We’re launching into 2026 with another bumper issue, filled to the brim with fantastic flash, stunning short stories, and amazing creative non-fiction and poetry. Some come from seasoned writers, while others are first publications for those new to the scene. Laura and I love them all, and hope you will too!

As in our previous issues, broad themes emerged in the works we selected, and I have structured the pieces around those themes to amplify their meaning.

Okay, that’s enough of a preamble. Let’s dive straight in!

Loss, Grief, and Longing

In this section, you’ll find expressions of loss and grief, of longing and of opportunities missed.

Going Gray // Creative non-fiction by Hana Jabr

Hard To Know // Short story by Edelle Dwyer

Childless // Creative non-fiction by Donna Leamy

Perfect Star // Short story by Elissa Field

What doesn’t make you stronger kills you // Flash fiction by Eirene Gentle

i crave the smell of your old car // Poetry by Evelyn Vozar

Delicates // Short story by Bianca Locklee

After My Father Was Killed // Poetry by Kate Vanhinsbergh

A Month’s Mind // Short story by Ryan Wiles

The Sweetest Lie // Short story by Michael Pettit

4 Hours // Flash fiction by Clodagh O’Brien

Did you see your man Gant? // Short story by Jonathan Cosgrove

The Siren, the Tide, and the Cicadas // Flash fiction by Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos

Indulge Me // Short story by Leslie Cairns

Dangerous & Deadly

In this section, you’ll find those pieces related to death, dying, and acts of deadly consequence.

Shooting Stars // Creative non-fiction by Barbara Byar

The Newest Bags // Short story by Adam Nesbit

Not Just A Number // Flash fiction by Donna Leamy

Pretty is Pain // Short story by Catherine O’Brien

Farm Writing // Short story by Jack Desmond

She Didn’t Know // Flash fiction by Clodagh O’Brien

Reflective & Pensive

These pieces are thoughtful, reflective, even provocative, and speak to deeper truths.

We Want Medals for our Lost Autonomy // Creative non-fiction by Deirdre Maultsaid

Two Poems by Jo Rigg // Poetry

Occupational Hazards // Creative non-fiction by Nancy Moreland

Lotus Buds - a Sestina // Poetry by Joyce Loh

8:23 p.m. // Creative non-fiction by Olivia J. Bennett

Astrolabe // Poetry by Emily Cullen

Liars // Creative non-fiction by Andrew Careaga

My Mind Channels // Poetry by Mervyn Seivwright

She // Creative non-fiction by Loretta Fahy

To Each His Own Pain // Short story by Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos

The balance beam in purgatory is only 4 inches wide // Flash fiction by Amy Barnes

The Philosopical Bug // Short story by Alison Wells

Half a Sleeping Pill // Creative non-fiction by Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos

The Crossing Was Choppy // Poetry by Margaret Hickey

Spatial senses // Creative non-fiction by Linnea Dunne

Asylum // Creative non-fiction by Tim Green

Let’s talk about trees // Creative non-fiction by Clodagh O’Brien

Mercury // Poetry by Don Narkevic

The Russian Front // Creative non-fiction by Katie Piper

Remember To Feed the Dog // Poetry by Kerith Collins

Wishful & Hopeful

In this section, you’ll find pieces that speak in some way to our hopes and dreams.

Three poems // Poetry by Noelle Lynskey

Fireflies Still // Flash fiction by Kaylee Baucom

Lost and Found // Creative non-fiction by Asha Krishna

Before, After, Now // Short story by Sudha Balagopal

Any Human Thing // Short story by Katie Canning

There’s still life // Flash fiction by Kik Lodge

Closeted // Short story by Caroline Heffernan

Blanket Fort // Poetry by Tracie Renee

quarter-century pizzazz // Poetry by Chisom Nwaezuoke

Amused & Amusing

In this section, you’ll find those pieces which I felt were amusing, bemusing, or in which the characters find themselves amused by their circumstances.

Clockwork // Short story by Lauren Loudermilk

The Fill // Flash fiction by Colin O’Sulllivan

Beautiful Parts // Short story by Madeleine Armstrong

Penelope by the Sea // Flash fiction by Beth Sherman

Underbelly // Creative non-fiction by Catherine Daly

The Attitude Cat // Short story by Luc Upson

Sleepover // Flash fiction by Alison Wassell

My Own Auld Style // Short story by Liam Wallace

Letting go // Flash fiction by Cole Beauchamp

Our Little Secret // Short story by Cassie Smith-Christmas

Restless & Uncertain

Here, we find characters who are sometimes ill at ease, but their discomfort is often tinged with hope.

Beirut // Short story by Ali McGuire

Powder // Short story by Johnny Thompson

The Elephant Man in the Room // Flash fiction by Marco Visciolaccio

CANCER PLANE // Short story by Freya Thygesen

Devil’s Elbow // Creative non-fiction by Carrie Griffin

At Chutes Croches Viewing Platform // Poetry by C. E. Collins

Snakes // Flash fiction by Beth Sherman

Cass Tries Yoga (Weekly, Forever) // Short story by Tracie Renee

If Heather Falls // Flash fiction by Kellan Jansen

The Shot Glass // Flash fiction by Tracie Renee

Property Rights // Short story by Abigail Williams

Skin // Flash fiction by Alison Wells

The Flaying of Marsyas // Short story by Cainhurst

And now I feel the benevolent light of Marie Kondo // Flash fiction by Cole Beauchamp

We are baptized for the dead in Taber before going to A&W for burgers and root beer // Creative non-fiction by Cheryl Markosky

The Lies We Tell Ourselves // Short story by Donna Leamy

They Say Junwei’s a Bad Boy // Flash fiction by Ya Lan Chang

Two Poems by Özge Lena // Poetry

The Pile // Flash fiction by Kellan Jansen

Two poems by Rebecca O’Hagan // Poetry

The house burnt down before we lit a candle // Flash fiction by Eirene Gentle

Ars Poetica: Disorientation // Poetry by Alex Carrigan

And finally, a message from the Frazzled Lit team:

It was a huge pleasure to read the submissions for this issue. We included as many pieces as we felt we could, but had to draw the line somewhere. The pieces we selected are the ones we absolutely had to have, and couldn’t pass on.

We are especially grateful to our peer readers who contributed their time and energy to this issue, read nearly all of the submissions, and helped us in the decision-making process. They are:

• Kerry Byrne

• Louise Machen

• Val Harris

• Paul Short

Seriously, we couldn’t have done it without them!

To finish: I always say this, because it’s worth repeating: you guys, our contributors and readers, are what make Frazzled Lit work. We can’t do this without you, and are so very grateful to you for your continued support.

We love you guys!

Jennifer & Laura

We are very excited to bring you Issue 3 of Frazzled Lit, which is a special edition to celebrate a selection of the stories we received for the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award 2025.

We have our three winning stories for you, two of our finalists, three of our shortlistees, and a selection of the highly commended stories. As a bonus, we have my interview with Gary Finnegan, our First Place winner.

All in all, Issue 3 is a bumper feast of the finest short stories we have read in a very long time, and it is truly an honour to feature them here.

Okay, let’s dive in!

First Place Winner

Second Place Winner

Third Place Winner

Nuala’s Highly Commended Finalists

Shortlisted Stories

Gluebag // Riley Johnston

A Fate Like Gallus // Mike Corbett

The Bunker // Aisling Owens

Our Highly Commended Stories

Invisible Measures // Mizuki Yamagen

Basslines of War // Mark Burrow

Finding Voice // Seamus Moran

Linger // Geraldine McCarthy

EXPERIENCE SHARING ACTIVATED // Alison Langley

Young Enough // Jo Gatford

Such wonders // Ruby Allen-Cadman

An herbarium, to press and preserve words no longer spoken // Helen Kennedy

This is the Thing // Mary Coleman

Menwith Hill // Judy Birbeck

Virtual Reality Is a lonely Place // Thomas Kiernan

And finally, a message from the Frazzled Lit team:

It was a total blast running the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award, reading all the wonderful submissions we received, wrangling over our choices and engaging with you all. We think we did something good here, something that was of service to, and enhanced, the wonderful literary community we share in. It’s important to us that we contribute something to the body literary, and that’s a mission we can only succeed at with the help and support of our contributors, readers, supporters and friends. So, we really mean this when we say it:

We love you guys!

Jennifer & Laura

We are excited to bring you Issue 2 of Frazzled Lit, our Spring Warmer edition!

When Laura and I first discussed the idea of a small issue to launch us into 2025, we were concerned that the workload would be too great for us alone. Enter our wonderful reading team, Kerry Byrne, Sean McNicholl and Mike Murray to help us select the best pieces, and it started to look easy. It wasn’t, though, not at all. The sheer volume of the work we received, coupled with its outstanding quality, meant we were faced with some very tough decisions indeed.

What we bring you now is the best of the best, at least in our minds; the best short stories, the totally outstanding works of flash fiction, the most thought-provoking creative non-fiction, and the most inspiring works of poetry.

Added to that are the interviews with international bestselling author Fiona Scarlett and debut author Barbara Leahy, and, coming soon, my interview with debut author June O’Sullivan.

All in all, Issue 2 is everything we hoped it would be, and we very much hope you will agree.

Okay, let’s get to it!

Table Of Contents

As with Issue 1, we found that certain themes emerged in the works we selected, and we have structured the pieces around a narrative to express these themes, and to amplify their meaning.

Growth can be so painful…

Filthy Men and Skinny Bitches // Short story by Brianna Walsh

Of Love // Creative non-fiction by Michelle Li

Falling // Poetry by Juliet Waller

Fire Eater’s Cough // Poetry by Sarah Wallis

Zombies // Flash fiction by Fiona McKay

An Apology to the Drive Thru Bank Teller I Robbed Accidentally // Creative non-fiction by Tracie Adams

Lessons in Geology // Flash fiction by Claire Taylor

Two Poems by Devon Webb // Poetry

Everything Will Be Just Fine // Flash fiction by Alison Wassell

The Red Bag // Short story by Fionnuala Meehan

Two Poems by Troels Steenholdt Heiredal // Poetry

Digging Deep // Short story by Elaine Maguire O'Connor

… when faced with grief & betrayal…

The Apologist // Short story by Geraldine Walsh

Inauguration Day // Flash fiction by Yousef Allouzi

Brandy 7 Ways // Creative non-fiction by Jane Bloomfield

Here We Go Again: A Listicle // Short story by Aisling Walsh

You Are Here // Flash fiction by Tracie Adams

The Golden Hours // Short story by Linda M. Bayley

Remainder // Poetry By Daniel Duggan

Since the Shipyard Closed // Flash fiction by Katja Sass

… yet the deeper mysteries of existence…

You meet me at the Galactic Cafe // Poetry By Sara Aultman

Molten Zinc // A short story by Jamie Guiney

A Moving Pause // Poetry by Hillary Smith-Maddern

Seeing Stars // Poetry By Julian Cason

Friendly Fire // Short story by Lucy Palmer

The Person Who Helped Atlas // Poetry by Daragh Fleming

The Old Man // Flash fiction by June Gemmell

SudZee's // Poetry By Spencer Robert Young

bellum // Poetry By Zoë Davis

Everyday Aviation // Poetry By Catherine O'Brien

The Naked Mole Rat’s The Odds-On Favourite But You’re Still In With A Chance // Flash fiction by Gill O'Halloran

Photograph // Poetry By Hobart Taylor

Greetings, You’ve Reached Hades // Poetry by Rosie Copeland

The Hiccups Of Stars // Poetry By Merril D. Smith

… can help us to remain hopeful, and survive.

Spinning Out // Flash fiction by Fiona McKay

Pretty Things // Short story by Kevin Walsh

Stealing Spring // Poetry by Debbie Ross

Ping Pong a Chronicle // Creative non-fiction by Shira Musicant

The Lost Boy // Flash fiction by Melissa Fitzpatrick

Washed-Pink // Poetry By Tucker Robinson

Shopping Day // Creative non-fiction by Nadja Maril

Playground Chatter // Poetry by S Reeson

Monterey in December // Creative non-fiction by Melissa Flores Anderson

Serenity Teaches // Poetry by R Bremner

Shuttlecock // Creative non-fiction by Camara Garrett

And finally, a message from the Frazzled Lit team:

It’s always a joy to read the submissions we receive, and we are grateful to each and every writer who sent us their work for this issue. One of the things we love about Frazzled Lit is that it has created a community of contributors, and we like to think that we have developed a special bond with our writers and poets.

We love you guys!

Jennifer & Laura

Jennifer’s top picks from Issue 2:

Laura’s top picks from Issue 2:

We are honoured to bring you Issue 1 of Frazzled Lit, featuring the work of established and award-winning writers alongside emerging talent and also some fresh new voices for whom this will be their first outing. We bring you excellent short stories, deeply resonant creative non-fiction, crafty and dazzling flash, and a king’s ransom in sizzling poetry. Add to that our Writer to Writer section, where you’ll find engaging and in-depth interviews with these Issue 1 contributors:

• Nuala O’Connor, international award-winning novelist, author of NORA and the recently released SEABORNE. Read Life As Mask, Mask As Life by Nuala in Frazzled Lit, Issue 1.

• Dave Butler, a.k.a. Dara Kavanagh, author of many novels, including the remarkable JABBERWOCK. Read Between Silences by Dave in Frazzled Lit, Issue 1.

• Tommy Dean, renowned writer of flash fiction, author of the wonderful collection HOLLOWS, and founder of Fractured Lit, one of our favourite flash journals. Read Until I Land and The Ocean Raged, Surging for Miles by Tommy in Frazzled Lit, Issue 1.

• Matt Kendrick, fabulous composer of flash, founder of The Welkin Prize, and a famed educator. Read beyond by Matt in Frazzled Lit, Issue 1.

Now that’s a bumper issue, and it’s entirely free to read!

Ready to dig in? Then here we go!

Table of Contents

Some common themes emerged in the work we received. Below, we’ve grouped pieces according to these themes, to further amplify their meaning. If you'd prefer to see a grid view of all the pieces in Issue 1, you can find it here. 

Life can be challenging…

Life as Mask, Mask as Life // Creative non-fiction by Nuala O’Connor

Writer to Writer with Nuala O’Connor // Interview

No Thief // Short story by Mark Burrow

Until I Land // Flash fiction by Tommy Dean

Writer to Writer with Tommy Dean // Interview

Boomerang Children // Short story by Matthew Dexter

Three Poems by Cassie Smith-Christmas // Poetry

Ashes to Ashes // Creative non-fiction by Christine Powers

Tall Girl & Lazlo The Terrible // Short story by Judy Darley

Intimations of Mortality from Crustaceans and an Only Child // Poetry by Mathew Gostelow

Rubble // Short story by Barbara Byar

Two Poems by Rowan Tate // Poetry

Three Heartbeats // Creative non-fiction by Kristen Kaiser

England Belongs To Me // Poetry by Keiron Higgs

Where Your Heart Goes, There Your Feet Will Go // Short story by June O’Sullivan

The Broken People // Poetry by Brian Moses

Find The Light // Flash fiction by Doreen Duffy

Pheasant Surprise // Poetry by Jonathan Humble

Tunnel Vision // Creative non-fiction by Geraldine McCarthy

Three Poems by William Doreski // Poetry

A Murder In Winter // Creative non-fiction by Lori Fontanes

Two Poems by James Stedman // Poetry

The Facts of the Fire // Creative non-fiction by Susanne Salehi

Three Poems by Sugar de Santo // Poetry

Embers // Short story by Jaime Bree

at the boss’s leaving do // Poetry by Olive M. Ritch

And so awfully strange…

Between Silences // Short story by Dave Butler

Writer to Writer with Dave Butler // Interview

beyond // Short story by Matt Kendrick

Writer to Writer with Matt Kendrick // Interview

The Ocean Raged, Surging for Miles // Flash fiction by Tommy Dean

Name Your Desires // Creative non-fiction by Angela Townsend

Barn Owl Tattoo // Poetry by Sue Finch

This is fine! Everything’s Fine! // Short story by Tracie Renee Amirante Padal

Sick Ink // Flash fiction by JP Relph

Summer Night // Poetry by Helen Laycock

alien // Flash fiction by Yashaswini Sharma 

Stupendous Ruler Painter // Poetry by Susan Gordon Byron

Gail, Gil, Gull // Flash fiction by Chris Cottom

The Land of the Long White Cloud // Creative non-fiction by Kathleen Macadam

Two Poems by Jackie Carpenter // Poetry

Exhumed // Short story by Emily Cullen

Death, When You Carry Me Out… // Poetry by Nolo Segundo

The Lies That Bind Us // Flash fiction by JP Relph

Lemon-Sweet, Lemon-Sour // Short story by Martha Lane

It Was Easy For a Dress-Makers Dummy to Fall For a Man With a Bird-Cage Head // Flash fiction by Heather D Haigh

Native, Tourist, Fool // Flash fiction by Marie Little

Grove’s Secrets // Short story by Alison Langley

If All the Magazines She Subscribed to Were Literary Magazines // Flash fiction by JP Relph

The Egg Timer // Short story by Katy Archer

Oatmeal // Flash fiction by J. Archer Avary

Do Not Bite The Horses // Short story by Jonathan Sellars

But if there is sadness…

A Different Day // Short story by Seán McNicholl

and Counting // Flash fiction by Kerry Byrne

Two Poems by Frederick Pollack // Poetry

missing: // Flash fiction by Jacqueline Parker

What Was Never Whole // Creative non-fiction by Mark Anthony Rossi

Baby Cakes // Flash fiction by Alison Wassell

Heavenly Blue // Poetry by Isabella Mori

Three Poems by Richard LeDue // Poetry

The Next Man // Flash fiction by Theresa Ryder

Measures // Poetry by Ewen Glass

Hiroko’s Soul is Trapped in a Teacup // Flash fiction by Emma Phillips

Two Poems by Thomas Dedola // Poetry

Unnatural Selection // Flash fiction by Gary Finnegan

Two Poems by Merril D. Smith // Poetry

Not This Time // Short story by Catherine O'Brien

Soliloquy Of The Last Tree // Short story by Daniel Muenzer

The Perfect Present // Flash fiction by Susan Condon

Passport // Poetry by Chetna Kuanr

My Therapist Says Recovery is a Process // Poetry by Kelsey Coletta

The Baby Lobster // Flash fiction by Derville Quigley

There is also love & acceptance…

Dublin 1985 // Poetry by Julian Judge

Genesis // Creative non-fiction by Jennifer Zeuli

Italy in August // Poetry by Kristen Kaiser

Dan The Man // Creative non-fiction by Mike Murray

My Hungry Lover // Poetry by Val Harris

Submission Guidelines // Flash fiction by Kerry Byrne

Two Poems by Sheila Murphy // Poetry

Every Fibre // Flash fiction by Christy Hartman

You’d Be A Great Mom // Creative non-fiction by Laura Jeannerette

Electric Blue // Poetry by Devon Webb

One Thousand Origami Cranes On Neptune // Flash fiction by Jenny Hart

Citrus Summer // Poetry by Christiana Doucette

Where She Will Always Be // Create non-fiction by Libby Ludlow

My Father Kissed Us Every Day // Poetry by Andrew Simpson

Buon Appetito // Flash fiction by Christy Hartman

Two Poems by Bex Hainsworth // Poetry

And somehow, we find our consolations.

An Old Friend // Creative non-fiction by Margaret Cahill

Geminid // Flash fiction by Melissa Flores Anderson

Forage In Me // Poetry by Strider Marcus Jones

Waking Hours // Creative non-fiction by June Faraday

A letter for you // Create non-fiction by Finin O’Callaghan

Two Poems by Heather D. Haigh // Poetry

With Travail and Alone // Short story by Amelia Hodsdon

Three Poems by DS Maolalai // Poetry

The Mehfil, the Nawab and the Courtesan // Short story by Asha Krishna

Three Poems by Georgia Bartlett-McNeil // Poetry

A Toolkit For Denial // Creative non-fiction by Patty Williford

Three Poems by Sarah Seidel // Poetry

Iron Lady // Flash fiction by Susan Condon

Hydrangeas in Bloom // Poetry by Brandy Carter

maybe this is what it means to be alive // Creative non-fiction by Victoria Shen

The safety word is arboreal // Poetry by Christian Ward

S’il Vous Plaît // Poetry by Nancy Wheaton

And finally, a message from the Frazzled Lit team:

Thank you for reading, for contributing, and for helping to make the inaugural issue of Frazzled Lit more beautiful than we could ever have hoped! We worked tirelessly to bring everything together in a cohesive and complementary way, supporting each other while playing to our individual strengths. We believe in what we are doing, and are both driven and highly motivated to make Frazzled Lit the very best it can be. Thank you, for believing in us too!

Below are some of our favourite moments from our first issue, but we love each and every one of the pieces we selected.

Jennifer & Laura

Jennifer’s top picks from Issue 1:

Laura’s top picks from Issue 1: