Kate Maxlow
@katemaxlow.bsky.social
Recovering school administrator. I like my stories lyrical, sometimes absurd, with usually with a dash of humor and hope. My existential dread wears sparkly shoes to arm-wrestle institutions that forget they're made of people.
Yes, this Emily Dickinson-esque poem was written & read by the 9yo who lives in my house and sometimes let me claim her as "Daughter." And yes--it's deliciously creepy.
It would mean the world to her little ghostly heart if you donated 2 minutes of your time to a listen...
youtu.be/kK_wPTTJmHo
It would mean the world to her little ghostly heart if you donated 2 minutes of your time to a listen...
youtu.be/kK_wPTTJmHo
The Carriage Ride (Dark Ghost)
YouTube video by Lilith Reverie
youtu.be
February 3, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Yes, this Emily Dickinson-esque poem was written & read by the 9yo who lives in my house and sometimes let me claim her as "Daughter." And yes--it's deliciously creepy.
It would mean the world to her little ghostly heart if you donated 2 minutes of your time to a listen...
youtu.be/kK_wPTTJmHo
It would mean the world to her little ghostly heart if you donated 2 minutes of your time to a listen...
youtu.be/kK_wPTTJmHo
It’s my best dinner party story, really. I mean—the character’s dinner party story. Um. Yeah.
"I wrote down the recipe and put it somewhere I’d be sure to find it again, and accordingly, I haven’t seen it since."
Funny, timely, and hopeful, don't miss this deliciously quirky new fiction from @katemaxlow.bsky.social | www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
Art @anchalastudio.bsky.social
Funny, timely, and hopeful, don't miss this deliciously quirky new fiction from @katemaxlow.bsky.social | www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
Art @anchalastudio.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 6:12 PM
It’s my best dinner party story, really. I mean—the character’s dinner party story. Um. Yeah.
Pleased as punch to announce that my short story "The Crimson Path" (a Little Red Riding Hood feminist reimagining) has been selected to be in the Curse of the Sword Anthology from Dragonsoulpress.
Releases March 30, 2026!
Pre-order available at: dragonsoulpress.com/dsp-books/
Releases March 30, 2026!
Pre-order available at: dragonsoulpress.com/dsp-books/
January 5, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Pleased as punch to announce that my short story "The Crimson Path" (a Little Red Riding Hood feminist reimagining) has been selected to be in the Curse of the Sword Anthology from Dragonsoulpress.
Releases March 30, 2026!
Pre-order available at: dragonsoulpress.com/dsp-books/
Releases March 30, 2026!
Pre-order available at: dragonsoulpress.com/dsp-books/
New year, new fiction! This is one of my all time favorite pieces of flash fiction (3 min read) because I just let my id have the keyboard and here’s what she wrote. Enjoy the ride and check out all the other awesomeness at @doesithavepockets.bsky.social
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
Kate Maxlow — Does It Have Pockets
I Figured Out How to Turn Dopamine Into Solid Gold
www.doesithavepockets.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:38 PM
New year, new fiction! This is one of my all time favorite pieces of flash fiction (3 min read) because I just let my id have the keyboard and here’s what she wrote. Enjoy the ride and check out all the other awesomeness at @doesithavepockets.bsky.social
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/kate...
NEW FICTION ALERT! #Solsitia Lit Mag from @fictionfanspod.bsky.social all about DRAGON HOARDS! Check out my feminist flash fiction piece at the end while you're at it.
fiction-fans-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/...
fiction-fans-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/...
Solstitia Literary Magazine | Fiction Fans
The official Solstitia Literary Magazine collection for Fiction Fans. Shop products like: Solstitia Issue 4, Solstitia Issue 3, and more.
fiction-fans-shop.fourthwall.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:51 PM
NEW FICTION ALERT! #Solsitia Lit Mag from @fictionfanspod.bsky.social all about DRAGON HOARDS! Check out my feminist flash fiction piece at the end while you're at it.
fiction-fans-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/...
fiction-fans-shop.fourthwall.com/collections/...
When you're writing a book that features Victorian magicians:
Me: Do we have any bungee cords we don't need?
Husband: Uh, why?
Me: I need to do a magic trick. For research.
H: ...
Me: But I need to cut the ends off for the trick.
H: I don't... I mean... [sighs] In the garage.
Me: Do we have any bungee cords we don't need?
Husband: Uh, why?
Me: I need to do a magic trick. For research.
H: ...
Me: But I need to cut the ends off for the trick.
H: I don't... I mean... [sighs] In the garage.
December 24, 2025 at 3:21 PM
When you're writing a book that features Victorian magicians:
Me: Do we have any bungee cords we don't need?
Husband: Uh, why?
Me: I need to do a magic trick. For research.
H: ...
Me: But I need to cut the ends off for the trick.
H: I don't... I mean... [sighs] In the garage.
Me: Do we have any bungee cords we don't need?
Husband: Uh, why?
Me: I need to do a magic trick. For research.
H: ...
Me: But I need to cut the ends off for the trick.
H: I don't... I mean... [sighs] In the garage.
NEW FICTION! This 5-minute is dedicated to all my female friends of a certain age who find themselves at a doctor, one body part disappearing at a time. www.jerseydevilpress.com?page_id=9122
@jerseydevilpress.bsky.social
@jerseydevilpress.bsky.social
A Pumice Stone
Kate Maxlow “I’m afraid you’re disappearing,” the doctor says. He is about 50 years old with distinguished gray sideburns that I ache to scrub off with a pumice stone. But that would require me to …
www.jerseydevilpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 1:15 PM
NEW FICTION! This 5-minute is dedicated to all my female friends of a certain age who find themselves at a doctor, one body part disappearing at a time. www.jerseydevilpress.com?page_id=9122
@jerseydevilpress.bsky.social
@jerseydevilpress.bsky.social
Ok, but what would your mom post on Next Door as the world is ending? Is she a Doris? An Edie? A Shirley? Find out now with new fiction from @defenestrationmag.bsky.social : www.defenestrationmag.net/2025/12/what...
"What Was That Loud Sound? - A 'Your Neighbors' Discussion Board," by Kate Maxlow
Doris Abernathy Springland 2 hr ago
I just heard a really loud noise like a banging does anyone know what it was?
www.defenestrationmag.net
December 14, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Ok, but what would your mom post on Next Door as the world is ending? Is she a Doris? An Edie? A Shirley? Find out now with new fiction from @defenestrationmag.bsky.social : www.defenestrationmag.net/2025/12/what...
When you feel a story with your whole dang heart, and realize now's as good a time as any for a cathartic cry and fist shake at the universe ...
inner-worlds.ghost.io/they-promise...
@esichr.bsky.social
@innerworlds.bsky.social
inner-worlds.ghost.io/they-promise...
@esichr.bsky.social
@innerworlds.bsky.social
They Promised This Would Be Beautiful by Elena Sichrovsky
Your mentor once described a Bridge as being close to sacred. Inhale against the pull of time, they said. Let past, present, and future flood your molecules.
inner-worlds.ghost.io
October 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM
When you feel a story with your whole dang heart, and realize now's as good a time as any for a cathartic cry and fist shake at the universe ...
inner-worlds.ghost.io/they-promise...
@esichr.bsky.social
@innerworlds.bsky.social
inner-worlds.ghost.io/they-promise...
@esichr.bsky.social
@innerworlds.bsky.social
When miniature golf is so much more than a game…
New writing published!
New writing published!
"The 11th hole tends to be where a kid admits their suicidal ideation so that’ll slow things down. Anyway, you may have to provide an extra ball if it goes in the water. We’ve put up some netting, but it only works about half the time." @katemaxlow.bsky.social mrbullbull.com/newbull/fict...
October 27, 2025 at 12:13 PM
When miniature golf is so much more than a game…
New writing published!
New writing published!
Taylor Swift really wants everyone to go read this story I wrote at Water Your Cellphone: www.wateryourcellphone.com/post/call-me...
TW: Women's issues (Miscarriage, domestic violence)
TW: Women's issues (Miscarriage, domestic violence)
taylor swift is talking about why we cant have nice things
ALT: taylor swift is talking about why we cant have nice things
media.tenor.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Taylor Swift really wants everyone to go read this story I wrote at Water Your Cellphone: www.wateryourcellphone.com/post/call-me...
TW: Women's issues (Miscarriage, domestic violence)
TW: Women's issues (Miscarriage, domestic violence)
Check out the latest issue featuring my creative nonfiction piece: The Universe on a Gluten-Free Bun.
Dedicated to anyone who wonders where the hours go and why you can't just be an adult already.
Midnight Confessions: Issue 03
open.substack.com/pub/thekhaot...
Dedicated to anyone who wonders where the hours go and why you can't just be an adult already.
Midnight Confessions: Issue 03
open.substack.com/pub/thekhaot...
Midnight Confessions: Issue 03
The Good Within The Khaos Magazine - Issue 03, October 2025
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Check out the latest issue featuring my creative nonfiction piece: The Universe on a Gluten-Free Bun.
Dedicated to anyone who wonders where the hours go and why you can't just be an adult already.
Midnight Confessions: Issue 03
open.substack.com/pub/thekhaot...
Dedicated to anyone who wonders where the hours go and why you can't just be an adult already.
Midnight Confessions: Issue 03
open.substack.com/pub/thekhaot...
I feel the need to smash something. Does anyone have any spare bits of patriarchy you’re not using? Can trade for half-used cellulite snake oil and/or expired Tylenol.
September 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
I feel the need to smash something. Does anyone have any spare bits of patriarchy you’re not using? Can trade for half-used cellulite snake oil and/or expired Tylenol.
Can we talk about this story? Look, I love the literary stories that mean things that stir your soul, but my heart holds a special place for the humorous stories about bonding over your love of a dentist. @theoffingmag.bsky.social
theoffingmag.com/wit-tea/how-...
theoffingmag.com/wit-tea/how-...
How They Getcha - The Offing
Wit Tea - The Offing Magazine
theoffingmag.com
August 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Can we talk about this story? Look, I love the literary stories that mean things that stir your soul, but my heart holds a special place for the humorous stories about bonding over your love of a dentist. @theoffingmag.bsky.social
theoffingmag.com/wit-tea/how-...
theoffingmag.com/wit-tea/how-...
Reposted by Kate Maxlow
Final proofing is being done on this. Pre-orders include the print AND e-book. Said eBook will be delivered early, thus making you the envy of all your friends and enemies.
undertowpublications.com/shop/best-we...
undertowpublications.com/shop/best-we...
August 5, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Final proofing is being done on this. Pre-orders include the print AND e-book. Said eBook will be delivered early, thus making you the envy of all your friends and enemies.
undertowpublications.com/shop/best-we...
undertowpublications.com/shop/best-we...
Pretty much perfect breakup advice from Christine H. Chen on @doesithavepockets.bsky.social , if you're into lyrical micro-fiction with a generous dollop of wit.
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/chri...
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/chri...
Christine H. Chen — Does It Have Pockets
Anatomy of a Pencil | Recipe for a Broken Heart
www.doesithavepockets.com
July 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Pretty much perfect breakup advice from Christine H. Chen on @doesithavepockets.bsky.social , if you're into lyrical micro-fiction with a generous dollop of wit.
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/chri...
www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/chri...
THIS. I get so tired of hearing, "But if the genders were reversed..." NO. That's not how it works when there are clear societal power differences.
You can't counteract the influence of a misogynistic trope by just doing a gender swapped version of it now and then, actually. It's going to reinforce regressive ideas of women which doesn't stop being the case because you threw in a mirrored version of it somewhere in the work.
July 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
THIS. I get so tired of hearing, "But if the genders were reversed..." NO. That's not how it works when there are clear societal power differences.
What I love about this story "Snow Queen Serotonin" in @tinymolecules.bsky.social by @marybuchanan.bsky.social : The descriptions are both rich AND restrained, every word doing a heavy lift in the perfect place. www.tinymolecules.com/issues/twent...
twenty-two — Tiny Molecules
www.tinymolecules.com
July 11, 2025 at 11:06 AM
What I love about this story "Snow Queen Serotonin" in @tinymolecules.bsky.social by @marybuchanan.bsky.social : The descriptions are both rich AND restrained, every word doing a heavy lift in the perfect place. www.tinymolecules.com/issues/twent...
This is the story that made me fall in ❤️ with @maudlinhouse.bsky.social : maudlinhouse.net/the-sword-sw...
As a mother and an educator (especially in these times), the show must always go on, even as your body fails around you. Why? Because that's what we do.
As a mother and an educator (especially in these times), the show must always go on, even as your body fails around you. Why? Because that's what we do.
The Sword Swallower’s Fatal Malady
The first signs were somewhat easy to ignore. Scratchy throat, hoarse voice, slight difficulty swallowing. The show must go on. But as the small tears and burning sores in the pharynx of the esophagus...
maudlinhouse.net
July 10, 2025 at 10:08 AM
This is the story that made me fall in ❤️ with @maudlinhouse.bsky.social : maudlinhouse.net/the-sword-sw...
As a mother and an educator (especially in these times), the show must always go on, even as your body fails around you. Why? Because that's what we do.
As a mother and an educator (especially in these times), the show must always go on, even as your body fails around you. Why? Because that's what we do.
And it's up! maudlinhouse.net/lucy-archivi...
Thank you to @maudlinhouse.bsky.social for taking a chance on a new (to fiction) author who spent way too much time looking at mushroom pics for this story.
Thank you to @maudlinhouse.bsky.social for taking a chance on a new (to fiction) author who spent way too much time looking at mushroom pics for this story.
Lucy: Archivist and Fungal Justice Warrior
Lucy found a blueprint labeled “Secret Justice Fungi Room” hidden under bits of crumbling ivory in the tower basement, behind the urinal she perched over because the women’s restrooms had been closed ...
maudlinhouse.net
July 8, 2025 at 5:41 PM
And it's up! maudlinhouse.net/lucy-archivi...
Thank you to @maudlinhouse.bsky.social for taking a chance on a new (to fiction) author who spent way too much time looking at mushroom pics for this story.
Thank you to @maudlinhouse.bsky.social for taking a chance on a new (to fiction) author who spent way too much time looking at mushroom pics for this story.
Today in "weird little stories that somehow give meaning to the world."
splitlipthemag.com/flash/0525/j...
@splitlipthemag.bsky.social
splitlipthemag.com/flash/0525/j...
@splitlipthemag.bsky.social
I'm Alive But I'm in Asheville — Split Lip Magazine
I’m alive, but I’m in Asheville. A man at the bus stop asks me why I’m wearing an ankle monitor. He asks why there’s a piece of beef jerky wedged between it and my skin.
splitlipthemag.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Today in "weird little stories that somehow give meaning to the world."
splitlipthemag.com/flash/0525/j...
@splitlipthemag.bsky.social
splitlipthemag.com/flash/0525/j...
@splitlipthemag.bsky.social
Reposted by Kate Maxlow
“If the victor writes history, it is particularly telling how few words from ancient women have endured.”
10 Books About History’s Infinite, Unsung Legacies - Electric Literature
Through poetry, prose, and myth, these authors attend to the lacunae in humanity’s past
buff.ly
July 7, 2025 at 10:02 PM
“If the victor writes history, it is particularly telling how few words from ancient women have endured.”
Truth. I tried to write an almost completely serious story and nearly died. Write what you'd want to read, not what you think others want to read.
Don't be afraid to be you on the page. The barest you, the most naked, exposed, and self-deprecating. Write like your parents will never read it. That's the person readers are dying to get to know. Deep down in those depths is where you will find that elusive "voice" for your stories.
July 7, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Truth. I tried to write an almost completely serious story and nearly died. Write what you'd want to read, not what you think others want to read.
Ok, but this story by @megiddings.bsky.social in @theoffingmag.bsky.social
A story in a story in a story wrapped in despair and tied in a ribbon of hope. Absolutely gorgeous.
theoffingmag.com/fiction/arch...
A story in a story in a story wrapped in despair and tied in a ribbon of hope. Absolutely gorgeous.
theoffingmag.com/fiction/arch...
From the Archives: The Alive Sister - The Offing
Fiction - The Offing Magazine
theoffingmag.com
July 7, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Ok, but this story by @megiddings.bsky.social in @theoffingmag.bsky.social
A story in a story in a story wrapped in despair and tied in a ribbon of hope. Absolutely gorgeous.
theoffingmag.com/fiction/arch...
A story in a story in a story wrapped in despair and tied in a ribbon of hope. Absolutely gorgeous.
theoffingmag.com/fiction/arch...