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Pithead Chapel

@pitheadchapel.bsky.social

3K followers 18 following 68 posts

Pithead Chapel (ISSN 2324-6243) is a monthly online literary journal and small press. We publish gutsy fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry. Founded 2012.

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 7d

The October issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-10/

Words:
@bizzycoy.bsky.social
@katieburgess.bsky.social
@johnwaddy.bsky.social
JEFFREY FEINGOLD
SARAH HARLEY
ELIZABETH HASHIMURA
BETH GILSTRAP
SARP SOZDINLER
YASHASVI VACHHANI

Art:
NATALIE NEE

Volume 14, Issue 10

COVER ART BY NATALIE NEE FICTION ANY MAN’S BETTER THAN NO MAN AT ALL BY BIZZY COY DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG BY KATIE BURGESS HIGH DESE…

pitheadchapel.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 4d

There's still plenty of time to submit to our annual short story contest!

If you're curious, submission fees support winning prizes, guest judge honorarium, and the cost of running the journal (and as always, general submissions are open and free).

See all details at pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 7d

Volume 14, Issue 10

COVER ART BY NATALIE NEE FICTION ANY MAN’S BETTER THAN NO MAN AT ALL BY BIZZY COY DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG BY KATIE BURGESS HIGH DESE…

pitheadchapel.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 11d

Six weeks remain to send us your best short story! Read all details here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown/

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Reposted by Pithead Chapel

Matt Jakubowski (he/him) @mattjakubowski.bsky.social · 13d

Not sure why but I started thinking about this flash I wrote, “Summer Break,” published years ago by @pitheadchapel.bsky.social in Volume 5, Issue 12. Maybe it’s that 3rd line that stings?
pitheadchapel.com/summer-break/

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 20d

Please join us in congratulating our Best of the Net 2026 Nominees! Good luck everyone!

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · 23d

If you're proficient in social media and possess a love for literary writing, get involved by volunteering for Pithead Chapel!

Find application details at pitheadchapel.com/social-media-editor

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Sep 1

Our September issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/09/01/v...

Words:
@aaronburch.bsky.social
@dawnwriter.bsky.social
CHARLES GROSEL
@patrickobrienstrickland.com
@gsmithgoodin.bsky.social
ALLISON ZHANG
E. FERRELL
CHRISTOPHER NOTARNICOLA

Cover art:
AL KRATZ

Volume 14, Issue 9

COVER ART BY AL KRATZ FICTION THE BOWLING STORY BY AARON BURCH BLUR BY DAWN MILLER MOM-G BY CHARLES GROSEL UNCLE HURT BY PATRICK STRICKLAND NONFICTION ADOPTING FROM FOSTER CARE IN EIG…

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Aug 31

Do you have a short story you're proud of and want to submit? Consider sending your piece to the Larry Brown Short Story Awards! Open now through October 31st.

-First prize is $500.
-Submission fee is $10 (or $5 for BIPOC writers)

Full guidelines here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown

The Larry Brown Short Story Award

We’re pleased to announce the tenth annual Larry Brown Short Story Award. The winners will receive the following prizes: 1st $500 USD, 2nd $50 USD, 3rd $50 USD, and 4th and 5th will receive a…

pitheadchapel.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Aug 6

Our annual short story contest is open NOW through October 31st. Send us your best!

Find all guidelines here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Aug 4

Congratulations to Siamak Vossoughi for his story “Orange” (from PC 13.1) making Best of the Net 2025!

bestofthenetanthology.com

Best of the Net – Best of the Net Anthology

bestofthenetanthology.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Aug 1

Our August issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/08/01/volume-14-issue-8/

Words:
THOMAS MIXON
@francesorrok.bsky.social
ROSS FEELER
@lesliepwriter.bsky.social
JOSIE BRAATEN
MARY BIDDINGER

Cover art:
ERNEST WILLIAMSON III

Volume 14, Issue 8

COVER ART BY ERNEST WILLIAMSON III FICTION TEN MILES OF A RIVER BY THOMAS MIXON HAVE YOU SEEN ME? BY FRANCES ORROK DEADBOLT BY ROSS FEELER LUCKY ENOUGH BY LESLIE PIETRZYK NONFI…

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jul 28

4. When does a piece feel finished?
On some level, nothing I write ever feels truly finished, but I will say that once a piece is published in book form, whether it’s a short story in a collection or a novel, I tend to make peace with the fact that it’s done, for better or worse, that it’s out in the world now and no longer completely mine. By that point, the piece has been through enough rounds of edits and copyedits that I’m usually ready to let it go and move on.

5. What kind of stories are you hoping to read for the LBSSA?

I genuinely love all sorts of stories, but I’m especially drawn toward stories that explore the human condition in ways that are unexpected, complex, and emotionally resonant. As I mentioned above, I love to be surprised by fresh situations and scenarios, by dynamics that I haven’t seen explored in quite that same way before, by the strange and fascinating things that people say and do.

ANDREW PORTER is the author of four books, including the story collections The Disappeared (Knopf) and The Theory of Light and Matter (Vintage) and the novels In Between Days (Knopf) and The Imagined Life (Knopf). A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has received a Pushcart Prize, a James Michener/Copernicus Fellowship, and the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. His work has appeared in One Story, Ploughshares, American Short Fiction, Narrative, The Southern Review, The Missouri Review, and on Public Radio’s Selected Shorts. Currently, he teaches fiction writing and directs the creative writing program at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2025 Larry Brown Short Story Award will be open August 1st to October 31st.

Read full guidelines at pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown

Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jul 28

Our submission window for our annual short story contest opens this Friday! This year, we welcome @andrewporter01.bsky.social as our guest judge. We're excited to share our Q&A with him on craft, writing, and more!

1. What inspires your craft?
So many things! Film, music, visual art. Certainly the work of many writers. I try to draw inspiration from as many places as possible, and I try to be open to inspiration at all times. In terms of more specifics, though, I think I’ve always been drawn toward art—whether it’s film, music, writing, etc.—that places human emotion as its focus. When I think of work that inspires me, it’s usually work that explores certain emotional terrain that I haven’t seen explored before or a particular dynamic between people that I haven’t seen portrayed in quite that same manner.

2. Who are some of your favorite writers?
Marilynne Robinson, Elena Ferrante, Rachel Cusk, Stuart Dybek, Kirsten Valdez Quade, James Baldwin, Alexander Chee, Emma Cline, Manuel Muñoz, Sarah Majka, Laura van den Berg, Chang-rae Lee, Joan Didion, Denis Johnson, Danielle Evans, Karl Ove Knausgård, Zadie Smith—I could keep going, but I’ll stop there!

3. Is there anything you have read or written lately that has surprised you?
I read a very suspenseful and emotionally intense story by Amber Caron called “Didi” that genuinely surprised me. It was included in last year’s O. Henry Prize Winners anthology, and it’s kind of a hard story to describe without giving too much away, but I’ll just say it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and genuinely worried for all the characters. When I finished it, I remember sitting for a while and just thinking about it in the way I always do when I’ve just read a really great short story.

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jul 22

Our annual contest opens for submissions August 1st! This year's guest judge is Andrew Porter. Keep an eye out for our Q&A with Andrew soon.

Find more details about our contest here: pitheadchapel.com/larrybrown/

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jul 1

Our July issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-7/

Words
@mczyzniejewski.bsky.social
@kimchinquee.bsky.social
RENESHA DHANRAJ
WYLEY FROHLICH JUNGERMAN
TROY ANDERSON
@danbillyc.bsky.social
@theresegleason
@claudiamonpere.bsky.social
BRITTANY REDD
TARA SHEA BURKE

Art
JACELYN YAP

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Reposted by Pithead Chapel

Claudia Wair @cwtellstales.bsky.social · Jun 28

Ohmygosh! Thrilled to see my name on the @Wigleaf.bsky.social Top 50 Longlist! Thank you to @pitheadchapel.bsky.social for publishing "Watching Home Decorating Shows In The Hospital Waiting Room." And thank you @samanito.bsky.social, @laughingyeti.bsky.social‬, & all the readers!

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jun 29

Congratulations to Gwen Kirby, Felicity Landa, Daniel Miller, Claudia Wair, and Addison Zeller for making the Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist!

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jun 1

Our June issue is live!
pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-issue-6/

Words:
@prissybippus.bsky.social
J.D. STRUNK
STELLA LEI
@thewritelifeliz.bsky.social
PATRICK CHILDRESS
JEN HALLAMAN
NAOMI DEMARINIS
@seanthomasd.bsky.social
@emilymgoldsmith.bsky.social
TIFFANY PROMISE

Cover art: TAMMY HIGGINS

Volume 14, Issue 6

COVER ART BY tammy higgins FICTION WEB OF COINCIDENCES BY Z.H. GILL THEIR ANGEL FORMS BY J.D. STRUNK SCALES BY STELLA LEI WHEN AN AMAZONIAN QUEEN APPEARS AMONG YOU, RIVERSIDE PARK, 1982 BY E…

pitheadchapel.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · May 1

Correction: Our *May* issue is live :)

Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/05/01/volume-14-issue-5/

Words
@lumchanmfa.bsky.social
LAUREN WOODS
@sagetyrtle.bsky.social
ANNABELLE TAGHINIA
SARA SCHIFF
TOPAZ WINTERS
BRIDGET HAYES

Cover Art
COURTNEY BURTON

Volume 14, Issue 5

COVER ART BY COURTNEY BURTON FICTION Mission Boys Are So Hot by Melissa Llanes Brownlee Proportions by Lauren Woods Ostriches at Sea by Sage Tyrtle NONFICTION Pomegranate season by An…

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Apr 1

Our April issue has arrived! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/04/01/volume-14-issue-4/

Words:
NATALIE VILLACORTA
@irrellavent.bsky.social
@melissabowers.bsky.social
CARLY ALAIMO
ALLISON KIRKLAND
@pyontek.bsky.social
OLIVIA BROCHU
AL ORTOLANI
AUGUST REID

Cover art: ALEXANDER LIMAREV

Volume 14, Issue 4

COVER ART BY Alexander Limarev FICTION RHETORICAL ANALYSIS: RE: PLEASE CALL ME. MOM IS UPSET AND WON’T SAY WHY BY NATALIE VILLACORTA AFTERSHOCK BY ELLA HORMEL TWO CELIAS CROSS PATHS BY MELIS…

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Mar 11

Happy release day to our EIC @kimmagowan.bsky.social and Michelle Ross! DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY is available now! eastoverpress.com/book/dont-ta...

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Mar 1

Our March issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/volume-14-is...

Words:
@aniking.bsky.social
@olangela.bsky.social
Ben Gibbons
@olangela.bsky.social
Claire Hopple
Matthew Thomas Bernell

Cover art: Heather D Daigh

Volume 14, Issue 3

COVER ART BY heather d haigh FICTION Nervous Thing by Ani King REHAB, TAKE THREE BY ANGELA JAMES SQUIRRELS BY BEN GIBBONS SWINGSET BIRD BY JODY HOBBS HESLER NONFICTION THAT’S ALL ANYO…

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Feb 1

Our February issue is live! Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/02/01/volume-14-issue-2/

Words by
@davidyourdon.bsky.social
@emilyrinkema.bsky.social
L. Soviero
Sarah Perrin
Sarah Carson
Shome Dasgupta
Kristina Garvin
Mark DeCarteret
Barbara Westwood Diehl
Nora Nadjarian

Cover art by Nuala McEvoy

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jan 20

Congratulations to Pithead Chapel contributors Sarah Freligh and JW McCollum for their inclusion in Best Microfiction 2025!

Best Microfiction

The Best Microfiction anthology series provides recognition for outstanding literary stories of 400 words or fewer.

www.bestmicrofiction.com

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Pithead Chapel @pitheadchapel.bsky.social · Jan 1

Happy New Year from Pithead Chapel! Kick off the year by reading incredible writing selected by Danielle Lazarin for the Larry Brown Short Story Award contest issue. Read here: pitheadchapel.com/2025/01/01/v...

@reemarp.bsky.social @mbvalente.bsky.social

Volume 14, Issue 1

PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOM RANKIN THE 2024 LARRY BROWN SHORT STORY AWARD ISSUE AWARD WINNER: UNIDENTIFIABLE CELLS BY REEMA RAO SECOND PRIZE: AND ONLY I REMAIN BY MICHAEL PEARSON THIRD PRIZE: A TIME TO C…

pitheadchapel.com

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