Claudia Monpere
@claudiamonpere.bsky.social
San Francisco Bay Area writer and educator. Flash fiction and cnf in SmokeLong, Bending Genres, Atlas and Alice, The Forge, Ghost Parachute, Craft & elsewhere.Poetry in journals such as New Ohio Review, Plume, Hunger Mountain and Cincinnati R. (she/her)
"'Rushing this morning, were we?' Fake sympathy from Fake Tan Mum who looks pointedly at Marissa’s unbrushed hair. Her daughter? Sleek as an otter." Love this @nomad-sw18.bsky.social
templeinacity.com/fiction-cole...
templeinacity.com/fiction-cole...
Fiction - Cole Beauchamp - Temple in a City
Short fiction If Only by writer Cole Beauchamp. Published in Temple in a City literary journal.
templeinacity.com
November 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
"'Rushing this morning, were we?' Fake sympathy from Fake Tan Mum who looks pointedly at Marissa’s unbrushed hair. Her daughter? Sleek as an otter." Love this @nomad-sw18.bsky.social
templeinacity.com/fiction-cole...
templeinacity.com/fiction-cole...
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
Congratulations to Ghost Parachute's Pushcart Prize Nominees: @djpoissant.bsky.social, @avitusbcarle.bsky.social, @saralippmann.bsky.social, @megpokrass.bsky.social, @dawnsteffler.bsky.social, and @claudiamonpere.bsky.social.
November 30, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Congratulations to Ghost Parachute's Pushcart Prize Nominees: @djpoissant.bsky.social, @avitusbcarle.bsky.social, @saralippmann.bsky.social, @megpokrass.bsky.social, @dawnsteffler.bsky.social, and @claudiamonpere.bsky.social.
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
I may have got a little over-excited and opened entries a little early. I'm not going to start reading until Monday, but if you want to send something over the weekend, you are welcome to do so:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...
November 29, 2025 at 9:47 AM
I may have got a little over-excited and opened entries a little early. I'm not going to start reading until Monday, but if you want to send something over the weekend, you are welcome to do so:
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...
www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...
You add so quietly you are nearly muttering. “Can’t walk more’n a couple of blocks.” I hear you breathing beside me, an unsettlingly intimate sound.
“Since COVID, every time I sit down, I fall asleep,” I offer.
Beautiful sibling story @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social
okaydonkeymag.com/2025/11/28/o...
“Since COVID, every time I sit down, I fall asleep,” I offer.
Beautiful sibling story @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social
okaydonkeymag.com/2025/11/28/o...
On Your 60th Birthday, Resembling Our Mother, Dead at 61 by Patricia Q. Bidar
You emerge from your apartment, wheatfield hair ablaze in the afternoon sun. My big sister, skinny in a form-fitting dress. Today you are 60. I smooth my Hawaiian shirt over my paunch. “Birth…
okaydonkeymag.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
You add so quietly you are nearly muttering. “Can’t walk more’n a couple of blocks.” I hear you breathing beside me, an unsettlingly intimate sound.
“Since COVID, every time I sit down, I fall asleep,” I offer.
Beautiful sibling story @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social
okaydonkeymag.com/2025/11/28/o...
“Since COVID, every time I sit down, I fall asleep,” I offer.
Beautiful sibling story @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social
okaydonkeymag.com/2025/11/28/o...
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
From my 15yo son, after hearing how much I make as a writer: "It's a bad business, Mom. You should get out of it."
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
From my 15yo son, after hearing how much I make as a writer: "It's a bad business, Mom. You should get out of it."
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
The FLASH FICTION ranking includes 280 magazines - here is the top 20:
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The FLASH FICTION ranking includes 280 magazines - here is the top 20:
"What if his mother had found a different Irish man, not a homesick Irish man, an Irish man who did not assume the Baltic bomb meant everyone was staring at him, who could say Not all Irish people are terrorists" Stunning prize winning flash @quickasaflash.bsky.social
flash500.com/flash-fictio...
flash500.com/flash-fictio...
Flash Fiction 1st Place: The Grass Is Always Greener by Gill O' Halloran - Flash 500
What if years after leaving Kerry’s green hills for England, his Irish father had not been struck by a thunderbolt of yearning while sitting on the top deck of the no. 88 bus to Clapham? What if his I...
flash500.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:17 PM
"What if his mother had found a different Irish man, not a homesick Irish man, an Irish man who did not assume the Baltic bomb meant everyone was staring at him, who could say Not all Irish people are terrorists" Stunning prize winning flash @quickasaflash.bsky.social
flash500.com/flash-fictio...
flash500.com/flash-fictio...
"Holiness is a crowd of color, clanking in greens and pitched pinks, barely contained, but held" Stunning ekphrastic @cherylpappas.bsky.social in Flash the Court. Congrats on the Pushcart nom!
flashthecourt.com/2025/10/03/w...
flashthecourt.com/2025/10/03/w...
“What It Takes, What It Gives” by Cheryl Pappas
“What It Takes, What It Gives” by Cheryl Pappas is a prose poem, an ekphrasis, and a eulogy. Impressions of life; remainders of death. The bold hues and shapes taken from Lee Krasner’s 1971 Palinge…
flashthecourt.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 PM
"Holiness is a crowd of color, clanking in greens and pitched pinks, barely contained, but held" Stunning ekphrastic @cherylpappas.bsky.social in Flash the Court. Congrats on the Pushcart nom!
flashthecourt.com/2025/10/03/w...
flashthecourt.com/2025/10/03/w...
"I didn’t argue when men accused—the rare times I talked of it—Crutch! Fabrication! What they really meant was, What the hell you expect me to do?" Amazing list micro @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social Congrats for the Pushcart nom!
flashthecourt.com/2025/08/15/b...
flashthecourt.com/2025/08/15/b...
“Bullet List for My Aged Kidnapper” by Patricia Q. Bidar
“Bullet List for My Aged Kidnapper” begins with a gun and ends with a song. With a list form, Patricia Q. Bidar leads us down the long dark alleyway of time, where traumatic recollections ricochet …
flashthecourt.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM
"I didn’t argue when men accused—the rare times I talked of it—Crutch! Fabrication! What they really meant was, What the hell you expect me to do?" Amazing list micro @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social Congrats for the Pushcart nom!
flashthecourt.com/2025/08/15/b...
flashthecourt.com/2025/08/15/b...
"my brother says, “We cannot judge by today’s standards.”
I think of her. Fourteen. Fourteen. And which standard she would have wanted us to use, and I am speechless with rage. I am as pinned to the wall as she is." Incredibly powerful @pleomorphic2.bsky.social
I think of her. Fourteen. Fourteen. And which standard she would have wanted us to use, and I am speechless with rage. I am as pinned to the wall as she is." Incredibly powerful @pleomorphic2.bsky.social
I almost didn’t sub this piece (fear, shame). Thank you so much @epistemiclit.bsky.social for being such amazing supporters of me and the writing community. Humbled by this Pushcart nom 🧡
epistemiclit.com/past-issues/...
epistemiclit.com/past-issues/...
November 23, 2025 at 11:08 PM
"my brother says, “We cannot judge by today’s standards.”
I think of her. Fourteen. Fourteen. And which standard she would have wanted us to use, and I am speechless with rage. I am as pinned to the wall as she is." Incredibly powerful @pleomorphic2.bsky.social
I think of her. Fourteen. Fourteen. And which standard she would have wanted us to use, and I am speechless with rage. I am as pinned to the wall as she is." Incredibly powerful @pleomorphic2.bsky.social
"They say: “Oh, you self-published? That’s . . . brave.”
Snarky Answer: “Following your passions must always seem brave to people who have no goals or anything they’re working toward.”
Snarky Answer: “Following your passions must always seem brave to people who have no goals or anything they’re working toward.”
Happy November from Okay Donkey! 🦃
In our latest newsletter, Lead Fiction Reader Jeanette broaches what can be a tricky topic: What happens when your family asks about your writing this holiday season?
Read on for more from OKD:
In our latest newsletter, Lead Fiction Reader Jeanette broaches what can be a tricky topic: What happens when your family asks about your writing this holiday season?
Read on for more from OKD:
"So, are you still doing that little writing thing?" 💬
What to do when people ask you about your writing this holiday season, plus more news and shoutouts from the world of OKD
okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM
"They say: “Oh, you self-published? That’s . . . brave.”
Snarky Answer: “Following your passions must always seem brave to people who have no goals or anything they’re working toward.”
Snarky Answer: “Following your passions must always seem brave to people who have no goals or anything they’re working toward.”
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
Love book news on ACCOMPLISHMENT SUNDAY? Editorial assistant @jondoyle.bsky.social’s novel COMMUNION will be published in April 2026 via @atlanticbooks.bsky.social 👏 Mark it on your calendar!
November 23, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Love book news on ACCOMPLISHMENT SUNDAY? Editorial assistant @jondoyle.bsky.social’s novel COMMUNION will be published in April 2026 via @atlanticbooks.bsky.social 👏 Mark it on your calendar!
"you wailing when I set the alarm for 11:00 each night to take you to the bathroom. a reminder for your internal clock, and of course, I brought everything under control―even announced to friends I was expert at breaking bad habits"Stunning micro @sudhab.bsky.social
fictivedream.com/2025/11/17/m...
fictivedream.com/2025/11/17/m...
MicroMonday #32
Mama, I’m Home by Sudha Balagopal I drag my chair close to the window, eyes glued on our crooked street, heart catapulting every time a young man walks by, until it gets too dark, until the s…
fictivedream.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:56 PM
"you wailing when I set the alarm for 11:00 each night to take you to the bathroom. a reminder for your internal clock, and of course, I brought everything under control―even announced to friends I was expert at breaking bad habits"Stunning micro @sudhab.bsky.social
fictivedream.com/2025/11/17/m...
fictivedream.com/2025/11/17/m...
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
…he is overcome by a sense of doubt, a belligerent unsettling that marches through his mind.
A stunner from the talented @mattkendrick.bsky.social at Milk Candy Review!👇🏽
A stunner from the talented @mattkendrick.bsky.social at Milk Candy Review!👇🏽
Thrilled to have a new story out today with the wonderful Milk Candy Review that features eggs, soldiers, silence and absent suns. Hope you'll give it a read:
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
Nothing certain ~ by Matt Kendrick
The day the sun forgets to rise, Mr White sits down for breakfast at precisely twelve minutes past seven. This is in the dining room. It is Tuesday. His Tuesday breakfast is a soft-boiled egg opene…
milkcandyreview.home.blog
November 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
…he is overcome by a sense of doubt, a belligerent unsettling that marches through his mind.
A stunner from the talented @mattkendrick.bsky.social at Milk Candy Review!👇🏽
A stunner from the talented @mattkendrick.bsky.social at Milk Candy Review!👇🏽
" the truth is her mom thinks that when it comes to this washing feet stuff that Jesus was a bit of a pansy." I missed this gem @kelliborges2.bsky.social in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
bendinggenres.com/stolen-rainb...
bendinggenres.com/stolen-rainb...
Stolen Rainbows
bendinggenres.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:10 AM
" the truth is her mom thinks that when it comes to this washing feet stuff that Jesus was a bit of a pansy." I missed this gem @kelliborges2.bsky.social in @bendinggenres.bsky.social
bendinggenres.com/stolen-rainb...
bendinggenres.com/stolen-rainb...
"His wife is flustered by the absence of the sun, but he pays her no mind. She has a habit of working herself up over inconsequential events. Last week, it was the lengthening of a day to more than twenty-four hours." Electrifying! @mattkendrick.bsky.social
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
Nothing certain ~ by Matt Kendrick
The day the sun forgets to rise, Mr White sits down for breakfast at precisely twelve minutes past seven. This is in the dining room. It is Tuesday. His Tuesday breakfast is a soft-boiled egg opene…
milkcandyreview.home.blog
November 22, 2025 at 4:04 AM
"His wife is flustered by the absence of the sun, but he pays her no mind. She has a habit of working herself up over inconsequential events. Last week, it was the lengthening of a day to more than twenty-four hours." Electrifying! @mattkendrick.bsky.social
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
"Twice the same woman came to the back door of the apartment—a bird of a woman, shoulders slighter than a boy’s—a line of bruises like ripe blueberries along the soft flesh of her upper arms." Stunning 2nd prize story @dawnwriter.bsky.social
Thrilled to win Second Prize in @thesunlightpress.bsky.social Flash Fiction Contest! Thank you to the readers and judge @kelliborges2.bsky.social for this honour!❤️ #flash #flashfiction #flashlit #litmag #shortstory #writing
Our judge Kelli Borges shares her insights on all the winning stories. Find out our 2025 Flash Fiction Contest second and third place winners.
Special thanks to Kelli and our readers, Susan Pohlman and Elizabeth Spencer!
bit.ly/47ZNYyG
Special thanks to Kelli and our readers, Susan Pohlman and Elizabeth Spencer!
bit.ly/47ZNYyG
November 22, 2025 at 3:55 AM
"Twice the same woman came to the back door of the apartment—a bird of a woman, shoulders slighter than a boy’s—a line of bruises like ripe blueberries along the soft flesh of her upper arms." Stunning 2nd prize story @dawnwriter.bsky.social
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
So happy & grateful to be chosen for this contest! 🥰
November 17, 2025 at 8:46 PM
So happy & grateful to be chosen for this contest! 🥰
"the limbo of returned separation support demands, of a long-haul trucker absentee husband who knew all the slippery ways of can’t-be-found, four kids, no child support, unanswered letters" Dazzling! @writesofkathryn.bsky.social @fictivedream.bsky.social
fictivedream.com/2025/11/21/t...
fictivedream.com/2025/11/21/t...
They would have been perfect for each other if
by Kathryn Kulpa He hadn’t been divorced, three kids, full custody, ex-wife in the state mental hospital, weekday breakfasts of edge-burnt Eggos and heated-over SpaghettiOs, any food with an O in i…
fictivedream.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:36 AM
"the limbo of returned separation support demands, of a long-haul trucker absentee husband who knew all the slippery ways of can’t-be-found, four kids, no child support, unanswered letters" Dazzling! @writesofkathryn.bsky.social @fictivedream.bsky.social
fictivedream.com/2025/11/21/t...
fictivedream.com/2025/11/21/t...
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
🌊🌊COVER REVEAL🌊🌊
My debut novel I'M THE UNDERTOW drops 05.05.2026!
(Fun pre-order campaign coming after the new year!)
My debut novel I'M THE UNDERTOW drops 05.05.2026!
(Fun pre-order campaign coming after the new year!)
November 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
🌊🌊COVER REVEAL🌊🌊
My debut novel I'M THE UNDERTOW drops 05.05.2026!
(Fun pre-order campaign coming after the new year!)
My debut novel I'M THE UNDERTOW drops 05.05.2026!
(Fun pre-order campaign coming after the new year!)
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
Apparently a few of you are, so without further ado, here is the cover of my forthcoming NiF Mother Karma. It’s a wee piece of my heart, and I hope you’ll all love this family as much as I do 🧡🧡🧡. Cover art @nmals.bsky.social Publisher @publishedbyjake.bsky.social Forthcoming in December
November 13, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Apparently a few of you are, so without further ado, here is the cover of my forthcoming NiF Mother Karma. It’s a wee piece of my heart, and I hope you’ll all love this family as much as I do 🧡🧡🧡. Cover art @nmals.bsky.social Publisher @publishedbyjake.bsky.social Forthcoming in December
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
October 23, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Claudia Monpere
Cookin up somethin for the spring issue call...
November 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Cookin up somethin for the spring issue call...
Thrilled to be nominated for this micro in @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social. Very grateful to @jhhwriter.bsky.social & @kathyfish.bsky.social whose Shadowcliff workshop is where this tiny story was born. Congrats to the other nominees!
gooseberry-pie.com/best-microfi...
gooseberry-pie.com/best-microfi...
Best Microfiction Nominees 2026 - Gooseberry Pie Lit Magazine
Congratulations to our nominees for Best Microfiction 2026! Here’s a link to each story nominated:
gooseberry-pie.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Thrilled to be nominated for this micro in @gooseberrypielit.bsky.social. Very grateful to @jhhwriter.bsky.social & @kathyfish.bsky.social whose Shadowcliff workshop is where this tiny story was born. Congrats to the other nominees!
gooseberry-pie.com/best-microfi...
gooseberry-pie.com/best-microfi...
"We drive to the park. Baby calls from the backseat, “Frappuccino stop!” Stunning dark humor about parenting @nbrogdonwrites.bsky.social in Thin Skin
thin-skin.com/flash-fictio...
thin-skin.com/flash-fictio...
My Growing Boy - Thin Skin
Baby’s father slips from bed at seven, dons a clean blue button-down that highlights his eyes. Tangled in sheets in a pale nightgown, I stink of milk, Baby Boy belly-down on me, chests rising and fall...
thin-skin.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"We drive to the park. Baby calls from the backseat, “Frappuccino stop!” Stunning dark humor about parenting @nbrogdonwrites.bsky.social in Thin Skin
thin-skin.com/flash-fictio...
thin-skin.com/flash-fictio...