Electric Literature

Cherry Lou Sy interviews Ayad Akhtar on his latest novel, THE RADIANCE. They talk about TikTok dramaturgy, attention spans, and the way Akhtar's training in drama influences his writing. buff.ly/l2tjyVC

A story about a concert pianist whose father spent his life obsessed with an obscure jazz musician. buff.ly/I0b2PRq

"The authors write beyond translation for a white gaze, bending genre through unlikeable narrators, exploring queerness, philosophy, sports, art, and the tender chaos of being alive." Read Ankur Thakkar’s recommendations here: buff.ly/8adpDs7

SUBMISSIONS WILL OPEN SOON! Recommended Reading, Electric Literature's home for short fiction, and The Commuter, our home for flash, poetry, and graphic narratives, will both be open for submissions from Monday, November 2 to 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Sunday, November 8, or when we reach our cap.

An essay about being married to someone who can't remember your wedding. buff.ly/3f5NFR0

Two poems about fathers and the complicated ways we remember our parents. buff.ly/xuXfFso

Bareerah Ghani interviews Abdelrahman ElGendy about his memoir, HUNA. They talk about writing a revolution, the American empire, and imagining other futures. buff.ly/oN03F8n

A story about a father who becomes estranged from his son after failing to protect him from the cruelty of the world. buff.ly/MEdPufw

📚💅✨

"While many estranged relationships hover around low contact or cordial contact, I am interested in child abuse survivors who—like me—found solace in complete estrangement. These 10 books explore what happens when survival is only possible through estrangement." buff.ly/e88Mp9q

"People keep going on, and small presses keep offering space for these stories." 15 Small Press Titles You Should Be Reading This Fall buff.ly/Te0iCb7

Electric Literature is seeking readers for our personal narrative essay series. Submit through our Submittable page today! Applications will be accepted through 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, October 25. buff.ly/3B3hcmF

Two poems about predatory behavior by James Allen Hall. buff.ly/5UA1gWB

"I love to talk about failure....It’s a strange thing that we ruin ourselves in service of a dream." Obsessed with these lines from @electricliterature.com's conversation between @cherrylousy.bsky.social and Siang Lu. The whole piece is well worth reading. electricliterature.com/when-your-de...

This interview was one of my most memorable talks with another writer. Siang Lu for the win! 🏆

Today, @electricliterature.com's "The Commuter" brought me these two brilliant poems by James Allen Hall @jamesallenhall.bsky.social, so what I'm saying is you should subscribe. electricliterature.com/category/lit...

@electricliterature.com with two poems by @jamesallenhall.bsky.social that made me go "oh my god" and immediately text my girlfriend... electricliterature.com/two-poems-by...

Cherry Lou Sy interviews Siang Lu about his new novel GHOST CITIES. They discuss failure, the Australian literary scene, and why not getting published was the best thing for his development as a writer. buff.ly/EIgehus

In our latest 23 Questions, Lydia Millet dives into what writing advice she gives students, how to when you are finished, evolving as a writer, and more! buff.ly/YT4h9mc

"This fall, and all through the holidays, read, give, celebrate queer books. We keep the fires lit ‘till morning." Check out the most anticipated queer books to read this fall: buff.ly/eC1Yjnc

Parliaments in a parking lot on a July night. Two poems by Erika Meitner. buff.ly/PA62xDq

Evander James Reyes interviews Malavika Kannan about her adult fiction debut. UNPRECEDENTED TIMES. They discuss the campus novel, Gen Z fiction, and the challenge of living according to your values. buff.ly/fIClByF

In honor of #LitMagWeek, we want to know: What lit mag introduced you to a writer you now love? 📚

Read Katie Bennett's essay on how motherhood impacts the topics we choose to write about

Flávia Monteiro interviews Deesha Philyaw about her debut novel THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF FIRST LADY FREEMAN. They talk about relationships between women, queerness, Bible passages, and more! buff.ly/nBRZhVq

Last call for our #LitMagWeek discount 📚 Today is the final day to get 10% off manuscript consultations, annual memberships, and merch with code #LitMagWeek. Grab something before it’s gone, and thanks for supporting independent literary publishing 💛 buff.ly/E0v1RQT

An essay about the cultural narrative surrounding the Asian robot maid

For #LitMagWeek and Throwback Thursday, we’re showing some love to Glimmer Train. For nearly 30 years, Glimmer Train published short fiction from emerging and established writers before its final issue in 2019. We’re still devastated. What out-of-print literary magazine do you still miss?

A story about a person whose best friend falls into a bottomless hole in their parents’ front yard. buff.ly/KgUFeFh

Lit mags reading lit mags 📚 For #LitMagWeek, we’re sharing a literary magazine we love reading: @onestorymag. We love One Story for its simple premise: one great short story every month. Check out One Story here: buff.ly/sZqnKmG

In our latest 23 Questions, Min Jin Lee dives into the ideal writing day, her writing routine, reading the bible every day, and more! buff.ly/2i4a2xQ

Ekin Oklap discusses the intensity of adolescence, antidotes to loneliness, and how early experiences shape our lives. Interview by Marisa Wright. buff.ly/kaRFYE4

For #LitMagWeek, we’re reintroducing ourselves! This week for LitMagWeek, you can get 10% off annual memberships, manuscript consultations, and merch through October 2! Use code #LitMagWeek at checkout and support independent literary publishing! 📚 buff.ly/Hq7iOAT

A story about a collection of miniature men that is much more alarming then it seems. By Antoine Volodine, recommended by Brian Evenson. buff.ly/MZNPTIz

🚨SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN🚨 All submissions will be accepted through our Submittable page. The portal will close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Sunday October 11 or when we reach our cap of 500. buff.ly/Wugh39V

My second published story of the year with @electricliterature.com , and definitely one of my favourite flashes I've written! If you enjoy dark tales about bones and the sea, then check it out ✨️💙💀🦀 First line below, and free to read here: electricliterature.com/the-bone-her...

I have a piece “Son Debt” out in @electricliterature.com. A product of my endless worries about motherhood. electricliterature.com/my-husband-s...

thoughts from @electricliterature.com on that National Book Award Longlist OpEd: "Many of these books tell stories that wouldn’t, or couldn’t, have been told just a few decades ago....They bring more people to the practice of reading, which inspires more people to become writers" shorturl.at/EjgTu

🍂 What book feels like fall to you? 📚

🚨 Cover Reveal 🚨 FAR FROM EVERYWHERE by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Allison Markin Powell, is coming from Algonquin Books / Granta on February 16, 2027. Read more about the book and how its cover came to be: buff.ly/HWIu2kv

"These writers use form to convey the experience, emotions, and structure of trauma, keeping the gaps, the flaws, the inventions, scalping together image and sensation into something legible but messy and tangled and raw." 7 Experimental Books That Reimagine How Trauma Is Told: buff.ly/5qXXW4h

Manuscript consultations are now available! Does your manuscript need fresh eyes? Our experienced editors can help you kickstart a revision for short fiction and essays up to 6,000 words! buff.ly/H1xXeBF

Next week is #LitMagWeek and Electric Lit has a lineup of exciting content to share. Check back here daily September 28–October 2 and celebrate lit mags with us!

A story about a new baby, difficult grandparents, and the debts families believe they owe one another. buff.ly/2vgPnaS

It’s #LitMagWeek 📚 This week enjoy 10% off annual memberships, manuscript consultations, and merch through October 2. Use code #LitMagWeek at checkout buff.ly/E0v1RQT

A story about "one last pervy gift." An excerpt from BASTARDS by Nate Lippens. buff.ly/rQoBia1

"It’s very inconvenient that the hermit crab has taken up residence in your bones."... ICYMI, I wrote a story about a woman being haunted by a hermit crab residing in her dead husband's skeleton... A quick read, and free via @electricliterature.com: electricliterature.com/the-bone-her... 💀🦀✨

A story about a monk who may have turned into a falcon. Written by Miljenko Jergović, recommended by Ellen Elias-Bursac. buff.ly/wqOV5jf

"This list continues that work: Eight essential Filipino American memoirs and hybrid works, spanning 1946 to 2026, that trace a literary tradition that has been formally radical all along and is only now getting the recognition it deserves." buff.ly/qfqcaaX