trampset

trampset.orgsubmit to trampset | literary journal submissionsSubmit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations to trampset. Read guidelines and share your best work with our literary journal.

19 June

Submissions are open at trampset! Read our guidelines and send us your best work. We pay $30 via PayPal. Anybody can use our free submission category. Tips and quick response revenues pay our writers, editors and site costs ✍️ We've missed you all! www.trampset.org/submissions

trampset.orgMacro Minds, Micro Talks with Mandira: Writer and Artist KossInterview by Mandira Pattnaik..."The world is not my oyster, and I find the lit world also, especially poetry, to be very colored by classism, the ism no one here talks about."

“What is coming, every trauma, every joy, every sorrow, every mundane event, is continually slipping away into its goneness. And in the goneness lies a residual grief.” @mandirapattnaik.bsky.social interviews writer/artist Koss for a wide-ranging conversation www.trampset.org/post/macro-m...

1000% sincere apologies I missed including @foreverasheley.bsky.social this morning! I take full responsibility. I was the 1st to read it, I bumped it up the editor line, & then look how I fumbled this morning. Don't make my mistake & miss it Oct 30th! L Mari

trampset@trampset.bsky.social

We have a fun, slightly macabre, beautifully haunting issue coming Oct. 30 w/ new work from Zhu Xiao Di @praxmar.bsky.social Adam McOmber @egspeckman.bsky.social Dale Bridges @adamfinney.bsky.social @jennymliu.bsky.social @brettstuckel.com @baileyloveless.com @ezhang77.bsky.social & Bob Hicok.

We’re also reading for our last issue of the year, Dec. 4. If you have submitted something to us and haven’t heard back, it’s being considered for the last issue.

trampset.orgsubmit to trampset | literary journal submissionsSubmit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations to trampset. Read guidelines and share your best work with our literary journal.

Our Halloween-adjacent issue (Oct. 30) is full. Our last issue of the year will be Dec. 4, and we will close for submissions when this issue is full and then reopen in the new year. If you have some words for us, submit sooner than later www.trampset.org/submissions

trampset.orgsubmit to trampset | literary journal submissionsSubmit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations to trampset. Read guidelines and share your best work with our literary journal.

Our Sept stats: 611 subs received 8 accepted 1.31% acceptance rate Only 2 more issues to finish out this year! Free sub option. We pay $30/piece. Guidelines here > www.trampset.org/submissions

trampset reposted

Lyndsie Manusos

@lmanusos.bsky.social

ICYMI my flash story "12 Things I Wished Happened at the Louvre Heist" published in @trampset.bsky.social last week and is free to read!

Lyndsie Manusos@lmanusos.bsky.social

I had a sick 5yo yesterday so I am late to posting, but I am SO excited and grateful to have my latest flash story "12 Things I Wished Happened at the Louvre Heist" publish in @trampset.bsky.social! It's now up and free to read!

trampset reposted

Elissa Field

@elissafield.bsky.social

Ah, such a thrill to see this! Thanks to @thewritelifeliz.bsky.social for including my story "At the Gun Show You Say to Me, You Look Good," @trampset.bsky.social along with these other fabulous writers via @turnandwork.com

Turn and Work (Hugh)@turnandwork.com

The Shortlist for September 25, 2025: With guest editor Elizabeth Rosen @thewritelifeliz.bsky.social. Short writing from: Elissa Field @elissafield.bsky.social Asher Kelsey Georgia Maull-Keyser Chris Cottom @chriscottom.bsky.social Wade Harris James Keith Smith

turnandwork.comThe Shortlist for September 24, 2026 - Turn and WorkShort writing from Elissa Field, Asher Kelsey, Georgia Maull-Keyser, Chris Cottom, James Keith Smith, and Wade Harris

trampset.orgFour French Cats & a Monsterby Hannah Grieco...It isn’t normal, the way you smell. The way your body responds to fear...

"Except the shimmering lights are off today. “They’re broken,” the security guard says. “They’ve been off since Tuesday.” “Is this a metaphor?” you ask." @writesloud.bsky.social's "Four French Cats & a Monster" www.trampset.org/post/four-fr...

trampset.orgOn the Theory and Practice of Storge | trampsetby Lucas Reilly...Remember, the three things to remember are death, taxes, and I will forget my wallet and/or my keys.

"I found God by the gas station toilet frozen at the altar of Koala Care," Lucas Reilly's "On the Theory and Practice of Storge" www.trampset.org/post/on-the-...

trampset.orgA 10,000 Maniacs Songby Jamie Zerndt...I think for some love can be like the first hit of a powerful drug. Maybe you just chase after that feeling for the rest of your life, but some never really reach it again.

"is playing on something my son is watching on his phone, and I ask him if he knows who Jack Kerouac is. He shrugs, says, “some dead grunge singer?”" Jamie Zerndt's "A 10,000 Maniacs Song" www.trampset.org/post/a-10-00...

trampset.orgI Have Never Stopped Believing in The Incredible Mr. Limpet | trampsetby Kip Knott...When I was a kid, the notion of falling into the ocean and turning into a fish that could live and breathe forever underwater became my most fervent desire, especially on those days whe...

"Every day I am more certain than the day before that Mr. Limpet has something important to tell me. Perhaps something wonderful, like tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers" @kiptain.bsky.social's "I Have Never Stopped Believing in the Incredible Mr. Limpet" www.trampset.org/post/i-have-...

trampset.org256 Hzby Ross McMeekin...That lack of definitive explanations isn’t dissimilar to the questions many of us have about God, in the sense that God by definition can only be described insufficiently.

"There is a sense of loss, still, even for those born after the silence—that sense that something more than just the note is missing." @rossmcmeekin.bsky.social's "256 Hz" www.trampset.org/post/256-hz

trampset.orgFamily and Where to Find Itby Lydia Buzzard...A missile soaring in a flock’s V formation is no gosling and yet they both seek heat.

"Does standing on a tree root make me part of the tree? A missile soaring in a flock’s V formation is no gosling" @lydiabuzzard.bsky.social's "Family and Where to Find It" www.trampset.org/post/family-...

trampset.orgSomething that Happened When You Were a Childby Jan Stinchcomb...After the rupture your parents become great storytellers, but they only want to talk about each other. As you get older, the stories mutate into tall tales.

"You’re one of the kids who live in two houses. After the rupture your parents become great storytellers, but they only want to talk about each other." @janstinchcomb.bsky.social's "Something That Happened When You Were a Child" www.trampset.org/post/somethi...

trampset.orgAltitude | trampsetby Zach Wallis...Snow-shark-finned and vast and built of poems for someone else to write, the San Juan Mountains bracket the world. I try to place my feet where we were before, by the lopsided cairn y...

"the dive bar where we met, sticky bathroom floors, American flags, denim and plaid boy packed, and you in the middle, dopey Bass Pro hat and a smile I needed to steal." Zach Wallis's "Altitude" www.trampset.org/post/altitude

trampset.org12 Things I Wished Happened at the Louvre Heist | trampsetby Lyndsie Manusos...That a young girl, perhaps seven, found the diadem the robbers dropped while making haste to exit, and tucked it under her skirt, the curves of jewels pressing against her skin.

"That a young girl, perhaps seven, found the diadem the robbers dropped while making haste to exit, and tucked it under her skirt" @lmanusos.bsky.social's "12 Things I Wished Happened at the Louvre Heist" www.trampset.org/post/12-thin...

trampset.orgThe Harvestby James Callan...The sun was directly over our heads. The asphalt was soft under my shoes. Insects were dying, cooked alive beyond the shadows of parked cars.

"I was on my break, having a puff, when I found a body outside the Walmart." James Callan's "The Harvest" www.trampset.org/post/the-har...

trampset.orgtrampset literary journal | fiction, poetry, nonfiction, columns, nominations, abouttrampset is an online literary journal publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and diverse voices. Read new work and explore featured writers.

And we're live! New work by James Callan, @lmanusos.bsky.social Zach Wallis @janstinchcomb.bsky.social @lydiabuzzard.bsky.social @rossmcmeekin.bsky.social @kiptain.bsky.social Jamie Zerndt, Lucas Reilly & @writesloud.bsky.social www.trampset.org

Please help us congratulate our Best Small Fictions nominees @emilyrinkema.bsky.social Pravin Vemuri, @thaddevassie.bsky.social & @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social! Read their nominated stories ⬇️

trampset.orgMeat-Flavored Water | trampsetby Thad DeVassie...They say it comes with electrolytes. Even the chosen typeface for the word electrolytes! looks exciting and exuberant, and the sound of it rolling off the tongue conjures up images ...

Nominee @thaddevassie.bsky.social's "Meat-Flavored Water" www.trampset.org/post/meat-fl...

trampset.orgWhich Starseed Are You? | trampsetby Sarp Sozdinler...First: remove all the mirrors in your home. Hide them in the crawl space, bury them in your landlord’s garden, shove them in the backseat of a stranger’s car.

Nominee @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social's "Which Starseed Are You?" www.trampset.org/post/which-s...

Please help us congratulate our Best Small Fictions nominees @emilyrinkema.bsky.social Pravin Vemuri, @thaddevassie.bsky.social & @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social! Read their nominated stories ⬇️

trampset.orgThe Night the Mongols Arrive to Sack the City | trampsetby Emily Rinkema...The Mongols don’t notice me right away. I’m wearing sweatpants, wool socks, and a Dogs are My People hoodie, which I haven’t taken off since I checked in two days ago, alone.

Nominee @emilyrinkema.bsky.social's "The Night the Mongols Arrive to Sack the City" www.trampset.org/post/the-nig...

trampset.orgAuthor Bio | trampsetby Pravin Vemuri...Unsurprisingly, also unwittingly, he turned to atheism by seven. To existentialism by sixteen. To hard drugs soon after.

Nominee Pravin Vemuri's "Author Bio" www.trampset.org/post/author-...

Best Small Fictions nominees announcement coming soon, & we drop a new issue on Friday!

16 Sept

Next issue drops 9/25. Featuring James Callan @lmanusos.bsky.social Zach Wallis @janstinchcomb.bsky.social @lydiabuzzard.bsky.social @rossmcmeekin.bsky.social @kiptain.bsky.social Jamie Zerndt, Lucas Reilly, & @writesloud.bsky.social Are we still cool if we use the word "doozy"? B/c it's a doozy.

Please help us congratulate this year's Best of the Net nominees! @abhii106.bsky.social Tyler Dempsey, Avra Elliott, Stevie doCarmo, Oladosu Michael Emerald, kanda zinguri, @hellbends.bsky.social @sainttangerine.bsky.social Ridwan Fasasi, & @halfmoonmocha.bsky.social

trampset.orgSimultaneous Eventsby Ridwan Fasasi...Somewhere, a fruit ripened from a dying tree. The tree forgives itself for too much love. A forest of desires is sprouting under it. A boy proposes his love to his lover. Somewhere ...

Nominee Ridwan Fasasi's "Simultaneous Events" www.trampset.org/post/simulta...

trampset.orgTwo Memories of the Cityby Debmalya Bandyopadhyay... It was the Adam’s apple of the night: all we heard was an ad jingle, floating from open window to open window. The distant fox.

Nominee @halfmoonmocha.bsky.social's "Two Memories of the City" www.trampset.org/post/two-mem...

trampset.orgDear Little Mortuaryby Elisa Luna Ady...We held the light at the wrong slant, the cousins and I, like forgetting to floss our teeth or close the faucet. Someone dear to us had gone. It was the Anthropocene. A bit of ligh...

Nominee @hellbends.bsky.social's "Dear Little Mortuary" www.trampset.org/post/dear-li...

trampset.orgOutside My Son’s Therapist’s Officeby Sara Quinn Rivara...I was so scared back then. I was incandescent. I held his hand in every snowy lakewood, I held him on my shoulders in Lake Michigan. We speed down the mountain,

Nominee @sainttangerine.bsky.social's "Outside My Son's Therapist's Office" www.trampset.org/post/outside...

trampset.orgReasons to Stay Alive When the World Burnsby Oladosu Michael Emeraldafter Nikita GillBecause the sky still hangs its blue between the bombs. Because your mother’s voice is a compass needle trembling north. Because the taste of mangoes clings ...

Nominee Oladosu Michael Emerald's "Reasons to Stay Alive When the World Burns" www.trampset.org/post/reasons...

trampset.orgArafats in Dby Kanda Zinguriafter Chris Abanihow cool they looked, the boys who could afford them — safari boots, tight denim, those funny hats, hard boy brooklyn bridge stance. by now they had started smoking, ...

Nominee kanda zinguri's "Arafats in D" www.trampset.org/post/arafats...

trampset.orgStrange Like Meby Avra ElliottI remember a story he wrote about seaglass, followed by the words of Dybek whispered as foreplay. It isn’t easy to fall in love. There has to be strangeness. There has to be a dead lady...

Nominee Avra Elliott's "Strange Like Me" www.trampset.org/post/strange...

trampset.orgLand Roverby Stevie doCarmo...Like poverty unto ridelessness is immaterial since the only thing the big glittering logos on these palaces refer to, end of the day, is sex, which is their thing, their intellectu...

Nominee Stevie doCarmo's "Land Rover" www.trampset.org/post/land-ro...

trampset.orgWoundby Abhinav...That was the day childhood ended. Time no longer a yard but a funnel tilted downhill and revenge suddenly a possibility, not just desire. I knew I could do it. She saw it in my eyes. She ...

Nominee @abhii106.bsky.social's "Wound" www.trampset.org/post/wound

trampset.orgIn Praise of the Non-Linearby Tyler Dempsey...If I cared about linear progress, I would’ve never gotten picked up by a plane hitchhiking. Had I taken my friend’s offer to drive me from Anchorage to Denali in early-May of 201...

Nominee Tyler Dempsey's "In Praise of the Non-Linear" www.trampset.org/post/in-prai...

trampset.orgMacro Minds, Micro Talks with Mandira: Writer Emily Rinkema | trampsetInterview by Mandira Pattnaik...My mother died when I was 15 and it has really shaped so much of my life in ways that are still unfolding, good and bad, so this collection is part therapy, part tribut...

"I think I have always been really drawn to dark humor, and humor in general, and so much of humor is about juxtaposition of the expected and the unexpected" @mandirapattnaik.bsky.social interviews @emilyrinkema.bsky.social! www.trampset.org/post/macro-m...

9 Sept

Best of the Net nominees announcement coming soon!

trampset.orgsubmit to trampset | literary journal submissionsSubmit fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations to trampset. Read guidelines and share your best work with our literary journal.

2 Sept

Here are our August stats: 627 received 12 accepted 1.91% acceptance rate We're open for subs. Free option always available. We pay $30/piece. www.trampset.org/submissions

trampset.orgAction | trampsetby Michael Czyzniejewski...I felt compelled to sit, peck at the keys, so many of them missing, yet just enough, the exact keys that I needed still there: Despite me never playing before, not a note, I...

"all of it tucked inside the belly of an abandoned piano, the tall, wooden type, like from a saloon, but out in the deep woods" @mczyzniejewski.bsky.social's "Action" www.trampset.org/post/action

trampset.orgThree Stories About Romy I Promised Never to Repeat | trampsetby MB Valente...At recess that first day she told me to punch a boy she pointed out and I did. He hit me back and got in trouble but nobody yelled at me. I just crouched in her shadow and felt its war...

"We met when I was even smaller and dumber than I am now and she was already papercut sharp and stinging between my fingers" @mbvalente.bsky.social's "Three Stories About Romy I Promised Never to Repeat" www.trampset.org/post/three-s...

trampset.orgI told them the sky was falling | trampsetby Liz Berkstresser...When the floor stops moving, they take us off the truck. There’s a trail of blood leading to an open space with a green velvet floor.

"but all they did was peck at their reduced rations of corn. Then they said the farmer would give them the good seeds their ancestors ate" Liz Berkstresser's "I told them the sky was falling" www.trampset.org/post/i-told-...

trampset.orgballet planet | trampsetby Julieanne Larick...if you think our legs are green pears in a bowl if you think there’s merit to wearing a leotard in the dark take us home tonight and fistfeed us chex-mix by the bucket...

"let’s tutu around town feet flat on the pavement girl we’re stupid" Julieanne Larick's "ballet planet" www.trampset.org/post/ballet-...

trampset.orgAt the gun show you say to me, You look good | trampsetby Elissa Field...I eye one under glass in diesel green, iridescent like rainbows on petrol. Laser embossed handgrips in swirls of vining flowers. I’d fired yours at the range. First time I heard a sh...

"At the gun show, you don’t check when your phone vibrates, not until we’re at the end of the row, and then you pocket it without returning the call." @elissafield.bsky.social's "At the gun show you say to me, You look good" www.trampset.org/post/at-the-...

trampset.orgBags of Bags | trampsetby Zebulon Huset...There’s always a seed crystal ready to replicate itself. The mother-soup bags. It’s not like the bags of bags were precious, but I dreamed better when I knew they were safe.

"By my thirties I needed a closet for my plastic bags filled with plastic bags. I snuck carloads of them to dumpsters when it overflowed" Zebulon Huset's "Bags of Bags" www.trampset.org/post/bags-of...

trampset.orgMy Life Unfolds as Dictated by a 6th Grade Game of M.A.S.H. | trampsetby Casey Jo Graham Welmers...I wasn’t convinced of its death. For three days I just left it in the tank, fins dropping across the water like a gossamer veil. Then I scooped it out with my bare hand an...

"I marry the Crypt Keeper. The rickety old ghoul dies en route to the reception, bequeathing me a small fortune." Casey Jo Graham Welmers's "My Life Unfolds as Dictated by a 6th Grade Game of M.A.S.H." www.trampset.org/post/my-life...

trampset.orgThe Godot Method | trampsetby Tymber Wolf...No one here drinks water. They only bathe in it on Sundays. They aren’t a dirty bunch, just don’t want to pay the price of water in the desert. They have an unspoken culture to use what they are willing to have.

"The town begins to talk amongst each other. You know the undertones of what they're saying has to do with your arrival and the water tower's demise not being coincidental." @tymbosity.bsky.social's "The Godot Method" www.trampset.org/post/the-god...