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flarelitmag.bsky.social
FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
@flarelitmag.bsky.social
810 followers 630 following 540 posts
Literary magazine about chronic illnesses, mental health, & disabilities written by disabled & chronically ill creatives
Send us your flares!
EIC: @kellyesparza.bsky.social
Contest opens 1/1/26 and ends on 3/1!
http://flare-magazine.com
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flarelitmag.bsky.social
FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN) @flarelitmag.bsky.social · 10d
(1/2) FLARE is a year old! Woohoo! To celebrate, we're hosting our first writing contest: Strength in Stories Writing Contest, which is FREE to enter, but winners get PAID! Subs are open NOW through March 1st! Read the guidelines here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests/
off white background with pink and blue balloons, streamers, lollipops, presents, and cake: FLARE Magazine is 1! off white background with "Let's Celebrate" graphic with confetti: Strength in Stories Writing Contest OPEN Now Through March 1st! FREE to enter! Winners get paid + publication Theme: Disability as a Strength Visit flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests for more details! off white background: 1st place winner gets $125 + online publication, 2nd place winner gets $75 + online publication, and 3rd place winner gets $50 + online publication There will be 3 runners up and they will get online publication ONLY money bag pictured below from Canva off white background: Special Note: This contest is FREE to enter, but if you donate to the 2025 GoFundMe page and/or buy merch during our open contest sub period, ALL proceeds increase the winners' monetary prize! Find the GoFundMe page and merch page on the FLARE site! illustration of dollar bills pictured below from Canva.
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Some more news!
1.Starting this year, we'll nominate for Best American Essays to honor more creative nonfiction writers!
🧵 (1/3)
pink background with ripped paper at ends and leaf patterns, with a megaphone and sound emoticons: Some More News. 1. Starting this year, we'll nominate for Best American Essays. 2. New Year, New Website Domain (see caption): no more ads on the site! 3. Bluesky handle changed to @flarelitmag.bsky.social. 4. chill subs, poets & writers, and duotrope updated (or soon)
January 12, 2026 at 4:07 AM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Hey folks! We changed our handle from "@flaremagazine.bsky.social" to "@flarelitmag.bsky.social" so that it copies our other socials like Twitter and Instagram!
January 12, 2026 at 2:51 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
expositionreview.bsky.social
We’re delighted to spotlight this #ExpoFam member (@kellyesparza.bsky.social was Associate Editor for “Hunger and “Flux,” Fiction Co-Editor for “Lines,” and judged our “Escape” Flash 405 (tinyurl.com/ExpoIssues)). She is also the editor-in-chief of @flaremagazine.bsky.social
Issues - Exposition Review
Flash 405: 2025 Issue Guest Judges Melissa Llanes Brownlee, Ashley Moon, Kiana Shaley, Francesca Spiegel  •  1st Place Winners Laila Amado, Paul Arenson, Chloe N. Clark, Tara Dugan  •  2nd Place Winne...
tinyurl.com
January 10, 2026 at 10:44 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Here at FLARE, we've decided to start a newsletter about new issues, contest details, fundraising goals, opportunities for disabled/chronically ill/mental health-related writers and artists! FREE to subscribe!
Subscribe to FLARE Magazine Newsletter
Hello! This is the newsletter from FLARE Magazine, a literary journal that publishes literature and art about chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental health created by those who experience these f...
flarelitmagnewsletter.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
Running my first writing contest with a monetary prize! Calling all disabled, chronically ill, and those who deal with mental health conditions! @flaremagazine.bsky.social has been around for a YEAR! Love championing marginalized voices❤️
flarelitmag.bsky.social FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN) @flarelitmag.bsky.social · 10d
(1/2) FLARE is a year old! Woohoo! To celebrate, we're hosting our first writing contest: Strength in Stories Writing Contest, which is FREE to enter, but winners get PAID! Subs are open NOW through March 1st! Read the guidelines here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests/
off white background with pink and blue balloons, streamers, lollipops, presents, and cake: FLARE Magazine is 1! off white background with "Let's Celebrate" graphic with confetti: Strength in Stories Writing Contest OPEN Now Through March 1st! FREE to enter! Winners get paid + publication Theme: Disability as a Strength Visit flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests for more details! off white background: 1st place winner gets $125 + online publication, 2nd place winner gets $75 + online publication, and 3rd place winner gets $50 + online publication There will be 3 runners up and they will get online publication ONLY money bag pictured below from Canva off white background: Special Note: This contest is FREE to enter, but if you donate to the 2025 GoFundMe page and/or buy merch during our open contest sub period, ALL proceeds increase the winners' monetary prize! Find the GoFundMe page and merch page on the FLARE site! illustration of dollar bills pictured below from Canva.
January 2, 2026 at 5:32 AM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
(1/2) FLARE is a year old! Woohoo! To celebrate, we're hosting our first writing contest: Strength in Stories Writing Contest, which is FREE to enter, but winners get PAID! Subs are open NOW through March 1st! Read the guidelines here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests/
off white background with pink and blue balloons, streamers, lollipops, presents, and cake: FLARE Magazine is 1! off white background with "Let's Celebrate" graphic with confetti: Strength in Stories Writing Contest OPEN Now Through March 1st! FREE to enter! Winners get paid + publication Theme: Disability as a Strength Visit flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/contests for more details! off white background: 1st place winner gets $125 + online publication, 2nd place winner gets $75 + online publication, and 3rd place winner gets $50 + online publication There will be 3 runners up and they will get online publication ONLY money bag pictured below from Canva off white background: Special Note: This contest is FREE to enter, but if you donate to the 2025 GoFundMe page and/or buy merch during our open contest sub period, ALL proceeds increase the winners' monetary prize! Find the GoFundMe page and merch page on the FLARE site! illustration of dollar bills pictured below from Canva.
January 2, 2026 at 5:27 AM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Happy holidays from FLARE Magazine! Whichever holidays you celebrate, we hope you have a great time and a safe holiday season! ❄️ ✨

I know it's easy to overdo & feel like you have to for the holidays, but please rest & take care of yourself when you need it! -xoxo, EIC @kellyesparza.bsky.social
green background with lights (yellow and red), snowflakes, snowflake cookies, a gingerbread house, stockings, presents, candy canes, hot chocolate with a red mug that has a heart, a gingerbread man, a red sweater with a snowman on it, words: Happy Holidays from the FLARE family!
December 24, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
asv.bsky.social
I was published in @flaremagazine.bsky.social before it was rich and famous! 🎉
chillsubs.bsky.social Chill Subs @chillsubs.bsky.social · 26d
Putting this out here so you can say, "I submitted to them before they were rich and famous." Which is obviously a super realistic goal for a lit mag.

Find the list here: www.chillsubs.com/lists/20-in-...

#writingcommunity
20 Lit mags founded in 2025 that we think will be the next big thing • (s)crawl magazine - Horror-focused lit mag amplitying marginalized voices • Strange Pilgrims - Real, surreal, & brutally beautirul writing • Gather - A writing table for gutsy, bold poets • Tough Poets Review - Funny, smart, unpredictable, & startlingly honest • Strange Hymnal - Literary magazine of mystery, ritual, & obsession • Sonder Literary - Queer and youth-run zine focusing on equality and whimsy • 149 Review - Fresh, original, thought provoking work • Rawhead - Exploring the many forms resistance takes • FLARE Magazine - Spotlighting chronic illnesses, mental health, & disabilities • Blood+Honey - Experimental and avant-garde work that challenges & provokes • Tractor Beam - Radical visions of hopeful futures on Earth • OTHERSIDE - Quarterly magazine of speculative work by queer creatives • MENACE - Work that encapsulates the dark, the transgressive, the gross • shoegaze literary - A third space for dreamy, distorted alternate realities • Sardine Can Collective - Secret cult of tish girls • Little Fruits Magazine - Your ripest work: tart, rotten, dripping with sweetness • Lullaby Machine - A digital rest stop dedicated to the lullaby • The Aftershock Review - After trauma, there is still poetry • Outskirts - A new home for misfit poetry and prose • Mouthful of Salt - Amplifying the stories that won't stay quiet
December 17, 2025 at 6:51 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
So honored to be featured on this list!
chillsubs.bsky.social Chill Subs @chillsubs.bsky.social · 26d
Putting this out here so you can say, "I submitted to them before they were rich and famous." Which is obviously a super realistic goal for a lit mag.

Find the list here: www.chillsubs.com/lists/20-in-...

#writingcommunity
20 Lit mags founded in 2025 that we think will be the next big thing • (s)crawl magazine - Horror-focused lit mag amplitying marginalized voices • Strange Pilgrims - Real, surreal, & brutally beautirul writing • Gather - A writing table for gutsy, bold poets • Tough Poets Review - Funny, smart, unpredictable, & startlingly honest • Strange Hymnal - Literary magazine of mystery, ritual, & obsession • Sonder Literary - Queer and youth-run zine focusing on equality and whimsy • 149 Review - Fresh, original, thought provoking work • Rawhead - Exploring the many forms resistance takes • FLARE Magazine - Spotlighting chronic illnesses, mental health, & disabilities • Blood+Honey - Experimental and avant-garde work that challenges & provokes • Tractor Beam - Radical visions of hopeful futures on Earth • OTHERSIDE - Quarterly magazine of speculative work by queer creatives • MENACE - Work that encapsulates the dark, the transgressive, the gross • shoegaze literary - A third space for dreamy, distorted alternate realities • Sardine Can Collective - Secret cult of tish girls • Little Fruits Magazine - Your ripest work: tart, rotten, dripping with sweetness • Lullaby Machine - A digital rest stop dedicated to the lullaby • The Aftershock Review - After trauma, there is still poetry • Outskirts - A new home for misfit poetry and prose • Mouthful of Salt - Amplifying the stories that won't stay quiet
December 17, 2025 at 6:13 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
We didn't place, but that's okay! We still had some great votes for awesome categories, like Actually Inclusive, so that's a win for us! Congrats to friends @micromancemagazine.bsky.social, @charliefish.bsky.social, and @prosetrics.bsky.social who did place! Congrats!!!
chillsubs.bsky.social Chill Subs @chillsubs.bsky.social · 27d
THE RESULTS ARE IN 🏆
Meet the winners of our 3rd annual Best Lit Mag Awards!
chillsubs.com/lists/commun...
December 15, 2025 at 9:01 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Although it’s been almost a year of being around, we made it on the FISH List of lively independent #litmags! Woohoo! FLARE is number 1282 out of 1848 lit mags that qualified! Thank you for curating all this, @charliefish.bsky.social! See the list here: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/fish-list....
Red background with starry banner, white background with black edges: FLARE is on the 2026 FISH List! -4935 literary magazines assessed, 1848 qualified, curated by Charlie Fish, EIC of Fiction on the Web (lit mag), Drum roll… FLARE is 1282! This means a lot as FLARE only started in January 2025! FISH List with lit mags and FLARE at 1282
December 13, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
Screaming! My poetry chapbook that was published by #bottlecappress is FEATURED on the @reedsy.bsky.social discovery site & will be in their newsletter that reaches hundreds of thousands of readers!! Ahhh!

Not every book gets picked up so this is amazing! The link to buy my book is in my bio! ☺️
Purple book cover with spoon and fire, A SpoonieMs Guide to Self-Acceptance by Kelly Esparza, 4 stars, Esparza’s stunning poetic account of living with lupus is a rattling and gripping exploration of identity, reviewed by Stephen Dundas, on the featured list with other books A Spoonie’s Guide to Self-Acceptance has been featured on Reedsy Discovery (email): Hi Kelly, We’re pleased to let you know that you’ve made it to the Discovery Featured list! (Trophy emoji) Head over to our homepage to see your book review at the very top! Open Discovery in white letters, gold box —The Reedsy Team Find your audience. If our reviewers like what they read, your book will receive a high-quality review and be promoted within our community. Top-rated books are spotlighted on our Featured page and in our weekly newsletter, sent to hundreds of thousands of readers.
December 12, 2025 at 10:05 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Ooh yay! We made it to 800 followers on this account, aka our second biggest social media platform. Our IG by far has the most with (1700+ followers) and it’s all thanks to YOU😌
December 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
BIG news! My adult speculative mystery is a SEMI-FINALIST for the fiction category for the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards! In my #amquerying era but in a flare so I’ve been delayed BUT this means a lot as a @uarizona.bsky.social Creative Writing & English alum! ❤️ 719 subs total!🤯
December 8, 2025 Dear Writer, Thank you for entering your work in the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards competition. We appreciated the opportunity to read your writing. We received 719 submissions, and because of the many submissions of high quality, competition was tough and the judges’ decisions were difficult to make. Your submission is a semi-finalist in the fiction category. Finalists are invited to participate in Tucson, March 16-17. 2026, with workshop leaders Laura Da’, Caleb Gayle, Jason Mott, Shonda Rao… Pictured: strike out of cost of workshop and two white arrows in blue boxes pointing at semi-finalist.
December 9, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
Being chronically ill is rough these days! Trying to pick up some extra editing work! I have BAs in English & Creative Writing and 5+ yrs of editing experience + I was previously agented! I have edited books, query letters, business writing, poetry, short stories, essays, etc.

Flexible w/ pricing!
Editing Services
Hi there, writers! I am offering editing services! As you’ll see, I edit poetry collections, poems, short stories, novels, flash fiction, nonfiction books, screenplays, all types of business …
kellyesparza.wordpress.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
Ahh! A reporter at the Auburn Journal wrote an article about my new poetry chapbook about lupus & me! I’m happy to use my voice to spread awareness! 💜🥄

Read the whole article here: goldcountrymedia.com/news/338640/...

Buy my book here: kelly-esparza-merch-and-books.square.site/s/shop
Folsom author spotlights chronic illness in new book, by Dan Araujo, Kelly Esparza has an infectious laugh, usually punctuating the end of her sentences with a light chuckle brimming with positivity. An avid reader, she’s a book and magazine editor who earned her Bachelor’s degrees in English and Creative Writing before the age of 30.
December 6, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
thebkmagazine.bsky.social
#FF It’s Faux Fur Friday! To celebrate, give some ❤️ and a follow to these publications in the lit community that begin with “F”!
@flaremagazine.bsky.social
@flashpointsf.bsky.social
@floridapress.bsky.social
@flowlitmag.bsky.social
@foglifterpress.bsky.social
@folklorereview.bsky.social
Cont ⬇️
December 6, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
#GivingTuesday2025 I'm running a 30% off sale on
Etsy & if you buy my poetry chapbook about lupus, you'll get a FREE bookmark & sticker, w/ proceeds from both places going to the Lupus Foundation of America @lupus.org! If you just donate to @lupus.org, your donation is matched!
Get the links below!
kellyesparza | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
I am a writer and editor!
linktr.ee
December 2, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
Through my site, you can buy a signed copy of my poetry chapbook that’s about my life with lupus for $10 and it’s FREE shipping worldwide and through tomorrow, you can get a FREE bookmark!
Buy here:
Kelly's Merch and Books
kelly-esparza-merch-and-books.square.site
November 30, 2025 at 11:46 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Surprise! We were (easily) convinced to nominate for the @pushcartprize.bsky.social! So, the nominees are...

Rania Omar, Kelley Dundas, @christafairbrother.bsky.social, Alex Pellerin, Chloe Glass, & Olivia J. Bennett! Congrats!

Read their work here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/nominations/
green, gold, and white background: FLARE's Pushcart Prize Nominees 2026: For Poetry: "Skinned" by Rania Omar, Issue 1; "Always Hungry" by Christa Fairbrother, Issue 3; For Short Fiction: "The Symptoms Forecast" by Alex Pellerin, Issue 4, arrow with "next slide" and a pic of a trophy green, gold, and white background: FLARE's Pushcart Prize Nominees 2026 (Continued): For Creative Nonfiction: "The Fourth Trimester" by Kelley Dundas, Issue 3, "For the Little Girl Inside Me" by Chloe Glass, Issue 4; "Bone Spurs and Blueberry Pie" by Olivia J. Bennett, Issue 4, trophy pic at the bottom of the post
November 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
If you celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving from me to you! I am so incredibly thankful for the way FLARE has emerged as a community that many of us, myself included, needed this year! Your stories, your art--it all matters so much! 🧡 --EIC Kelly @kellyesparza.bsky.social
fall background with turkeys, apple cider/warm drink, corn, fall leaves, and acorns: Happy Thanksgiving (if you choose to celebrate) from FLARE! I am so thankful for this community and to you for sharing your support, your stories, your art with FLARE! You matter so much! xoxo, EIC Kelly Esparza
November 27, 2025 at 4:01 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Artist Spotlight #2: Sushmita Mamillapalli and her painting, "Into the Unknown."
See her art here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/into-the-unk...
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#litmags #art #artistspotlight #healthscares
fall background with mushrooms, acorns, and leaves: Artist Spotlight: "Into the Unknown" by Sushmita Mamillapalli, Art
November 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Artist Spotlight #1: Sara Jorgensen and her paintings, "Of the Barb-Wire or Verbal" and "Fusion."
See her art here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/of-the-barb-...
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#litmags #artistspotlight #healthscares #art
Leaves background: Artist Spotlight: "Of the Barb-Wire or Verbal" and "Fusion" by Sara Jorgensen, Art
November 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
flarelitmag.bsky.social
Author Spotlight #20: A. Riel Regan (riwritesatnight.bsky.social) and their experimental piece, “[the hospital room that i’m not in]."
Read their piece here: flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/the-hospital...
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#litmags #authorspotlight #healthscares #experimental
November 20, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by FLARE Magazine (CONTEST SUBS OPEN)
kellyesparza.bsky.social
I'm running my 1st book giveaway! Follow @kellyesparza.bsky.social, tag someone, quote reblog and tag me!

A random winner on 11/30/25 receives 1 FREE copy of my poetry chapbook published by #BottlecapPress & a bookmark!

BONUS entry: add my book to Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...
blue and white background: Giveaway: smiley icons, Follow These Steps: Follow @kellyesparza.bsky.social, tag a friend in the comments (counts as another entry), quote reblog and tag me. Randomly selected winner on 11/30/25 receives 1 FREE copy of my poetry chapbook published by Bottlecap Press! yellow background with asterisks: A Spoonie's Guide to Self-Acceptance by Kelly Esparza, purple cover with spoon and fire
November 20, 2025 at 2:33 AM