthistorydotcom) They were at the National Gallery of London. He stood frozen before Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers". Totally mesmerized by Vincent's artistry; the still life's vast confounding beauty. She…

Billionaire Frenzy! OUT-OF-CONTROL MONEY (image c/o onlocationxp) EPSTEIN FILES revelations are showing the true face of our corporate-financial overlords, and it’s not pretty. More like viewing a monster movie.…

"Billionaire Frenzy!"

Or: What's the real purpose of the #SuperBowl?
newpoplitinteractive.com/2026/02/07/b...
#greed #money #plutocracy

“Taylor and Boyfriend Go Incognito” NEW FICTION (image c/o usatoday) a short story by K. Wenclas “ARE YOU SURE people won’t recognize us?” Taylor’s boyfriend– nicknamed Big T– said to her in whispered tones as they sat in a McDonald’s chowing down on Big Macs and vanilla shakes. Neither had actually sat inside a Mickey D’s in over a decade. Even drive-thru orders were scary, especially for Taylor, who’d be mobbed by hordes of fans within minutes of word getting out that her customized Mercedes Viano MPV or her Ferrari 458 Italia V10 was in line.

“Taylor and Boyfriend Go Incognito”

NEW FICTION (image c/o usatoday) a short story by K. Wenclas “ARE YOU SURE people won’t recognize us?” Taylor’s boyfriend– nicknamed Big T– said to her in whispered tones as they sat in a McDonald’s chowing down on Big Macs and vanilla shakes. Neither had…

Like all techniques, when done well it works. Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd remains one of the most stunning works of fiction I've ever read. (Granted, you can read it only once.)
#concealedidentity

What’s Punk? A QUESTION that maybe needs to be asked in this time of turmoil, of madness and civilizational collapse-- talented poet Chris Cipollini is asking the question in our terrific new feature, appropriately titled "True Punk." THIS IS in our estimation a time of crisis in our society. Can writers be blind to happenings on all sides around us? Traditionally, it was the…

What’s Punk?

A QUESTION that maybe needs to be asked in this time of turmoil, of madness and civilizational collapse-- talented poet Chris Cipollini is asking the question in our terrific new feature, appropriately titled "True Punk." THIS IS in our estimation a time of crisis in our society. Can…

“True Punk” by Chris Cipollini (image c/o taylorbazinetdotcom) "TRUE PUNK" is not CBGB relics or boots crusted with the sweat of a hundred nights.It is not for sale in the windows of John Varvatos or hot topicstitched into leather and priced for the hungry ghosts of tourists. It is not the mythology of trashcan flames,or the dead boys canonized in gutter smoke.

“True Punk”

by Chris Cipollini (image c/o taylorbazinetdotcom) "TRUE PUNK" is not CBGB relics or boots crusted with the sweat of a hundred nights.It is not for sale in the windows of John Varvatos or hot topicstitched into leather and priced for the hungry ghosts of tourists. It is not the…

The full poem coming in minutes.

The Advisor by Karl Wenclas (image c/o Shuran Huang/ WSJ) I. “Two minutes and counting,” the Advisor said with a smirk to his personal assistant as he stared at his phone. “Per usual, the directors are late.” …

A "fictional" short story from last year, about an advisor to the President, which may be the best profile out there of near-trillionaire Elon Musk.
newpoplit.com/portfolio/th...
#writing

“I Married an ICE Agent!” NEW “FICTION” (image c/o USA Today) At the beginning of our marriage, my husband seemed normal. The first thing which aroused my suspicion was his insistence on moving his own sofa into…

Fiction-- or reality? 🤔

"I Married an ICE Agent!"
newpoplitinteractive.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/i...
#shortstory #flashfiction #satire

A Very Short Excerpt from “True Punk” by Chris Cipollini NEW POETRY It is not the mythology of trashcan flames,or the dead boys canonized in gutter smoke.It is not Sid and Nancy dissolving in neon tragedy,or piss-marked bathrooms pretending to be altars. True punkis a pulse beneath all that —older, quieter, far more dangerous. COMING SOON to New Pop Lit!

A Very Short Excerpt from “True Punk” by Chris Cipollini

NEW POETRY It is not the mythology of trashcan flames,or the dead boys canonized in gutter smoke.It is not Sid and Nancy dissolving in neon tragedy,or piss-marked bathrooms pretending to be altars. True punkis a pulse beneath all that…

“The Day of Her Burial” by Peter Mladinic NEW POETRY (image c/o ncronline) A man at the dinermade the server cry.The cops weren’t called.He wasn’t even askedto leave. The managercame. The man’s yellingrattled us diners, his loudearly morning swearingat the end of the twentiethcentury—five hours later,an ice cold day,my mother was buried—is what I mostly recall.

“The Day of Her Burial” by Peter Mladinic

NEW POETRY (image c/o ncronline) A man at the dinermade the server cry.The cops weren’t called.He wasn’t even askedto leave. The managercame. The man’s yellingrattled us diners, his loudearly morning swearingat the end of the twentiethcentury—five hours…

“I Married an ICE Agent!” NEW “FICTION” (image c/o USA Today) At the beginning of our marriage, my husband seemed normal. The first thing which aroused my suspicion was his insistence on moving his own sofa into…

Fiction-- or reality? 🤔

"I Married an ICE Agent!"
newpoplitinteractive.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/i...
#shortstory #flashfiction #satire