Tag: literary journal
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“The Sky is Falling” by Morganne Howell
2006 “What are you worried about?” my mother asks me across the patio table. She looks at my father for reassurance, who studies his stein. Charred fragments of the forest float down from the overcast sky and land in the crisp foam of his beer. He picks them out with a finger and wipes his…
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#amwriting #reachingintothevoid
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Most of the time, good writing is a total accident. Don’t get me wrong, if you show up and put in the work, no matter what you’re working toward, good things are going to happen. And, yes, as George Saunders suggests, the more we write…
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Call for Submissions: Ozarks Rivers and Lakes Essays
The only thing richer than the history and folklore of the Ozarks is the soil beneath its people’s feet. The region’s lush splendor is with special thanks to its many rivers and lakes, wonders of nature which make this little corner of the world an attractive and one-of-a-kind place to call home for all walks…
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“Generation Facilitator” by Cristine Emerson
Sterile, she rides the airheavy with ingredientsfor new generationsof cotton and serviceberry,stamens and pistilsunable to touchwithout caresses ofa third party,and drunk, finds warmpillows inside purple petals. CJ Emerson is an writer and artist who enjoys all the magic and weirdness the natural world and human experience has to offer.
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“Dear Bruce Springsteen,” by Lee Busby
Remember that time you came overand ate all of the corn and tomatoeswe had set out for dinnerbefore we could even offerit to you, and, smiling at me,one golden kernel stuck overan incisor, you said it wasn’t hardto be a rock star, but it makes youhungry all the time, and the little gardenyou keep on…
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#amwriting
When you don’t know what to write, write. Right? Well—that’s kind of like somebody saying, “Cheer up,” when you’re down in the dumps. Down there, usually we’re not asking for help. Writing can be like that. We understand intellectually that we should just cheer up (or just write), it’s what we want, in fact. Or…
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Spacing in Novels: It’s All Between the Lines
Over the years, I’ve attended many Comic-Con events around the area. It’s a great way for independent authors to purchase a booth on the floor, highlight their new novel series with posters, and sign physical copies. Yet, I have come to a conclusion about the state of indie books at such events: great stories, but…
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Five Journals to Submit Nature Writing
Reckoning This stellar publisher has an other-worldly love of the natural world, showcasing both literary and genre work. Like Skipjack Review, Reckoning does not limit themselves to literary phenomenon and seeks to publish “cli-fi” and other sorts of slippery, slipstream writing in addition to traditional narrative styles. https://reckoning.press/ Split Rock Review SRR is creating quite…
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The Pouting Trout Life Jacket
Good morning and good day, you pretty, shiny fishes and creatures. This is the Pouting Trout. Feel the sun’s healing and know it is a new and better day. I just wanted to let you know I am out here. I am listening. I know what you’re going through, and I know it isn’t easy,…
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Spotlight on “Mattress” by Dave Malone
When I was in my late twenties, I had a tumultuous romantic relationship. If your readers know of John Alan Lee’s love styles, then this affair would be categorized as erotic and manic.
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No Joke: We’re Ope’n!
Ope here, The day has finally come: April Fool’s day and the first day of Skipjack Review’s inaugural reading period. Pardon my pun, but the editors and I await your submissions with baited breath. Finish up your final polishing and send us your work! We here at Skipjack Review love reading, as writers and…
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Writing Practices and Prewriting Rituals
It’s fair to wonder how much our writing practices and prewriting rituals are bullshit—just like it’s safe practice to chickety check ourselves before we keep making the same bad choices into habits in life. I recently attended a writing workshop where a lecture was given on a writer’s life outside of writing—a topic I had…
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#amwriting
Failures, rejections, and efforts that don’t take flight are our best teachers—though rarely do we learn anything in the moment from such lessons. We just feel the sting. If we’re lucky, criticism is punctuated with admiration and we receive some kind of insight about how to improve a manuscript, for example, but the days of…
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Who is Skipjack?
Who’s askin’? Skipjack asks the questions. A better question is, Who’s Ope? Skipjack is the fringes itself, the outer limits, the abyss staring back after you’ve stared long enough. Wait—what was the question? Here, hit this. Conceived in early 2022 at the River Pretty Writer’s Retreat in the Missouri Ozarks, USA, Skipjack Review is named…
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Ope!
We all know about skipjack herrings and their obsession with those lights we see at night. You’re probably thinking we’re a little silly, throwing our bodies and everything we’ve got at what amounts to nothing more than an idea, or a curiosity. None of us knows what’s waiting for us up in space, and thus…
the water and the gills 