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bleatingthing.bsky.social
Bleating Thing Magazine
@bleatingthing.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.1K following 180 posts
A twice-annual magazine of poetry, flash fiction, essays, hybrid work, & visual art.

EIC @cursetheground.bsky.social

More on our website: https://tinyurl.com/5vnsajea
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bleatingthing.bsky.social
Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 1
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
kmhanslik.bsky.social
So honored to be included, I’ll be thrilled to see all of your lovely writing in the final anthology 🫶
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · 1d
We're so proud of all our nominees! Congratulations to @godstained.bsky.social, @connorsartroom.bsky.social , @kmhanslik.bsky.social, and, of course, to @esichr.bsky.social.
monarch.gay Monarch Queer Literary Awards @monarch.gay · 2d
We are elated to announce the awardees and finalists for MONARCH 2026. Thank you to all of the organizations who nominated work for making our first anthology so stunning 🦋 and a special shoutout to @esichr.bsky.social and @bleatingthing.bsky.social for the beautiful cover photograph!
January 18, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
gonelawn.bsky.social
Congrats to Liam Strong for winning in the Monarch awards for "the year of lost limbs,"

also Robert McDonald for inclusion in Best Microfiction for "Jane Goodall of the Mantid Kingdom!"
January 17, 2026 at 10:04 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
We're so proud of all our nominees! Congratulations to @godstained.bsky.social, @connorsartroom.bsky.social , @kmhanslik.bsky.social, and, of course, to @esichr.bsky.social.
monarch.gay Monarch Queer Literary Awards @monarch.gay · 2d
We are elated to announce the awardees and finalists for MONARCH 2026. Thank you to all of the organizations who nominated work for making our first anthology so stunning 🦋 and a special shoutout to @esichr.bsky.social and @bleatingthing.bsky.social for the beautiful cover photograph!
The cover of Monarch 2026. A photo of a person lying on their back in a field of tall grass with their left arm covering their face. Text reads Monarch 2026, a queer literary awards anthology published by fifth wheel press. Awardees. Michael Agunbiade, Maddox Emory Arnold, J. L. Bermúdez, C. Ray Borck, Finnian Burnett, Connor, a.d., Gion Davis, Erin Dorney, Dante Fuoco, Ranudi Gunawardena, Katy Haas, Annalisa Hansford, K.M. Hanslik, KT Herr, Jennessa Hester, Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey, Jules Kennedy, Ani King, Kyrico, Tara Labovich, Olivia Lehman, Jackson D. Moorman, Chi Pham, William Roberds-King, Cristina Sanchez, Steven Sanchez, January Santoso, Elena Sichrovsky, Mark Spero, Ashley Steineger, Liam Strong, Gordon Taylor, Holly Lyn Walrath, Cela Xié. Finalists. Hayden Berry, Alex Bortell, Isabella Boyd, Jordan Byrum, J. J. Carey, James Diaz, Emily Franklin, Isaiah Gardner, Michael Getty, Finnley Greet, Kimberly Hall, Calvin Jones, E.G.N. Lafleur, Angel Leal, Parker Logan, Abby E. Murray, Karol Olesiak, Bleah Patterson, Rowan Procter, Eli V. Rahm, Luke Rudman, Mk Smith Despres, Meghan Sterling, Liam Strong, Wendy Vardaman, Alicia Wright, Steven C Wright.
January 17, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
monarch.gay
We are elated to announce the awardees and finalists for MONARCH 2026. Thank you to all of the organizations who nominated work for making our first anthology so stunning 🦋 and a special shoutout to @esichr.bsky.social and @bleatingthing.bsky.social for the beautiful cover photograph!
The cover of Monarch 2026. A photo of a person lying on their back in a field of tall grass with their left arm covering their face. Text reads Monarch 2026, a queer literary awards anthology published by fifth wheel press. Awardees. Michael Agunbiade, Maddox Emory Arnold, J. L. Bermúdez, C. Ray Borck, Finnian Burnett, Connor, a.d., Gion Davis, Erin Dorney, Dante Fuoco, Ranudi Gunawardena, Katy Haas, Annalisa Hansford, K.M. Hanslik, KT Herr, Jennessa Hester, Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey, Jules Kennedy, Ani King, Kyrico, Tara Labovich, Olivia Lehman, Jackson D. Moorman, Chi Pham, William Roberds-King, Cristina Sanchez, Steven Sanchez, January Santoso, Elena Sichrovsky, Mark Spero, Ashley Steineger, Liam Strong, Gordon Taylor, Holly Lyn Walrath, Cela Xié. Finalists. Hayden Berry, Alex Bortell, Isabella Boyd, Jordan Byrum, J. J. Carey, James Diaz, Emily Franklin, Isaiah Gardner, Michael Getty, Finnley Greet, Kimberly Hall, Calvin Jones, E.G.N. Lafleur, Angel Leal, Parker Logan, Abby E. Murray, Karol Olesiak, Bleah Patterson, Rowan Procter, Eli V. Rahm, Luke Rudman, Mk Smith Despres, Meghan Sterling, Liam Strong, Wendy Vardaman, Alicia Wright, Steven C Wright.
January 17, 2026 at 3:28 AM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 1
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
January 11, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
the-engine-idling.bsky.social
Issue 8 is OPEN FOR SUBS!

Remix our works!

Mind the Off Limits List: buff.ly/xboarlD

Rules: buff.ly/W6Q0BoP

Deadline: Jan 31

#writingcommunity #artistcommunity #collage #art #indiepublishing #indielit #litmag #poetry #poetrycommunity #writingprompt
January 11, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
the-engine-idling.bsky.social
⚠️ DASHBOARD AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENT⚠️

#writingcommunity unite!

We wanna give out 3 awards to poetic pieces published in 2025 in OTHER online litmags!

Deadline: 1/31/26.

Writing Peers, Readers, & Editors can ALL nominate via Google Form: buff.ly/FMfhtG5

Rules & Details: buff.ly/vdm5FlB

⬇️ ⬇️
January 11, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
epistemiclit.bsky.social
ISSUE 7: INTEGRITY is now LIVE!

Please read, share, and discuss! And watch this space all week for lots of spotlights.

Thank you to everyone who is a part of this issue and our wonderful #EpistemicLitFamily!

epistemiclit.com/current-issue/
Current Issue -
digital literary anthology accepting submissions based on theme to open conversations aimed at interpersonal understanding.
epistemiclit.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
avadevries.bsky.social
“Even the Moonlight; or, Twenty-One Scenes After Death,” another flash piece, appeared in Issue Four of @bleatingthing.bsky.social

www.bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html...
December 17, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Send us work for Christmas?
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 1
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 16, 2025 at 9:51 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Let today's issue 04 spotlight by @daragoodale.bsky.social transform you.

READ THE ISSUE: bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: "in the pristine absence of light I become something." - Dara Goodale, at 3am on weekends ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 23, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
anjbaker.bsky.social
Ayeeee dat's me!
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 16
Grapple with the reality of your mortal flesh alongside today's issue 04 spotlight by @anjbaker.bsky.social

READ THE ISSUE: bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: "Flesh is solid and good and it is just as much as our souls, our souls made only of finite, quantized neurotransmitters" - Anj Baker, Flesh Would Melt ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Send us work for Christmas?
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 1
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 16, 2025 at 9:51 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Grapple with the reality of your mortal flesh alongside today's issue 04 spotlight by @anjbaker.bsky.social

READ THE ISSUE: bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: "Flesh is solid and good and it is just as much as our souls, our souls made only of finite, quantized neurotransmitters" - Anj Baker, Flesh Would Melt ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 16, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
duotrope.com
The Smart Search List of the Day is: General Literary Poetry feat. @bleatingthing.bsky.social et al. https://duotrope.com...
Smart Search List of the Day
The Smart Search List of the Day is: General Literary Poetry feat. @bleatingthing.bsky.social et al. https://duotrope.com/search/smart/poetry/general-literary-poetry-CIaLt3q3
duotrope.com
December 14, 2025 at 1:05 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Succumb to the gothic fantasy of today's Issue 04 spotlight by Carella Keil

READ THE ISSUE: bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: Details from Vampire Sunrise by Carella Keil on following slide. ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM A dreamy black-and-white overlay of flowers over a large window clock. A curtain of red light flares across the image.
December 9, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Here are some prompt questions to get you inspired for ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT. Submissions open on Monday for poetry, flash, essays, hybrid, and visual art.
Against a backdrop of marble, a stone sheep marches with a pennant in its hoof. The overlaying text reads: ISSUE 05 PROMPTS FOR FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a stone-hewn lamb gazes up at its robed shepherd. The text bubble reads: A few guiding questions to help you interrogate the concept of classical statuary: • What disparities and/or similarities exist between the artist class, the patron class, and the consumer class? How do these manifest in the work itself? • How has the iconography of The Statue been used to signal to others coded messages about class, race, etc.? Are there counterexamples? • In which spaces (if any) do you feel represented by statues and/or sculptures? Do you seek to feel represented in these forms? Why or why not? • Find a statue/sculpture that speaks to you. How do you imagine the artist would want you to experience this work? Does their imagined experience align with your personal experience? Why or why not? The image is colored pale shades of green and pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN DEC 1 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
November 26, 2025 at 8:20 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Who's blowing up our spot this weekend?
bleatingthing.bsky.social Bleating Thing Magazine @bleatingthing.bsky.social · Dec 1
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 5, 2025 at 5:23 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Reckon with the ephemerality of our natural life alongside today's Issue 04 spotlight by James Lilliefors

READ THE ISSUE: bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: "I was thinking about [...] caterpillars, who re-organize their earth-bound bodies and become winged creatures late in life." - James Lilliefors, Snow ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Google's age verification AI thinks minors are running our account. & This is what the global economy has thrown its weight behind.
December 4, 2025 at 1:44 AM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Find companionship in unexpected places in today's Issue 04 spotlight by @rachelturney.bsky.social

READ:
bleatingthingmagazine.com/current.html

SUBMIT TO ISSUE 05: bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit.html
A red-and-yellow toned image of a two-headed sheep standing in a field, against a backdrop of trees. The text reads: Details from Loner by Rachel Turney on following slide. ISSUE 04 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM A black-and-white photo of a baboon crossing a field of dead grass. Away in the distance, a lake and barn are visible against the horizon.
December 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
SUBMISSIONS ARE !! OPEN !! For our fifth issue now thru JAN 31

Guidelines and theme description are available @ bleatingthingmagazine.com/submit
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW THRU JAN 31 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
December 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
Here are some prompt questions to get you inspired for ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT. Submissions open on Monday for poetry, flash, essays, hybrid, and visual art.
Against a backdrop of marble, a stone sheep marches with a pennant in its hoof. The overlaying text reads: ISSUE 05 PROMPTS FOR FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a stone-hewn lamb gazes up at its robed shepherd. The text bubble reads: A few guiding questions to help you interrogate the concept of classical statuary: • What disparities and/or similarities exist between the artist class, the patron class, and the consumer class? How do these manifest in the work itself? • How has the iconography of The Statue been used to signal to others coded messages about class, race, etc.? Are there counterexamples? • In which spaces (if any) do you feel represented by statues and/or sculptures? Do you seek to feel represented in these forms? Why or why not? • Find a statue/sculpture that speaks to you. How do you imagine the artist would want you to experience this work? Does their imagined experience align with your personal experience? Why or why not? The image is colored pale shades of green and pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN DEC 1 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
November 26, 2025 at 8:20 PM
bleatingthing.bsky.social
!! THEME REVEAL !! for Issue 05

This issue, we are seeking poetry, flash, essays, hybrid work, & visual art surrounding the theme FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT: sculpture garden / classical statuary

Submissions open DEC 1

Keep your eyes peeled - we'll be posting prompts this week to inspire you!
Against a backdrop of marble, a flower grows from a broken statue of a bird in a cupped pair of hands. The statue is obscured by the text, which announces: ISSUE 05: FRAGMENTS OF A PAINTED CULT sculpture garden/classical statuary The image is colored pale shades of green & pink. Against a backdrop of marble, a stone-hewn lamb gazes up at its robed shepherd. The text bubble reads: For this theme, we challenge submitters to explore & respond not just to artworks themselves, but the very concept of "classical." Who decides what is "classical?" Who/what is excluded from that scope? What are the dangers of clinging to iconography that reifies harmful traditions? The image is colored pale shades of green. Against a backdrop of marble, a staff-wielding shepherd gazes out at his flock, a lamb nestled in the crook of his arm. The text bubble reads: SUBMISSIONS OPEN DEC 1 BLEATINGTHINGMAGAZINE.COM
November 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Bleating Thing Magazine
avadevries.bsky.social
received my print copies of @bleatingthing.bsky.social issue four 🖤 such a lovely cover design!
November 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM