Aaron Burch

Spent an hour or two this weekend collecting some answers to this and emailing to the respective authors. Almost all said it made their day/week/month. Almost half said they’ve been feeling frustrated or dejected or blocked or similar about writing and these felt like the boost they’d needed.

With my interview with Kyle Seibel this week, about his banger story, "A Cyclist," we also announced Short Story, Long submissions are open no (until the end of the year).

"The cute boy sat down in front of me, asked someone else to go and microwave his burrito bowl for him, and started to explain the movie." a tale as old as time!

teaching this for the “personal pop culture” unit in my “art of the essay” class tomorrow, an amazing essay written by a previous student as her “personal pop culture” essay in my “art of the essay” class

"We've all seen or visited such a place — it's a suburb where ordinary people try desperately to live their lives in spite of lost loves, unhappy marriages, too many Martinis, discreet adultery and bills, bills, bills."

Got a new @kylerseibel.bsky.social story today, just for you.

Why is this the most perfect line? "'I bet you have a habit of falling for women who have a habit of falling for you on their breaks from falling for guys who need to be saved,' Summer said, shaking me out of feeling like a judgmental asshole."

Been a couple weeks since it was published. If you haven’t already, I recommend you spend a little time this weekend reading my newest short story.

“It is worth noting what Anders did not remember, given what he did remember.”

kinda a spoiler, I guess, but this is such a great little mini-lesson in revision. try to make as much as possible (everything) more active, more intentional. close the distance around the tension and conflict.

Really dug this Sarah Anderson story in this week's NYer.

Planning on opening up Short Story, Long submissions mid-October. (Probably the 15th? But maybe a skosh earlier. And then they'll stay open thru the end of the year.) If you’ve got a killer 3k–8k word story, get ‘er ready! (I'll also be in need of a couple submission readers; hmu if interested!)

This story does this narrative move ~halfway through that I found really interesting and really liked. Kinda grabbed and shook me up while reading, an experience I really enjoy while reading a short story.

SO excited to feature this new @nickreesgardner.bsky.social on Short Story, Long today. It's my fave story I've read in a bit. "I’ve been working twelves since I finished clinicals and was hired full time, but my shift at MedMark’s dragged on over fifteen hours when the snakebite victims come in."

Yall think Mark from Home Improvement is stoked about Aaron Turner joining Neurosis?

Get it girl.

Been a couple weeks since it was published. If you haven’t already, I recommend you spend a little time this weekend reading my newest short story.

tfw you publish a new story online

Working with @aaronburch.bsky.social is always a big cheer and I'm stoked to be able to do that again with this new story of mine in his wonderful SSL project. I’d be really happy if you read & shared "Bad Samaritans," a story about…exploding spouses and grief counseling at Applebee's. 🔗 below.

"The groom-to-be was gone by the time the rest of us woke up" With "Executives" @aaronburch.bsky.social becomes the 1st writer with 2 stories on Doric Literary! His nostalgic, male-bonding romp mixes marijuana with caffeine & golf-& shows exactly what can go right! doric-literary.com/2026/09/01/e...

Love this one, Kristine!! "One afternoon, Emily and I see the episode about the ultra-Christian couple who’ve never kissed each other. We can’t get over how the girl could date this guy for three years and is ready to marry him without ever having kissed him. What if he sucks at kissing?"

🚨 new @stephanieaustin.bsky.social! 🚨 "I was in my chaos phase, so I cut off all my hair and showed up to our second class a new person. My family was mortified, and my friends had mixed reactions, but not Ben. Ben said he liked girls with short hair." forget.cool/issue-1/issu...

Really excited to see this one out in the world today, with such a great home at @doricliterary.bsky.social. Wrote the first draft of this a few years ago. Still feels like it’s one of the best stories I’ve written.

Great new @mmkaufman.bsky.social story on @doricliterary.bsky.social today! Fun POV, all culminating in a really effective, beautiful ending. "This movie stub is a memory from my first kiss. That dirty menu is the best burger I ever had in my entire life. That book—well, that’s just a great read."

Really excited to see this one get released out into the world tomorrow and get to share it! "...a story about nostalgia, male-bonding... and experiencing a sheer stroke of magic" is 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 "back on my bullshit" shit, but also maybe the best version of that I've written yet?

11 acts you’ve seen as support acts Artie Lange (Norm Macdonald) Mitch Hedburg (Jon Stewart) Botch (Neurosis) Converge (Botch) Full of Hell (Converge) Blood Incantation (Full of Hell) Blink 182 (Voodoo Glow Skulls) The Roots (Rage Against the Machine) RAtM (U2) Beck (Neil Young) Rihanna (Eminem)

September is going to be awesome because it will begin with two brand new stories, each one filled with magic and memories, by two of the best writers out there: @aaronburch.bsky.social & @mmkaufman.bsky.social

An important part of handwriting first drafts: identifying for your future self bad ideas for possible titles.

New on Short Story, Long today. "My wife told me in bed this morning that she had dreamed she was having an affair with an actor. Which was strange. Not for her to dream but for her to say. Because I have it on good authority that she is in fact having an affair with an actor." —Michael O’Brien

“I’d certainly never do it again. But, somehow, there are still parts I miss.” — Tyler Dempsey somewords.boards.net/thread/161/t...

email your heroes

here’s the dumb, goofy, fun story we launched the site with, 6 years ago today

forgot I added this to my google calendar as a reminder to myself, just got the notification reminder email

Like 12 minutes into Reacher s4 and immediately remembering what a total treat this dumb show it. And Kevin Carrigan on it is too good for me to have even dreamcast.

(re)read this Tyler Dempsey essay last night. it's such a banger. farewelltransmission.net/2025/07/loca...

had a dumb idea, spent a little too long this morning making it...

“American movies will cheerfully spend millions of dollars on explosions and chases to avoid those moments when people are talking seriously and honestly to one another. After all, writing good dialogue takes some intelligence.” — Roger Ebert on About Last Night (1986)

bsky sucks compared to peak twitter for crowdsourcing like this, but... any fave recent(ish) NYTimes Modern Love essays? and/or "personal pop culture" essays (define as you see fit)?

Sprawled on a beach towel with waves lapping 10 feet away & the ambient noise of young beachgoers storing up vitamin D for the lean days & reading Tacoma by @aaronburch.bsky.social as a lone pelican pierces the blue sky & I can’t help but appreciate magic & beauty & wonder.

After taking the summer off, we've got a new short story on SSL today. A really great one. A fun one! Out first graphic/comic story!! "Lake of the Gulfs" by Nathan Holic

Listened to this interview with Matt Johnson like 5 months ago, and loved it, then finally saw Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie a couple weeks ago and so relistened to the interview just now and loved it even more. Would love to listen to some more great interview with Johnson. Any faves?

Finally saw The Odyssey, *mostly* just so I could listen to all these podcasts eps about it that have been stockpiling on my drive to WriterCamp in a couple days...

love this rave for @jsavrankelly.bsky.social's great story! ashortstorylong.substack.com/p/man-next-d...

friendfiction: the hottest, most fun genre goin'! loved this piece. not only because “I” pop in for a kind of cameo, tho that certainly helps

READ

New Short Story, Long tagline just dropped! "Tell your friends! Some wonderful tales and 'hidden gems,' as they say!"