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janusliterary.bsky.social
Janus Literary
@janusliterary.bsky.social
Online lit mag. CURRENTLY ON HIATUS.
**We do not accept unsolicited submissions.**
Visit our site for more info: janusliterary.com
Support us: http://ko-fi.com/janusliterary.
Pinned
Our site was down due to much-needed maintenance and a server upgrade. Apologies if you tried to visit us and could not get to the site. We are up and running. Thank you for your patience.

We are still on a submissions hiatus, but that could change soon. Check back here or on our site for updates.
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While I work on resurrecting the Ellipsis archive, let’s get the ball rolling…

Web submissions are open, 6th-16th June. 1,000 words or fewer.

The usual guidelines apply and can be found here: ellipsis-zine.com/submit
June 6, 2026 at 3:49 PM
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“Any genuine work of art generates new work.” —Donald Barthelme

This week, we’ve unlocked our Art of Fiction interview with Donald Barthelme.
Donald Barthelme, The Art of Fiction No. 66
On the difficulty of writing about sex: “Faint equivalents can sometimes be found. . . . Or it can be rendered obliquely—an adolescent’s mental image of his or her parents making love, which must be…
buff.ly
June 4, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Our friends at Ellipsis Zine are returning to publishing stories. Please join us in welcoming and congratulating them and give them a follow if you don't already.
June 5, 2026 at 7:17 PM
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You are cordially invited to the zoom launch of my novel Ancestral Virgins on Saturday, June 27th (8pm BST/3pm EST). Details below! 🎉
Ancestral Virgins, a #PreWWI #historicalnovel trilogy of #forbiddendesire amid #socialchange by @fionajanemack.bsky.social is released June 26th. Zoom launch June 27th 8pm BST (3pm EST) FREE tickets, more details, and pre-order link for all 3 volumes at:
www.tickettailor.com/events/dubli...
#scandal
May 11, 2026 at 6:24 PM
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My latest Substack on the actress Gladys Cooper, whose photo graces the cover of my forthcoming historical novel, Ancestral Virgins.
substack.com/@fionamackin...
May 13, 2026 at 3:37 PM
A frustrating assumption...
“The general reading public has no idea of what goes into a short story because it is literally short and can give the impression that the writer sat down and rattled the thing out in an hour or two.” —Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx, The Art of Fiction No. 199
“The reason I put out-of-the-ordinary names on characters is because the John Smiths of the literary world make me sick.”
buff.ly
April 24, 2026 at 6:15 PM
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“Some people say, I don’t read fiction because it isn’t real. This is incredibly naive.” —Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin, The Art of Fiction No. 221
“One of the things [fiction] does is lead you to recognize what you did not know before.”
buff.ly
April 23, 2026 at 7:02 PM
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“I work very hard in subsequent revisions to remove the writerly-ness from it.” —Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison, The Art of Fiction No. 134
On female friendships: “Hating, fighting one another, and joining men in their condemnation of ourselves [is] a typical example of what dominated people do.”
buff.ly
April 23, 2026 at 10:01 PM
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“When I’m writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we’re capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness.” —Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, The Art of Fiction No. 119
“People are too busy putting things under microscopes and so forth. Creativity is greater than the sum of its parts.”
buff.ly
April 21, 2026 at 2:04 PM
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We’ve got the latest scoop about the Belfast Book Festival 2026. Read all about it on our blog. From pre-launch events in May to the main festival in June - check out the who’s who, what’s what, and find out where to get tickets.
April 22, 2026 at 11:29 AM
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I’m also on the lookout for any new flash competitions / journals which emerged in ‘25 - so many of my old favs have gone! 👀
April 23, 2026 at 9:33 AM
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I’ve been off the scene for a while - is Bluesky currently the best place for the writing community? X seems like a ghost town and I rarely go there…
April 23, 2026 at 9:29 AM
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Pushbike Prize for Flash Fiction

A new flash prize and I'm judging!

Crannóg Magazine is delighted to announce the inaugural Pushbike Prize for Flash Fiction judged by Nuala O'Connor.

€1500 in prizes

Subs open May 1st to 21st.

www.wordsonthestreet.com/pod.html?fbc...
pod.html
publisher of fiction and poetry
www.wordsonthestreet.com
April 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
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**WIN A FREE PLACE** on one of the Welkin workshops!!

Quote post with "Welkin me up!" to put your name in the hat

5 names picked on Friday at noon BST

6 workshops to choose from. Sessions recorded if you can't make it live:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/live-workshops
WBTL Live Workshops
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
April 7, 2026 at 9:06 AM
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I started a Substack blog and mailing list! I hope you'll check it out and sign up for free!
March 17, 2026 at 9:39 PM
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I'm delighted that my first ever novella-in-flash Beautiful for You about the life of Princess Diana has been highly commended in the Bath Novella-in-Flash Award! Many thanks to judge Jude Higgins, and congratulations to all the other winners.
www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2026/02/judg...
Judge’s report for 2026 novella-in-flash award.
We had over eighty entries since July when the ninth yearly novella in flash award opened. Thank you to everyone who trusted their work to the competition. Many congratulations to the three winners…
www.bathflashfictionaward.com
February 24, 2026 at 2:50 PM
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"Aspirin"
Nin Andrews
#poetry #prosepoem
February 27, 2026 at 7:29 PM
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Submissions will be opening soon, 1 March. Free to submit (paid options for expedited response, feedback, extra submission). Free preview of current issue on our website. Submissions guidelines apply.

Prose, max 6k words
Poetry/Songs, max 3 pieces/pages
Art/Photos, max 5
Scripts, max 20 pages
February 26, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Our site was down due to much-needed maintenance and a server upgrade. Apologies if you tried to visit us and could not get to the site. We are up and running. Thank you for your patience.

We are still on a submissions hiatus, but that could change soon. Check back here or on our site for updates.
February 22, 2026 at 11:11 PM
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“It seemed to me that if I didn’t write, I would disappear.” —Frederick Seidel
buff.ly
January 28, 2026 at 5:04 PM
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I'm thrilled that Ghost Parachute has selected "Freeze" for inclusion in an upcoming anthology! I was just thinking about this story, and wishing it didn't feel so timely still.
Freeze — Ghost Parachute
We haven’t seen another soul for weeks. We’re down to two dented, label-less cans. Chickpeas? Pumpkin? I watch Father’s footprints disappear beneath the silent snow. On the wall, a finger of frost poi...
ghostparachute.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:07 PM
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"The Problem with Early Warnings"
Charles Rafferty
#poetry
January 29, 2026 at 2:36 AM
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Thrilled have a 500-word story up today at The Cincinnati Review @cincinnatireview.bsky.social . This story started as an idea for an ending that I texted myself and carried around on a phone for years. Finishing was just a matter of finding a beginning:

www.cincinnatireview.com/micros/heart/
Heart - The Cincinnati Review
Managing Editor Lisa Ampleman: In "Heart," David James Poissant shows how information can be revealed slowly and deliberately in a piece of flash fiction.
www.cincinnatireview.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:07 PM
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Twit tweet tawooo. Early bird tickets open for Madrid salon in September! 🦅🐓🦤🐦🪶 @saloneurope.bsky.social
Early Bird Tickets for our Annual Salon in Madrid
Find out about our exciting plans and book a reduced Early Bird place
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:06 AM