Tessera

Just realised that this time in FIVE weeks, @ruthabrandt.bsky.social and I will be heading up the motorway to Yorkshire to run our writing retreat. Eek! Better get planning!! BTW, there's one spot left on week 2 (14th-20th September) for any last-minute Henrys who'd like to join us🙂

Diekatzlei Die Katzlei's Quiet Retreat

Alt: A grey-haired cat retreating under a car. The text says "quiet retreat"

static.klipy.com

"Her throat tightens when she imagines it speeding away and disappearing from sight, wishes she could pluck it from the sea, cradle it in her cupped palms" So much yearning in this from @kathrynsilverhajo.bsky.social; the emotional build from beginning to end

Read "Ship in a Bottle" written by @kathrynsilverhajo.bsky.social and illustrated by @amymarques.bsky.social. "Dahlia peers out to the horizon where a tiny sailboat hovers." tinyurl.com/372jbdrn

"he wore brown slacks to match his wheels, the fabric sagged, and his velour shirts always reeked of reefer and an island half submerged" Great sense of character and family dynamic in this micro from @rgvaughan.bsky.social

Read "Larry Barely" written by @rgvaughan.bsky.social and illustrated by @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social. "He wasn’t really our Dad, I called him Larry because his van smelled like Limberger cheese." tinyurl.com/a9xn6yny

"I swallowed my fear and moved to the mountains, surrounding myself with brimstone and snow, and my dreams were filled with divine fire" Something so wonderfully haunting about this brilliant micro from @ezhang77.bsky.social

Read "What Wei Boyang Dreamed of When He Invented Gunpowder" written by @ezhang77.bsky.social and illustrated by @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social. "I first fell in love with fire when I watched the body of my father burn in the pyre, his flesh transmuting into a fine powder..." tinyurl.com/44f633b9

"Beauty begins the moment you pretend to be someone else" The sort of piece where every sentence makes you sit and ponder. Great writing from @moomoocamus.bsky.social

Read "Between Sessions" written by @moomoocamus.bsky.social and illustrated by @brooksiesbooks.bsky.social. "I’m coming down the pike. It’s a different kind of vibe. Now I’m a 3-D monosyllabic image of myself. I’m almost holographic." tinyurl.com/2bjdk4u8

"The Mongols don’t notice me right away. I’m wearing sweatpants, wool socks, and a Dogs are My People hoodie, which I haven’t taken off since I checked in two days ago, alone" How does @emilyrinkema.bsky.social do it every time? Such a consistently brilliant writer. Love this from beginning to end.

"I’m wearing sweatpants, wool socks, and a Dogs are My People hoodie, which I haven’t taken off since I checked in two days ago, alone." @emilyrinkema.bsky.social's "The Night the Mongols Arrive to Sack the City" www.trampset.org/post/the-nig...

"Even the chosen typeface for the word electrolytes! looks exciting and exuberant, and the sound of it rolling off the tongue conjures up images of tiny prizes floating in the fluid" Wonderfully unsettling and thought-provoking writing from @thaddevassie.bsky.social in @trampset.bsky.social

"An Internet search pulls an AI overview that says it is a subsidiary of a conglomerate and holding company with support from angel investors and a top private equity firm" @thaddevassie.bsky.social's "Meat-Flavored Water" www.trampset.org/post/meat-fl...

This is such a lovely thing. A short fiction group called "Flash Club Live" (hosted by Nina Barufaldi) has been reading and analysing my @thecitronreview.bsky.social piece "Efficiency Measures" - so interesting to watch their discussions and hear their thoughts: substack.com/profile/7464...

Nina Barufaldi (@writingwithnina)

My Gawd, what a great story! Thanks @Matt Kendrick for writing it!

substack.com

"Pravin Vemuri has been obsessed with death since he was six. A hard-earned fixation from having survived childhood asthma. Unsurprisingly, also unwittingly, he turned to atheism by seven." Love, love, love this from Pravin Vemuri. So multi-faceted, full of verve and wit.

"Pravin Vemuri has had many near-death experiences. He’s got no chill. Or a six pack." Pravin Vemuri's "Author Bio" www.trampset.org/post/author-...

"You were of the Quiet—a breathing stain. Between the bones of my ribcage, I fed you until you were far too much to carry" So many quotable lines in this from @mitchellny.com Love how this builds; the use of a repeating motif

"You really aren’t made of flesh and guts and bones; all ground to dust. No. You are of twigs and autumn leaves" @mitchellny.com's "A Jar of Dirt" www.trampset.org/post/a-jar-o...

"Kids rhyme their way past skulking little duckies; my six year old is either a great poet or six years old" Beautiful micro poem from @ewenglass.bsky.social Love the way this flows.

"my six year old is either a great poet or six years old" @ewenglass.bsky.social's "The Beck and Boy" www.trampset.org/post/the-bec...

"I met a man with the power of sleep. He could fall asleep in the space between breaths. Nod off at the drop of his soft felt hat" Wonderfully thought-provoking prose poem from Ben Starr in @trampset.bsky.social

"burying sleep deep inside pockets fast asleep, tucked away like the hand-painted nesting dolls my grandmother brought with her" Ben Starr's "narcolepsy can be a gift if you remember not to care" www.trampset.org/post/narcole...

Matt Kendrick@mattkendrick.bsky.social · 5d ago

For the morning / Pacific crowd, this is what I'll be doing this time next week - would love to write with you! 👇

Next week, I'm teaching a workshop where we'll delve into character childhoods to see how they affect a character during their grown-up life. Tues 7pm BST or Sat 9am BST Pay-what-you-can and free spots available Video option for anyone who can't attend live www.mattkendrick.co.uk/live-worksho...

What is Learnt in the Cradle: How our childhoods affect our adult selves | MattKendrick.co.uk

mattkendrick.co.uk

This month's #FromTheCoursesMouth features brilliant-sounding things from @stillsquirrel.bsky.social @jmgatford.bsky.social @smokelong.bsky.social @rgvaughan.bsky.social @bendinggenres.bsky.social @sagetyrtle.bsky.social @marthawrites.bsky.social: fromthecoursesmouth.substack.com/p/august-sep...

August / September 26: Upcoming courses, workshops & events

Here’s what’s coming up from your your friendly neighbourhood freelancers, lit mags and awesome independents over the next couple of months.

fromthecoursesmouth.substack.com

Megan @ Sugar Pig@sugarpigblog.bsky.social · 2w ago

"No, I’m fine. It’s just that the puffiness of this space suit makes it difficult to sit comfortably" Love how this piece from @sugarpigblog.bsky.social is addressed directly to the reader. Always wonderful to see a #WriteBeyondTheLightbulb piece out in the world

"Oh, gracious, look at the spread of stars across this black and purple sea. I never realized how vast the universe is. How small I am. How easy it is to feel lost." Read "The Picnic" in @neitherfishnorfoul.com www.neitherfishnorfoul.com/issue-7-hanl...

Roi Fainéant Press SUBS ARE OPEN, BAYBEE!@rfpress.bsky.social · last wk.

"Feel Jane’s hands on a chain; Jack’s hands are on Jane. Hear Jane’s breath a refrain to Jack huffing in strain." Great use of rhyme and motif in this micro from @tomljanovic.bsky.social. Wonderful to see this #WriteBeyondTheLightbulb piece out in the world

Ready for a ribald poem to set the party in motion? Well put your keys in the basket and let’s read “Septuagenarian Swing Set” by @tomljanovic.bsky.social. It’s in our 98th edition. Check over your shoulder and click this link! www.roifaineantpress.com/post/septuag...

A SWING, A THING, A CHAIN AND A JANE, A JACK AND A SNAP!

"Daring a word of defiance, we’re dunked in huge vats, scrubbed with lye, rubbed raw against washboards" Great microfiction from @angelajoynes.bsky.social in @ellipsiszine.bsky.social; full of wonderful details and message www.ellipsis-zine.com/writing/dete...

Detergentized by Angela Joynes

Flash Fiction: Detergentized

ellipsis-zine.com

"You’d never seen houses so close together or a road that went nowhere. It’s called a cul-de-sac, she told you. It felt crowded, and the stars at night seemed farther away" Such atmospheric writing from @suzannehicks.bsky.social in @ellipsiszine.bsky.social www.ellipsis-zine.com/writing/lost...

Lost and Found by Suzanne Hicks

Flash Fiction: Lost and Found

ellipsis-zine.com

"I’m not afraid of needles, I mean, I don’t like them, who does? But I’m most definitely fine with them if, you know, like I have to get them" @tomljanovic.bsky.social uses tension so well in this wonderful micro in @ellipsiszine.bsky.social www.ellipsis-zine.com/writing/tryp...

Trypanophobia Isn’t so Bad Once You Know How to Manage It by T.L. Tomljanovic

Flash Fiction: Trypanophobia Isn’t so Bad Once You Know How to Manage It

ellipsis-zine.com

matchbook literary magazine@matchbooklitmag.bsky.social · last wk.

"In San Pedro, there was a particular pipe-smoking man whose tobacco was flavored with apple. His voice was layered like moist leaves" Love this from @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social. Great author's note too.

new story day!! “C’est Une Pipe” by @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social is out now on mb! have a read: www.matchbooklitmag.com/mb/bidar/ces...

The Village with All of the Flash Writers@heyflashvillage.bsky.social · last wk.

Very overwhelmed & honoured to have been picked for this by the @smokelong.bsky.social community. There are SO MANY within the writing world who inspire others every single day, so I'm sure this must have come down to about 0.001% of a vote. The fact that I now get to pass my good fortune onto...

Matt Kendrick is the winner of The Villager Challenge 2026 for his inspiring commitment to the flash community. The prize ($200) will be passed along to two more people. Matt has already chosen two people to receive a free place in one of his workshops. smokelong-quarterly.mn.co/posts/105247...

"Remind him about the girlfriend with stretchy muscles, a genetic disease. How he’d pick her up and carry her around the house, made it fun" The juxtapositions in this from @megpokrass.bsky.social in @ettereview.bsky.social - exquisite writing; love the way it builds ettereview.com/summer2026/p...

Meg Pokrass | -ette-review

Meg Pokrass in -ette-review Issue 8: Summer 2026

ettereview.com

Caitlin O'Halloran@caitlinohalloran.bsky.social · last wk.

"The sky is falling and all anyone wants to do is look down at their phones, necks bowed in prayer over glowing handheld screens" What a brilliant opening line from @caitlinohalloran.bsky.social. Such a great exploration of message.

I have a new prose poem published in -ette review today. It’s called “The Sky is Falling.” ettereview.com/summer2026/o... @ettereview.bsky.social

An illustration of three dogs looking up.

"It was the cats, always the cats, one white, one grey." Love the sense of what's buried in this micro from @noranadj.bsky.social in @ettereview.bsky.social; so much buried underneath ettereview.com/summer2026/n...

Nora Nadjarian | -ette-review

Nora Nadjarian in -ette-review Issue 8: Summer 2026

ettereview.com