When reading through submissions, Lacey N. Dunham prefers brevity. She says: "Many stories are too long with too much of the imprint of the story the writer thought they were telling and not the story that wants to be told. Cut everything but what the story needs to be."

A lovely book poetry that is perfect for reading aloud to someone you love or quietly to yourself. Even our cat liked listening to it (though maybe that had to do with the title).

January is application month at the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund! If you are working on a project in POETRY or NONFICTION, reside in the US or Canada, and write with a feminist lens, consider applying. demingfund.org/apply-pd-11.php

ARE YOU HAPPY? by Lori Ostlund is one of Electric Literature's most anticipated queer books of spring 2025 electricliterature.com/the-most-antic…

B & N has declared today (and tomorrow! and Friday!) ARE YOU HAPPY? preorder sale day. To celebrate, see below:

Two months till pub day!! ✨ My new novel, THE IMAGINED LIFE, will be out from Alfred A. Knopf on April 15! Preorder link in replies.

"Ostlund proves herself a master of the form." —Kirkus Reviews in their starred review of Lori Ostlund's ARE YOU HAPPY? kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/l…

I AM FEELING VERY EXCITED, MY HEART IS A CLOWN CAR

ARE YOU HAPPY? by Lori Ostlund was featured in Lavender Magazine lavendermagazine.com/our-affairs/bo…

"[A] piercing collection . . . These stories will dazzle readers." —Publishers Weekly's starred review of Lori Ostlund's ARE YOU HAPPY? publishersweekly.com/9781662603020

This year's great screening judges for the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction: Iheoma Nwachukwu, Shannon Sanders, Carol Roh Spaulding, Stacie Shannon Denetsosie, Rachel Hall. Check out their books! Submit your ms starting 4/1! ugapress.org/flannery-oconn…

★ Lori Ostlund 'After the Parade' explores queer identity and complex truths in this piercing collection. Her collection coheres with her characters’ shared need for emotional and physical safety and their desire to love and be loved. @AstraHouseBooks buff.ly/YNpW6FU

A story about a couple falling in love, becoming parents together, and coping in the face of unimaginable loss by Lori Ostlund (Lori Ostlund), recommended by Kristen Arnett (Kristen Arnett). buff.ly/CDQFBMb

.Alta Journal included Lori Ostlund's "richly conceived, highly anticipated" ARE YOU HAPPY? on their list of new releases for May altaonline.com/books/g6455412…

I loved Christopher Lowe's review, and his interview questions were terrific. Thank you, STORY!

The BookBrowse.com review of Lori Ostlund's ARE YOU HAPPY? is a Top Book Review on the homepage this week bookbrowse.com

"Don’t let ARE YOU HAPPY? pass you by: There’s not a word out of place in these brilliant Midwestern sketches. They’re lonesome, for sure . . . But they’re also hilarious." —Charles Arrowsmith on Lori Ostlund's ARE YOU HAPPY? for the The Washington Post washingtonpost.com/books/2025/06/…

.Evelyn Nien-Ming Ch'ien interviewed Lori Ostlund about ARE YOU HAPPY? for ZYZZYVA zyzzyva.org/2025/06/05/fin…