Mitch James
@mitchjamesauthor.bsky.social
First-gen PhD, professor of writing, author of the novel Seldom Seen, a Miner's Tale. Writer of tales short and shorter, poems, CNF, scholarship. Facilitator of therapeutic and expressive writing workshops. Crafter and consumer of cocktails.
Pinned
Mitch James
@mitchjamesauthor.bsky.social
· Dec 16
SmokeLong Quarterly Issue 86 is live. Featuring the six finalists of the SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) and four stories from this quarter's general submissions. It's wonderful.
www.smokelong.com/issue-eighty...
www.smokelong.com/issue-eighty...
Excited to see the new issue out. Check out my story "Obit," written in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop, and the accompanying interview with the sagacious Chey Dugan. Can wait to read through it all. Congrats, everyone!🤘
Love this! Gonna to read 'em all!
September 25, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Love this! Gonna to read 'em all!
Just discovered this little slice of the microsphere! Can't wait to dive into @claudineliterary.bsky.social
September 16, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Just discovered this little slice of the microsphere! Can't wait to dive into @claudineliterary.bsky.social
I'm behind on promoting a rare piece of published nonfiction. A huge thanks to @alliumjournal.bsky.social for publishing this frantic, plaintive experience.
tinyurl.com/ya7na9as
tinyurl.com/ya7na9as
Mitch James — Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose
tinyurl.com
September 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I'm behind on promoting a rare piece of published nonfiction. A huge thanks to @alliumjournal.bsky.social for publishing this frantic, plaintive experience.
tinyurl.com/ya7na9as
tinyurl.com/ya7na9as
“Uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix,” Dr. Doris Day says. “I say we take them all.”
“That’s a lot of me,” I say.
“Oh, you’d be surprised how little it is!"
Awesome story by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Hot Flash Literary
tinyurl.com/3ubv7uv2
“That’s a lot of me,” I say.
“Oh, you’d be surprised how little it is!"
Awesome story by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Hot Flash Literary
tinyurl.com/3ubv7uv2
Wyoming - Hot Flash Literary
It’s the time of the Great Evacuation. That’s what my friend Jess calls it. I’ve been bleeding all over the place. My body is emptying itself out. It’s undignified. And painful. Out for coffee with J...
tinyurl.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:57 PM
“Uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix,” Dr. Doris Day says. “I say we take them all.”
“That’s a lot of me,” I say.
“Oh, you’d be surprised how little it is!"
Awesome story by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Hot Flash Literary
tinyurl.com/3ubv7uv2
“That’s a lot of me,” I say.
“Oh, you’d be surprised how little it is!"
Awesome story by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Hot Flash Literary
tinyurl.com/3ubv7uv2
"The men are dying . . . beautiful boys ugly-cry too."
On-point rendering by @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social in his story "Boys in Boxes," Published in @fracturedlit.bsky.social
fracturedlit.com/boys-in-boxes/
On-point rendering by @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social in his story "Boys in Boxes," Published in @fracturedlit.bsky.social
fracturedlit.com/boys-in-boxes/
Boys in Boxes - Fractured
The men are dying. We’re the boys who see them. In tabloids, on news bulletins. Faces pocked with purple lesions, bodies ravaged by weight loss. Their abandoned eyes, their hollowed-out stares, hold u...
fracturedlit.com
August 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
"The men are dying . . . beautiful boys ugly-cry too."
On-point rendering by @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social in his story "Boys in Boxes," Published in @fracturedlit.bsky.social
fracturedlit.com/boys-in-boxes/
On-point rendering by @jamesmontgomery.bsky.social in his story "Boys in Boxes," Published in @fracturedlit.bsky.social
fracturedlit.com/boys-in-boxes/
Super excited (and a little proud) to have new micro published with such a preeminent supporter of the super short form. Thanks to everyone @lostballoon.bsky.social !!
It’s Wednesday, and that means we have a great new piece today from @mitchjamesauthor.bsky.social! Check out “Why I Stopped Tying My Shoes.” lost-balloon.com/2025/07/30/w...
Why I Stopped Tying My Shoes by Mitch James
I saw my first picture of spontaneous human combustion in fourth grade. A black and white photo of shoe and ash. Laces in bunny ears. Mom taught me the bunny ear song to help me learn to tie my sho…
lost-balloon.com
July 30, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Super excited (and a little proud) to have new micro published with such a preeminent supporter of the super short form. Thanks to everyone @lostballoon.bsky.social !!
A masterclass example of precision dialogue used to reveal the story not told. Admired the subtleties in awareness of marriage, sacrifice, taking and being taken advantage of, rebirth, and failure. A good study of the flash fiction by Gaurav Bhalla, published in Journal of Compressed Creative arts
July 23, 2025 at 2:34 PM
A masterclass example of precision dialogue used to reveal the story not told. Admired the subtleties in awareness of marriage, sacrifice, taking and being taken advantage of, rebirth, and failure. A good study of the flash fiction by Gaurav Bhalla, published in Journal of Compressed Creative arts
Reposted by Mitch James
Reposted by Mitch James
"I had to wrestle Patricia into isolation again. I’ve never had a senior like her. This is why Gary thinks it’s work causing the miscarriages"
Such a fascinating piece that braids together different elements and character focuses, and leaves so much for a reader to discover on second / third reads
Such a fascinating piece that braids together different elements and character focuses, and leaves so much for a reader to discover on second / third reads
Big thanks to @bendinggenres.bsky.social for publishing my braided micro piece that uses Leviticus, the epistolary form, and a little bit Minecraft. Originally drafted in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop.
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Prophecy
bendinggenres.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:17 PM
"I had to wrestle Patricia into isolation again. I’ve never had a senior like her. This is why Gary thinks it’s work causing the miscarriages"
Such a fascinating piece that braids together different elements and character focuses, and leaves so much for a reader to discover on second / third reads
Such a fascinating piece that braids together different elements and character focuses, and leaves so much for a reader to discover on second / third reads
Big thanks to @bendinggenres.bsky.social for publishing my braided micro piece that uses Leviticus, the epistolary form, and a little bit Minecraft. Originally drafted in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop.
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Prophecy
bendinggenres.com
February 11, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Big thanks to @bendinggenres.bsky.social for publishing my braided micro piece that uses Leviticus, the epistolary form, and a little bit Minecraft. Originally drafted in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop.
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Can't wait to read through the issue!
bendinggenres.com/prophecy/
Stoked to be a finalist for this contest! Thanks to all the editors @flashfrog.bsky.social and Guest Judge Gina Chung for your time and commitment 🤟
February 11, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Stoked to be a finalist for this contest! Thanks to all the editors @flashfrog.bsky.social and Guest Judge Gina Chung for your time and commitment 🤟
"If Leo Tolstoy could have ten kids and famously forget some of their names, then I could get pregnant and keep creating everyday."
Fuck yes.
Megan Mizanty's "Hillers" in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/7edhwaet
Fuck yes.
Megan Mizanty's "Hillers" in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/7edhwaet
Hillers
tinyurl.com
January 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
"If Leo Tolstoy could have ten kids and famously forget some of their names, then I could get pregnant and keep creating everyday."
Fuck yes.
Megan Mizanty's "Hillers" in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/7edhwaet
Fuck yes.
Megan Mizanty's "Hillers" in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/7edhwaet
Though I'm from the rural Midwest and not South, much of this piece from @raniqualee.bsky.social in @barrenmagazine.bsky.social felt like home. And that ending. C'mon, ya'll.
tinyurl.com/2hj3wwmu
tinyurl.com/2hj3wwmu
F-150, Carry Me Over
Barren Magazine - F-150, Carry Me Over -
tinyurl.com
January 25, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Though I'm from the rural Midwest and not South, much of this piece from @raniqualee.bsky.social in @barrenmagazine.bsky.social felt like home. And that ending. C'mon, ya'll.
tinyurl.com/2hj3wwmu
tinyurl.com/2hj3wwmu
Admire the nuance of mother/daughter & mother/son here, as well the promising ending and chance at redemption and growth: Read @rachellaverdiere.bsky.social in @okaydonkey.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4sbpxvhy
tinyurl.com/4sbpxvhy
Almost Plea to My Ex-Therapist by Rachel Laverdiere
Things may have gotten too serious too quickly, but I gather up the long skirt of my dress and step out of Steve’s vintage yellow bug—a car I’ve dreamed of owning since I was little— one of Steve’s…
tinyurl.com
January 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Admire the nuance of mother/daughter & mother/son here, as well the promising ending and chance at redemption and growth: Read @rachellaverdiere.bsky.social in @okaydonkey.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4sbpxvhy
tinyurl.com/4sbpxvhy
This is the first time I've read flash about a serial killer. There's no showing off here. Just the power and precision of a well-told story. "In The Chips" @ tinyurl.com/ye7pd59b
In The Chips – Free Flash Fiction
Aunt Gertie was stronger than she looked. As we would learn. Surviving alone all those years after Uncle Dan just up and left. Actually, she had buried Dan in the backyard herself long ago after his...
tinyurl.com
January 11, 2025 at 9:58 AM
This is the first time I've read flash about a serial killer. There's no showing off here. Just the power and precision of a well-told story. "In The Chips" @ tinyurl.com/ye7pd59b
Nearly two years behind on this brilliant piece of flash @flashfrog.bsky.social, but with what just happened in New Orleans and what will undoubtedly happen again soon, the story, sadly, still resonates.
tinyurl.com/4pyajt65
tinyurl.com/4pyajt65
No Dead Bodies in the Dining Room by Kathryn LeMon
*THE BLUE FROG 1st PLACE WINNER* Introduction by Guest Judge AIMEE BENDER: Last year I was so taken by Elisa Gabbert’s close reading of Auden’s poem “Musee des Beaux Arts” and how she considered th…
tinyurl.com
January 3, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Nearly two years behind on this brilliant piece of flash @flashfrog.bsky.social, but with what just happened in New Orleans and what will undoubtedly happen again soon, the story, sadly, still resonates.
tinyurl.com/4pyajt65
tinyurl.com/4pyajt65
Reposted by Mitch James
We're just thrilled to be recognized this way! Thank you to everyone that voted for us!
YOUR FAVORITE FICTION LITMAGS OF 2024
From 1827 nominations for 257 magazines, here is who our community has named the Best FICTION Lit Mags of 2024!!!
⬇️ Their details & how to send them your work
www.chillsubs.com/lists/commun...
From 1827 nominations for 257 magazines, here is who our community has named the Best FICTION Lit Mags of 2024!!!
⬇️ Their details & how to send them your work
www.chillsubs.com/lists/commun...
December 20, 2024 at 3:22 PM
We're just thrilled to be recognized this way! Thank you to everyone that voted for us!
The thinning of the animals; the self-alienation of humans; the world returning without them; the hospitals beginning to fill--a vivid display of the Malthusian Cycle, balanced on deft prose.
tinyurl.com/4cmmxjcy in @nffr.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4cmmxjcy in @nffr.bsky.social
The End of Mammals by Erin Ruble | Issue #35
It began with the pigs. As one factory farm after another succumbed, animal rights activists proclaimed it proof of the system’s failure.
tinyurl.com
December 28, 2024 at 7:10 PM
The thinning of the animals; the self-alienation of humans; the world returning without them; the hospitals beginning to fill--a vivid display of the Malthusian Cycle, balanced on deft prose.
tinyurl.com/4cmmxjcy in @nffr.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/4cmmxjcy in @nffr.bsky.social
“I began to have this dream where instead of being signed we just went missing,” says a young model in a state of mental decline, not realizing that her and her friend’s abundant visibility as models is the ultimate invisibility.
Beautiful work.
tinyurl.com/muzr84p9
Beautiful work.
tinyurl.com/muzr84p9
As a 90s Supermodel - SmokeLong Quarterly
Karina and I didn’t like the work. And we didn’t like our bosses. And we didn’t like to talk about love unless there was pain involved, otherwise we found it so uninteresting. She liked to say things ...
tinyurl.com
December 26, 2024 at 6:32 PM
“I began to have this dream where instead of being signed we just went missing,” says a young model in a state of mental decline, not realizing that her and her friend’s abundant visibility as models is the ultimate invisibility.
Beautiful work.
tinyurl.com/muzr84p9
Beautiful work.
tinyurl.com/muzr84p9
I admire the dichotomy in education highlighted by @sammatin.bsky.social in this interview. Best read alongside the story, "People of Color Monologue," which to me is a politically charged piece that suggests that with love there's hope.
tinyurl.com/yvddv6dc
tinyurl.com/yvddv6dc
Smoke & Mirrors with Sam Matin - SmokeLong Quarterly
Nadiya is from Detroit while Ali is Arab and Persian and Areeba is Bangladeshi. How important was it for you to choose characters who might not come from the same geographic area or ethnicity but shar...
tinyurl.com
December 18, 2024 at 3:58 PM
I admire the dichotomy in education highlighted by @sammatin.bsky.social in this interview. Best read alongside the story, "People of Color Monologue," which to me is a politically charged piece that suggests that with love there's hope.
tinyurl.com/yvddv6dc
tinyurl.com/yvddv6dc
The voice of this piece, the sense of place, the staying silent in life and not speaking ill of the dead (just like in the American Midwest), and the way the living stand fragmented around the deceased. Fucking beautiful. Let’s just someone say it already. Hot damn.
shorturl.at/Kzi41
shorturl.at/Kzi41
These Things We Not Saying - SmokeLong Quarterly
At the church’s gate, until the town people surrounded them, the women not spoke the horrible truth. They not talked about the man’s wives who, when they saw him, dropped on the ground at his feet lik...
www.smokelong.com
December 17, 2024 at 10:58 PM
The voice of this piece, the sense of place, the staying silent in life and not speaking ill of the dead (just like in the American Midwest), and the way the living stand fragmented around the deceased. Fucking beautiful. Let’s just someone say it already. Hot damn.
shorturl.at/Kzi41
shorturl.at/Kzi41
Excited to see the new issue out. Check out my story "Obit," written in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop, and the accompanying interview with the sagacious Chey Dugan. Can wait to read through it all. Congrats, everyone!🤘
SmokeLong Quarterly Issue 86 is live. Featuring the six finalists of the SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) and four stories from this quarter's general submissions. It's wonderful.
www.smokelong.com/issue-eighty...
www.smokelong.com/issue-eighty...
December 16, 2024 at 7:17 PM
Excited to see the new issue out. Check out my story "Obit," written in an @sfreligh.bsky.social workshop, and the accompanying interview with the sagacious Chey Dugan. Can wait to read through it all. Congrats, everyone!🤘
If you can't put on headphones and have an outer body experience listening to the Interstellar soundtrack, then we're made of different star dust.
December 13, 2024 at 10:52 PM
If you can't put on headphones and have an outer body experience listening to the Interstellar soundtrack, then we're made of different star dust.
Congrats to all the longlisters. Best of luck to yinz!
Every year we offer free entry to our Workshop Prize for narratives started in a SmokeLong workshop and subsequently published anywhere. The prize is $500. The standard of work is wild. Today we have the long list for this year: www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon... 🎉⭐
The SmokeLong Workshop Prize – Long List - SmokeLong Quarterly
Since we began leading workshops in 2019, we have had thousands of workshop participants who’ve produced more than ten thousand drafts. We began collecting information on publications in 2023, and now...
www.smokelong.com
December 11, 2024 at 3:05 PM
Congrats to all the longlisters. Best of luck to yinz!
Reposted by Mitch James
⭐THE FINALISTS OF THE SMOKELONG GRAND MICRO CONTEST⭐ These six micros will appear in the December issue of SmokeLong alongside four stories chosen from 3000 submissions in the general queue. Congratulations to everyone on this list; you’ve done something remarkable. www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...
December 5, 2024 at 6:59 PM
⭐THE FINALISTS OF THE SMOKELONG GRAND MICRO CONTEST⭐ These six micros will appear in the December issue of SmokeLong alongside four stories chosen from 3000 submissions in the general queue. Congratulations to everyone on this list; you’ve done something remarkable. www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...