Sara Hills
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
THE EVOLUTION OF BIRDS (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021)
Best Small Fictions | Wigleaf Top 50
SmokeLong Mikey, Bath Flash Fiction Award, QuietManDave CNF
2027 NFFD anthology editor
sarahillswrites.com
🌵US/UK #FlashFiction
Best Small Fictions | Wigleaf Top 50
SmokeLong Mikey, Bath Flash Fiction Award, QuietManDave CNF
2027 NFFD anthology editor
sarahillswrites.com
🌵US/UK #FlashFiction
Pinned
🫀🫁🦴
WINNER of the Body Prize, "Dear Walt Whitman" by
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
A lyrical, emotionally taut gem of a micro in epistolary form:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the Body Prize, "Dear Walt Whitman" by
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
A lyrical, emotionally taut gem of a micro in epistolary form:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Dear Walt Whitman | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
Huge thanks to Welkin's @mattkendrick.bsky.social & judge @pleomorphic2.bsky.social for choosing my story. 🙏❤️ I'm so delighted that it resonated! In my teens/20s I consumed Whitman's body of work in great gulps trying to understand the world/my place in it. Honestly, I'm still trying.
"and when I woke up, I told her about it, how real it seemed. Roland Barthes, for Pete’s sake."
This is easily one of the best micros of all time. ❤️⚡ Such superb writing from @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social
This is easily one of the best micros of all time. ❤️⚡ Such superb writing from @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social
"That dream where Marianne said she’d found a reference to one of my stories in a Roland Barthes essay" by Ali McGrane @alimcg.bsky.social #microfiction #MicroMonday. Please follow the link and enjoy fictivedream.com/2026/08/31/m...
https://fictivedream.com/2026/08/31/microfiction-72/
fictivedream.com
September 7, 2026 at 1:39 PM
"and when I woke up, I told her about it, how real it seemed. Roland Barthes, for Pete’s sake."
This is easily one of the best micros of all time. ❤️⚡ Such superb writing from @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social
This is easily one of the best micros of all time. ❤️⚡ Such superb writing from @alimcg.bsky.social in @fictivedream.bsky.social
"In the supply closet of the Paramus Walmart, Jeremy takes out his phone and his father’s credit card and dials 1-800-TITS."
"Um, can you put me on with Miranda? he asks, hating how whiny and young he sounds." ❤️🔥
SO much love for this one from @bsherm36.bsky.social in @brightflash1500.bsky.social
"Um, can you put me on with Miranda? he asks, hating how whiny and young he sounds." ❤️🔥
SO much love for this one from @bsherm36.bsky.social in @brightflash1500.bsky.social
Thrilled to be back in @brightflash1500.bsky.social with my story, "Talking Dirty," created in a @sarahillswrites.bsky.social workshop at the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol. brightflash1000.com
Bright Flash Literary Review
journal for flash and short fiction
brightflash1000.com
September 7, 2026 at 1:28 PM
"In the supply closet of the Paramus Walmart, Jeremy takes out his phone and his father’s credit card and dials 1-800-TITS."
"Um, can you put me on with Miranda? he asks, hating how whiny and young he sounds." ❤️🔥
SO much love for this one from @bsherm36.bsky.social in @brightflash1500.bsky.social
"Um, can you put me on with Miranda? he asks, hating how whiny and young he sounds." ❤️🔥
SO much love for this one from @bsherm36.bsky.social in @brightflash1500.bsky.social
"I don't want to make this all about feet, but it kind of is."
and
"I could have bent it with my mind."
Brilliant new story from @kathyfish.bsky.social. I love everything about it — the weirdness, the humor, the fact that I can hear the whole thing in her inimitable voice. Perfection!
❤️❤️❤️
and
"I could have bent it with my mind."
Brilliant new story from @kathyfish.bsky.social. I love everything about it — the weirdness, the humor, the fact that I can hear the whole thing in her inimitable voice. Perfection!
❤️❤️❤️
Hey friends, there's a new journal in town, called The Menu, and I'm in their debut issue alongside some greats! Wouild love for you to read my weird micro and the whole issue. 💙 www.durtybeanz.com/kathy-fish
September 3, 2026 at 5:46 PM
"I don't want to make this all about feet, but it kind of is."
and
"I could have bent it with my mind."
Brilliant new story from @kathyfish.bsky.social. I love everything about it — the weirdness, the humor, the fact that I can hear the whole thing in her inimitable voice. Perfection!
❤️❤️❤️
and
"I could have bent it with my mind."
Brilliant new story from @kathyfish.bsky.social. I love everything about it — the weirdness, the humor, the fact that I can hear the whole thing in her inimitable voice. Perfection!
❤️❤️❤️
Reposted by Sara Hills
Hey lit mag editors. We've been worried about AI companies scraping Split Lip's site to train their models. We just learned that our web host, SquareSpace, has a native feature that allows us to stop some of this. It was quick & easy for our web editor to put in place. I encourage you to do the same
August 17, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Hey lit mag editors. We've been worried about AI companies scraping Split Lip's site to train their models. We just learned that our web host, SquareSpace, has a native feature that allows us to stop some of this. It was quick & easy for our web editor to put in place. I encourage you to do the same
Reposted by Sara Hills
Staring down the eye of AI with our little spear.
August 15, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Staring down the eye of AI with our little spear.
Reposted by Sara Hills
I want to help you write your best flash fiction this fall! Since the class is asynchronous, you can work on your own schedule, take a deep dive into the examples, and try these craft moves in your own writing!
I'll have examples of flash fiction and Flash CNF, so everyone is welcome!
I'll have examples of flash fiction and Flash CNF, so everyone is welcome!
August 13, 2026 at 4:54 PM
I want to help you write your best flash fiction this fall! Since the class is asynchronous, you can work on your own schedule, take a deep dive into the examples, and try these craft moves in your own writing!
I'll have examples of flash fiction and Flash CNF, so everyone is welcome!
I'll have examples of flash fiction and Flash CNF, so everyone is welcome!
Reposted by Sara Hills
This class is almost full! I just had a star flash fiction writer sign up ❤️.
Some news!
Hermit Crab Flash Fiction Workshop
Sunday, 9/27, 2026 1–5pm (ET) Online $80
In this highly generative four-hour writing workshop, you’ll write three flash using found forms. Lots of feedback, lots of work, lots of fun!
Click here for the sign-up info:
www.cherylpappas.net/events
Hermit Crab Flash Fiction Workshop
Sunday, 9/27, 2026 1–5pm (ET) Online $80
In this highly generative four-hour writing workshop, you’ll write three flash using found forms. Lots of feedback, lots of work, lots of fun!
Click here for the sign-up info:
www.cherylpappas.net/events
Workshops & Readings — Cheryl Pappas
www.cherylpappas.net
August 13, 2026 at 6:53 PM
This class is almost full! I just had a star flash fiction writer sign up ❤️.
Oooh! Love the sound of this! 😍
Congratulations @tcboudreau.bsky.social. I can't wait to read it!!
Congratulations @tcboudreau.bsky.social. I can't wait to read it!!
A former sitcom star meets the residents of a North Country trailer park...
See what happens next in my new collection Stepdad on the Dance Floor. Available to preorder below from @unsolicitedpress.bsky.social
See what happens next in my new collection Stepdad on the Dance Floor. Available to preorder below from @unsolicitedpress.bsky.social
August 14, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Oooh! Love the sound of this! 😍
Congratulations @tcboudreau.bsky.social. I can't wait to read it!!
Congratulations @tcboudreau.bsky.social. I can't wait to read it!!
Reposted by Sara Hills
Before I take a bit of a break from Welkin things, it would be remiss of me not to say one big massive thank you to @chriscottom.bsky.social @pleomorphic2.bsky.social @mynachang.bsky.social & @susmitab.bsky.social for their brilliant judging.
Also, a big thank you to everyone who entered...
Also, a big thank you to everyone who entered...
So sad that the Welkin Genre Prize has come to an end. Missed any of these brilliant pieces? Or just want to read them again? So many gems to discover / re-discover here:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stories
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stories
Welkin-stories | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 12, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Before I take a bit of a break from Welkin things, it would be remiss of me not to say one big massive thank you to @chriscottom.bsky.social @pleomorphic2.bsky.social @mynachang.bsky.social & @susmitab.bsky.social for their brilliant judging.
Also, a big thank you to everyone who entered...
Also, a big thank you to everyone who entered...
📌 Editors — I know you care about integrity & I'm sorry to say, but *PLEASE* run your acceptances thru a safe/robust AI-detector like Pangram before publishing. In fact, start w/your latest issue & run each story/poem/essay, esp those from 'reputable' writers. It's disheartening how many are genAI.💔
The Commonwealth debacle shows you can no longer run a litmag on trust.
www.theargumentmag.com/p/the-litera...
www.theargumentmag.com/p/the-litera...
The literary world is sleepwalking into an AI disaster
“Her laugh is as bright as zinc” and other bad metaphors
www.theargumentmag.com
August 12, 2026 at 3:25 PM
📌 Editors — I know you care about integrity & I'm sorry to say, but *PLEASE* run your acceptances thru a safe/robust AI-detector like Pangram before publishing. In fact, start w/your latest issue & run each story/poem/essay, esp those from 'reputable' writers. It's disheartening how many are genAI.💔
Reposted by Sara Hills
Today’s the day! I know everyone’s licking ice cream and chilling the hell out phone-free but I’m as chuffed as chips to have a book out with @stanchion.bsky.social TODAY!♥️🍦🧘🏼🧘🏽♀️
Happy publication day to @kiklodge.bsky.social!!
"Enter a world of desperately funny, offbeat & often emotionally isolated characters, like a woman with a penchant for BDSM having a heart-to-heart with Maria Von Trapp in the waiting room at the gynaecologist's office" - @megpokrass.bsky.social
"Enter a world of desperately funny, offbeat & often emotionally isolated characters, like a woman with a penchant for BDSM having a heart-to-heart with Maria Von Trapp in the waiting room at the gynaecologist's office" - @megpokrass.bsky.social
August 11, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Today’s the day! I know everyone’s licking ice cream and chilling the hell out phone-free but I’m as chuffed as chips to have a book out with @stanchion.bsky.social TODAY!♥️🍦🧘🏼🧘🏽♀️
Reposted by Sara Hills
I for one think that if you’re a literary journal who opposes AI in any writing submissions, you should also never use AI for any artwork on your site. Seems like a no-brainer! Support all artists, not just writers. And yet! A lot of journals seem ok with AI art. Please change this policy, folks!
August 10, 2026 at 10:08 PM
I for one think that if you’re a literary journal who opposes AI in any writing submissions, you should also never use AI for any artwork on your site. Seems like a no-brainer! Support all artists, not just writers. And yet! A lot of journals seem ok with AI art. Please change this policy, folks!
Reposted by Sara Hills
Who wants a (hopefully) expert set of eyes on their story? I've got a quiet non-Welkin inbox at the moment and I don't want to be sat there twiddling my thumbs 😀
FYI, 10% discount on my short-fiction editing services for the rest of August. 🙂 All the details here: prattlefogandgravelrap.substack.com/p/the-editor...
Happy National Lighthouse Day
Alt: A red and white striped lighthouse whose beacon is swirling around
static.klipy.com
August 10, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Who wants a (hopefully) expert set of eyes on their story? I've got a quiet non-Welkin inbox at the moment and I don't want to be sat there twiddling my thumbs 😀
Reposted by Sara Hills
Seriously, friends. If you're interested in this sort of thing, just stop. This will not help you. It will ruin your reputation. There are a lot of ways to improve your writing that don't involve lying, cheating, or stealing. Find a (free) human writing group! Take a class! Practice on your own!
August 10, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Seriously, friends. If you're interested in this sort of thing, just stop. This will not help you. It will ruin your reputation. There are a lot of ways to improve your writing that don't involve lying, cheating, or stealing. Find a (free) human writing group! Take a class! Practice on your own!
"seven minutes on a street corner against the fishing-line twitch of prior commitments" and "that sharp, strange little question"
What a wonder this one is. A great sense of scene and movement, the looping of time and circumstance and heart. Congratulations, Amy Luxton! @welkinpress.bsky.social 🎉❤️
What a wonder this one is. A great sense of scene and movement, the looping of time and circumstance and heart. Congratulations, Amy Luxton! @welkinpress.bsky.social 🎉❤️
🌻🌈😀
WINNER of the Joy Prize, "Spring, Seven Years Later" by
Amy Luxton
Such a beautifully-crafted and evocative scene the swells towards a wonderful realisation of happiness:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the Joy Prize, "Spring, Seven Years Later" by
Amy Luxton
Such a beautifully-crafted and evocative scene the swells towards a wonderful realisation of happiness:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Spring, Seven Years Later | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 11, 2026 at 12:47 PM
"seven minutes on a street corner against the fishing-line twitch of prior commitments" and "that sharp, strange little question"
What a wonder this one is. A great sense of scene and movement, the looping of time and circumstance and heart. Congratulations, Amy Luxton! @welkinpress.bsky.social 🎉❤️
What a wonder this one is. A great sense of scene and movement, the looping of time and circumstance and heart. Congratulations, Amy Luxton! @welkinpress.bsky.social 🎉❤️
"Why does life always lead to a tree outside a vet’s, a red-eyed couple trying to decide, an old dog sniffing the wind?"
Oh my heart. I feel this one so hard. And "banked" - a master class on impactful verbs. Congrats @sfreligh.bsky.social, you star! Sheer brilliance! 🎉❤️ @welkinpress.bsky.social
Oh my heart. I feel this one so hard. And "banked" - a master class on impactful verbs. Congrats @sfreligh.bsky.social, you star! Sheer brilliance! 🎉❤️ @welkinpress.bsky.social
🏛️🏰📜
WINNER of the History Prize, "Outside a Vet’s Office: Boston, 9/11/2001" by @sfreligh.bsky.social
A brilliantly-rendered microcosm that projects outwards in such a tragic way towards global events:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the History Prize, "Outside a Vet’s Office: Boston, 9/11/2001" by @sfreligh.bsky.social
A brilliantly-rendered microcosm that projects outwards in such a tragic way towards global events:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Outside a Vet’s Office: Boston, 9/11/2001 | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 9, 2026 at 8:05 PM
"Why does life always lead to a tree outside a vet’s, a red-eyed couple trying to decide, an old dog sniffing the wind?"
Oh my heart. I feel this one so hard. And "banked" - a master class on impactful verbs. Congrats @sfreligh.bsky.social, you star! Sheer brilliance! 🎉❤️ @welkinpress.bsky.social
Oh my heart. I feel this one so hard. And "banked" - a master class on impactful verbs. Congrats @sfreligh.bsky.social, you star! Sheer brilliance! 🎉❤️ @welkinpress.bsky.social
"If you want to be a writer, do the thing. If you want to be called an author, write stuff and get it published. Boom. Done. You want to steal and call yourself an artist? Nah, fuck that."
THIS!!! I'm so disheartened to see tons of AI slop being published in beloved flash & poetry journals too. 💔
THIS!!! I'm so disheartened to see tons of AI slop being published in beloved flash & poetry journals too. 💔
August 8, 2026 at 8:52 PM
"If you want to be a writer, do the thing. If you want to be called an author, write stuff and get it published. Boom. Done. You want to steal and call yourself an artist? Nah, fuck that."
THIS!!! I'm so disheartened to see tons of AI slop being published in beloved flash & poetry journals too. 💔
THIS!!! I'm so disheartened to see tons of AI slop being published in beloved flash & poetry journals too. 💔
This!!!
Nothing generated by AI is actually art. Its pieces of stolen art turned into electronic shit. It’s not even worth toilet paper.
August 8, 2026 at 3:14 PM
This!!!
"So, I walked slow and fragile to the woodland, stood in the centre of their mile-long crater."
Oof! What a phenomenal, piece by Jo Withers. Absolute perfection from the arresting title (that comma!) to the final word. Just gorgeously gutting. Congratulations, Jo! 🎉😍 @welkinpress.bsky.social
Oof! What a phenomenal, piece by Jo Withers. Absolute perfection from the arresting title (that comma!) to the final word. Just gorgeously gutting. Congratulations, Jo! 🎉😍 @welkinpress.bsky.social
🧝🧚🧙♂️
WINNER of the Firefly Prize, "And Also, In the Woods a Spaceship Landed" by Jo Withers:
A piece that marries together a speculative event with a deeply personal tragedy.
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the Firefly Prize, "And Also, In the Woods a Spaceship Landed" by Jo Withers:
A piece that marries together a speculative event with a deeply personal tragedy.
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
And Also, In the Woods a Spaceship Landed | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 8, 2026 at 9:49 AM
"So, I walked slow and fragile to the woodland, stood in the centre of their mile-long crater."
Oof! What a phenomenal, piece by Jo Withers. Absolute perfection from the arresting title (that comma!) to the final word. Just gorgeously gutting. Congratulations, Jo! 🎉😍 @welkinpress.bsky.social
Oof! What a phenomenal, piece by Jo Withers. Absolute perfection from the arresting title (that comma!) to the final word. Just gorgeously gutting. Congratulations, Jo! 🎉😍 @welkinpress.bsky.social
Reposted by Sara Hills
👇!!!
This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadly | Sadiq Khan
This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadly | Sadiq Khan
Look at our blazing forests and parched cities. Green policies aren’t a ‘luxury’, and we can’t burn more oil and gas. People need the truth, says London mayor Sadiq Khan
www.theguardian.com
August 8, 2026 at 9:21 AM
👇!!!
Reposted by Sara Hills
Sara Hills is a magical word witch. I will die on this hill ✨✨✨
August 8, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Sara Hills is a magical word witch. I will die on this hill ✨✨✨
Huge thanks to Welkin's @mattkendrick.bsky.social & judge @pleomorphic2.bsky.social for choosing my story. 🙏❤️ I'm so delighted that it resonated! In my teens/20s I consumed Whitman's body of work in great gulps trying to understand the world/my place in it. Honestly, I'm still trying.
🫀🫁🦴
WINNER of the Body Prize, "Dear Walt Whitman" by
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
A lyrical, emotionally taut gem of a micro in epistolary form:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the Body Prize, "Dear Walt Whitman" by
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
A lyrical, emotionally taut gem of a micro in epistolary form:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Dear Walt Whitman | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 7, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Huge thanks to Welkin's @mattkendrick.bsky.social & judge @pleomorphic2.bsky.social for choosing my story. 🙏❤️ I'm so delighted that it resonated! In my teens/20s I consumed Whitman's body of work in great gulps trying to understand the world/my place in it. Honestly, I'm still trying.
"Your lungs drink electricity, a metallic sulphurous tang."
Wow!! What a stunner! The energy and language of this is incredible, bringing us right to the edge of the storm, waiting for that first thunderous crack. Huge congratulations @tomljanovic.bsky.social! 🎉🎉🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
Wow!! What a stunner! The energy and language of this is incredible, bringing us right to the edge of the storm, waiting for that first thunderous crack. Huge congratulations @tomljanovic.bsky.social! 🎉🎉🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
🌎🌎🌎
WINNER of the Earth Prize, "Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Nose Hill Park" by @tomljanovic.bsky.social
A piece that's wonderfully vivid and wonderfully alive:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
WINNER of the Earth Prize, "Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Nose Hill Park" by @tomljanovic.bsky.social
A piece that's wonderfully vivid and wonderfully alive:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Nose Hill Park | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 6, 2026 at 1:57 PM
"Your lungs drink electricity, a metallic sulphurous tang."
Wow!! What a stunner! The energy and language of this is incredible, bringing us right to the edge of the storm, waiting for that first thunderous crack. Huge congratulations @tomljanovic.bsky.social! 🎉🎉🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
Wow!! What a stunner! The energy and language of this is incredible, bringing us right to the edge of the storm, waiting for that first thunderous crack. Huge congratulations @tomljanovic.bsky.social! 🎉🎉🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
"He regretted how, as she lay on her back on the scaffolding, Heaven saw petticoats and pantaloons he did not."
Yes!! So much love for this saucy take on a historical tale. The 'ever less reverend', the apple, the longing—it's perfection @kawalker.bsky.social. 🎉😍
@welkinpress.bsky.social
Yes!! So much love for this saucy take on a historical tale. The 'ever less reverend', the apple, the longing—it's perfection @kawalker.bsky.social. 🎉😍
@welkinpress.bsky.social
Shortlisted in the Joy Prize, "Behold the Adam and Eve of Huntingfield" by @kawalker.bsky.social
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Behold the Adam and Eve of Huntingfield | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 5, 2026 at 10:01 AM
"He regretted how, as she lay on her back on the scaffolding, Heaven saw petticoats and pantaloons he did not."
Yes!! So much love for this saucy take on a historical tale. The 'ever less reverend', the apple, the longing—it's perfection @kawalker.bsky.social. 🎉😍
@welkinpress.bsky.social
Yes!! So much love for this saucy take on a historical tale. The 'ever less reverend', the apple, the longing—it's perfection @kawalker.bsky.social. 🎉😍
@welkinpress.bsky.social
"tendrils wrapping around you like you wanted to wrap around him except he’s in the ground and you’re not"
Such palpable grief in this one. I love how nature becomes the surreal embodiment, the comfort. ❤️🎉 @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social
Such palpable grief in this one. I love how nature becomes the surreal embodiment, the comfort. ❤️🎉 @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social
Shortlisted in the Firefly Prize, "the day after you bury him in the garden" by @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
the day after you bury him in the garden | MattKendrick.co.uk
www.mattkendrick.co.uk
August 5, 2026 at 9:52 AM
"tendrils wrapping around you like you wanted to wrap around him except he’s in the ground and you’re not"
Such palpable grief in this one. I love how nature becomes the surreal embodiment, the comfort. ❤️🎉 @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social
Such palpable grief in this one. I love how nature becomes the surreal embodiment, the comfort. ❤️🎉 @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social