Best Microfiction 2026 is here! We’re so proud to see work by @josehernandezdz.bsky.social and @mattleibel.bsky.social that originally appeared in -ette! Congratulations also to -ette contributors Kathleen McGookey and Devan Murphy!

Happy to announce that my short fiction chapbook, "My Personal Brand", won the Eggtooth Editions Any Genre Chapbook Contest, and will be published later this year. Here's the announcement and an excerpt:

Winners

Matt Leibel WINNER OF THE 2025 EGGTOOTH EDITIONS CHAPBOOK CONTEST FOR My Personal Brand Matt Leibel lives in San Francisco, where he works as a freelance copywriter and part-time tennis instructor.…

eggtootheditions.wordpress.com

New totally normal story about a robot in a marching band. Thanks to @flashfrog.bsky.social and @lindamayhawkins.bsky.social

Flash Frog@flashfrog.bsky.social · 2mo ago

NEW STORY⚡️🐸 “The Robot Trombonist” by @mattleibel.bsky.social is now up! Art by @lindamayhawkins.bsky.social flash-frog.com/2026/05/25/t...

This comes out July 7. Cool to be included, insane lineup of good writers here. www.bestmicrofiction.com/books/2026.h...

New story about a time-trapped cowboy in @bulbregion.bsky.social! Big thanks to @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social

Infinite Rodeo, by Matt Leibel — The Bulb Region

Infinite Rodeo — Matt Leibel THIS IS NOT MY FIRST rodeo. It’s not my...

bulbregion.com

The 13th issue of Socrates on the Beach is up. Thank you to the writers and translators. socratesonthebeach.com

Pleased to have a new story about life in a very odd small town in @leanmag.bsky.social the magazine for “non-protagonist-centered fiction”

LEAN magazine@leanmag.bsky.social · 4mo ago

We are officially LEANing into spring over here with issue #11! Matt Leibel's "Town" describes a sort of place that's bigger and smaller than the sum of its parts. Meanwhile Selen Ozturk's story "Aurora" is all about the push-and-pull between a story and its writer. www.lean-mag.com

new story "How to Go Through the Drive-Thru Car Wash Without Your Car"

Excited for this nomination from the excellent (and awesomely-named) @doesithavepockets.bsky.social

Really excited to have my story, "How to Buy a Snowglobe", published in @ettereview.bsky.social, chosen for Best Microfiction 2026!

Best Microfiction

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

bestmicrofiction.com

I wrote about Garrett Caples’ “Proses” for this list of fave story collections 2025. A lot of good ones here. Two more I snuck in in the last few weeks: “Farthest South” by Ethan Rutherford and “The Woman Dies” by Aoko Matsuda.

Short Story, Long's fave story collections of 2025!

Some fave short story collections, chosen by our contributors, some released this year, some just read and appreciated this year.

ashortstorylong.substack.com

Congratulations and best of luck to our 2026 Best Microfiction and Best Small Fictions Nominees! Jessica Barlevi @josehernandezdz.bsky.social @mattleibel.bsky.social Devan Murphy Emma Raimondo Mathieu Cailler Laura Cronk @suzyeynon.bsky.social Nora Esme Wagner

Here’s a little story I wrote about watching movies in (and out of) a theater. Thanks to David Galef and team at @vestalreview.bsky.social

Vestal Review@vestalreview.bsky.social · 8mo ago

A movie that’s truly a runaway hit. Read "Matinee," by Matt Leibel @mattleibel.bsky.social in issue 67. vestalreview.net/matinee Art by Jinghong Chen

Our winter 2025 issue is here! vestalreview.net/issue-67 We've got the latest by: @marioaliberto3.bsky.social, Alisa Golden, @katehorsleywriter.bsky.social, L. F. Khouri, @mattleibel.bsky.social, @skyskkyy.bsky.social, Jennifer Met, Manuel Moyano, James Womack, @emilyrinkema.bsky.social, +

Psyched for this nomination! Thanks to the editors & congrats all.

Literary Namjooning | Submissions Open!@lit-namjooning.bsky.social · 8mo ago

And here are our dazzling Pushcart 2026 nominees! Hooray for @maxpasakorn.bsky.social, Shome, @mczyzniejewski.bsky.social , @thorntonforreal.bsky.social @juniper-writing.bsky.social and @mattleibel.bsky.social! Read their stories here: literarynamjooning.wixsite.com/litnam/proje... #namjooning

Excited for this nomination! Thanks to @joshdale.co and team. Read my piece here:

How to Remember Your Dreams

A Dream Story by Matt Leibel

thirtywest.substack.com

Thirty West Publishing@thirtywestph.com · 8mo ago

Thankful to nominate yet another Best Small Fictions class. We implore you to read these short fictions on Afferimages in your spare time. Congratulations everyone and and best of luck! @swethaamit.bsky.social @mattleibel.bsky.social Kerry Sutherland Kenna DeValor

New episode just dropped! @melaniehoopes.bsky.social talks w @rachel-kowalsky.bsky.social (“Dear Dolores”) & @mattleibel.bsky.social (“How to Buy a Snow Globe”) about work that has recently reconfigured them. Original music by @chesterjankowski.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/60GB...

Episode 6 - Roulette: Take a Chance on Art

open.spotify.com

Excited to share my story "How to Buy a Snowglobe" in the very cool-looking new issue of -ette. Thanks to @noramaynard.bsky.social and @bybethhahn.bsky.social for showcasing my work, and to @melaniehoopes.bsky.social for performing my story and interviewing me for her podcast!

-ette Issue 6: Roulette is now live! www.ettereview.com/fall2025/ Spin the animated wheel and check out new work by: Laura Cronk @josehernandezdz.bsky.social @suzyeynon.bsky.social @rachel-kowalsky.bsky.social @mattleibel.bsky.social Emma Raimondo

Here's a new "how to" piece up at @lit-namjooning.bsky.social I really enjoyed reading all the pieces in this issue--a nice respite from, well, everything else that's going on.

How to Skip a Rock Across the Pacific by Matt Leibel

Imagine the platonic ideal of the perfect skip. It’s a dream I had the first time I ever stepped foot on a Southern California beach as a kid: a stone I could skim off the sunglossed surface, that wou...

literarynamjooning.wixsite.com

I have two new "how-to" stories up in the excellent @doesithavepockets.bsky.social

Does It Have Pockets@doesithavepockets.bsky.social · 11mo ago

"Don’t try to stick things to other things in the first place." New in September #fiction, two terrific, tiny "How-Tos" from the wonderful @mattleibel.bsky.social | www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/matt... Art @anchalastudio.bsky.social

new piece up at @thirtywestph.com about dreams, which I've always been warned to avoid in my stories.

How to Remember Your Dreams

A Dream Story by Matt Leibel

thirtywest.substack.com

Some more Short Story, Long contributor lists (from Brittney Uecker, @mldon31.bsky.social, @mattleibel.bsky.social, @jeffchon.bsky.social, @magicmikewrites.bsky.social) of best & fave stories for the century (so far). Some really great, fun reading lists here. (A cpl of YOU even make appearances!)

"25 for 25" — some more contributor lists

some more Short Story, Long contributors share some of their lists of "best" and favorite short stories from the last 25 years

ashortstorylong.substack.com

Received my copy of the new issue of Post Road, including my story "Crushed". Looking forward to reading the rest of the issue...

It’s 4/20, and I seem to have written a kind of Mayor McCheese fan fiction. Check it out along with other funny stuff from @defenestrationmag.bsky.social

"How to Get Elected Mayor with a Hamburger for a Head," by Matt Leibel

Wake up one morning and realize that you've changed. It's not just the ravages of time and age: your cranium is now a literal beef patty, encased in a pillow of bun, slathered with onion, ketchup, spe...

defenestrationmag.net

I have two new micros in this issue of @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social. The whole issue is a quick read, worth checking out.

Issue 31 - Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash Stories Updates The shortlist for Gooseberry’s annual writing contest has been sent to our terrific guest judge, Melissa Llanes Brownlee. She’ll be reading the submi...

gooseberry-pie.com

New story up at Post Road! Crushes, Bond villains, beetles, human statues, and the Hatpocalypse

- Post Road Magazine

Crushedby Matt Leibel I noticed a woman walking down Market Street in a red bowler hat, and I wanted to say something. I wanted to compliment her, I wanted to say “nice hat” or “I like your hat,” but ...

postroadmag.com

Check out this wild, Cartesian historical story by my friend Sharon!

Wigleaf@wigleaf.bsky.social · last yr.

New on our mainpage: “Francine,” by Sharon Wahl: wigleaf.com

My story “How to Find Real Love on a Fake TV Show” is up at Hunger Mountain Review. Thanks to the editors!

Hunger Mountain Review – VCFA Journal of the Arts

Hunger Mountain is the VCFA Journal of the Arts

hungermtn.netlify.app

This story anthology is now available in paperback--featuring 101 very short stories, including my story "The Wedding Photographer Photographer", originally published in The Florida Review! Excellent cover!

Best Small Fictions 2024

102 Flash Stories by 101 Authors

altcurrentpress.com