Hello June! How are you? A lot has happened in lit world since the last newsletter, and I hope I’m able to take you through as many of them as possible. Let’s get started!
good news stories
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) has launched the RSL Hawthornden Literature Matters Grants, a £1m fund to support reading across the UK, described as “a major intervention” in support of an area of the arts that is “critically under‑supported”.
The longlists for the 2026 Sunday Times Literary Awards have been announced, with 22 non-fiction titles and 20 works of fiction making the cut. The announcement was made on May 23 at the Kingsmead Book Festival in Johannesburg.
The 2026 International Booker Prize was awarded to Taiwanese author Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and translator Lin King for their novel Taiwan Travelogue. The £50,000 prize is split equally between the author and the translator to celebrate the critical role of translation in global literature. FT reports: “Born in 1984, she [Yáng Shuāng-zi] notes that she is part of ‘a generational shift of Taiwanese writers wanting to write about Taiwan as distinct from China.’”
Exclamation Mark Lit Journal launched its first digital edition on May 3, 2026. The print edition was also published on May 31.
On May 16, National Flash Fiction Day (UK) revealed the cover and title for the 2026 NFFD anthology, Mudlarking. The collection will be officially published on June 13. June 13 also marks a 24-hour flash fiction event known as Flash Flood, including “Write-in” competitions.
On May 18, SmokeLong Quarterly announced its long-list of 53 stories for “The Smokey” Award.
Flash Fiction Forum held a session on 13 May in San Jose and via Zoom, presenting short-short fiction to a live and virtual audience.
what are writers talking about?
Literary world is divided over the influx of suspected AI in story writing. Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk sparked debate on May 19, 2026, after comments suggesting she used AI for “preliminary research” on her upcoming novel were misinterpreted by some as her having used it to write the book. The novelist shared a statement with LitHub, via her publisher, to address the controversy.
As the CWP controversy (more below!) also underlined, AI in creative writing was a major talking point all through May. Cuban-American writer from Miami and Associate Editor, Panamerica Books, commented on X:
Another user commented:
heck! Suspected AI-generated stories win Major Award
If you are living under a rock, only then would you have escaped the news of suspected AI-generated stories among the Commonwealth Short Story Prize Regional winners announced in May. Lots of media coverage including in The Observer, UK; The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and The Independent. The Commonwealth Foundation and Granta defended the winners, stating that all shortlisted writers had confirmed their work was original and that current detection tools are unreliable.
selected Submission opportunities
(ALL FEE FREE+ paying)
West Branch is accepting free submissions for a special folio: Details here.
Granta opens 1 June – 30 June for fiction and nonfiction pieces. (Fee-free window available)
Submissions for One Story magazine reopen June 8.
The Paris Review‘s SUBMITTABLE portal will open for prose submissions on 1st June and close when they hit their submission cap.
Barrelhouse opens for fiction and nonfiction from 1st June (submission caps: fiction 650; nonfiction 500).
In a Flash Lit Mag will be open between June 1-15 for creative nonfiction of 500 words or less. June’s theme is “Recipes.”
Thirty West is seeking full-length poetry and short story collections, novellas and novels, essays, mixed genres, or creative non-fiction manuscripts. Deadline: July 5.
Side Hustle: Horror Stories for Late Capitalism is open for submissions from May 15 through June 14, 2026, seeking horror and dark science fiction stories about gig work, second jobs, and survival under modern capitalism. The anthology pays 5 cents per word for stories up to 5,000 words.
And, of course, there are hundreds more at For Writers: 10 Easily Usable and FREE Sites to Find Submission Calls in 2026
closed!
On May 3, 2026, the literary magazine Story announced it would go on an indefinite hiatus following the publication of its Summer 2026 issue (#23).
Literary Mama, which published this piece of mine (in 2022), has returned from a brief hiatus announced in 2024, and just published its May/June 2026 issue.
trampset is on a brief hiatus. Editors announced that they “hope to relaunch early summer”, so look out for this awesome fee-free and paying venue.
opinion: What do you think Can be Called “Questionable Editorial Practices”?
Do you think writers should keep away from a publication that does not list its masthead?
The Deodar Prize now has a Fee
Slightly disappointed to see that The Deodar Prize, a contest for short stories in India, is open but has a fee attached now, unlike last year. More details here.
recommended reading
I’d have recommended the CWP Regional winners, but no. Personally, AI or not, these five stories are not very remarkable stories, either in structure or content. I’m frankly disappointed with the rehashing of the same tropes whether for the Caribbean story or the Asia winner (read more about what tired tropes keep appearing & why I posted). Instead, I’ll suggest a flash fiction venue I am associated with that releases its latest issue on June 1. I never promote the magazines I work for (because not-my-style!), but this time I’ll recommend Vestal Review, the “longest running flash fiction magazine on the planet” for the simple reason that flash fiction is continuously evolving unlike perhaps novels and short stories, where we notice some stagnation.
thank you for the love, readers!
It is great to hear from readers. Shalini wrote:
Sonia Dogra writes:
Personally, a great month of publications!
Yellow Arrow Publishing was home to one of my weird, early, stream-of-consciousness prose, titled Reasons for a Pragmatic Way to Approach the Blankness on the Wall. To return to the venue three years later was undoubtedly special, and that too this time in its print edition!
Amazing how small the world is & how connected we are–this was my thought when a story about a sweet-seller in (actual place Paikpara) in Kolkata managed to impress The Woolf based in Switzerland! Grateful to the editors! Click here if you’d like to read.
As a writer and editor, I’ve seen both sides. Rejection in the writing/publishing process is not a failure, but a necessary, detached experience that writers must persist through to achieve success. My new article in Authors Publish Magazine examined this! Click here to read.
I had an experimental piece in About Place Journal, published by the Black Earth Institute. The new issue, The Ground Beneath Us, is an eclectic collection of prose and poetry. My piece highlights the plight of people who are evicted from the very forest which was once their home. Often killed by the “Forest Rangers” simply because they were foraging.
beyond writing
In the Netflix K-drama “My Liberation Notes”, there’s this club where one person speaks and all others listen. No responses, no empathies, no advices–just attentive listening. When I watch a movie or a series, and if it has touched me in multiple ways, I sit back and analyze it in my mind. Why did I connect to the story? What issues were they addressing? Why was that dialogue so effective?, and so on. So this club, The Liberation Club, seemed both intriguing and attractive. When I thought deeply into it, I realized it was more like writing–a one-way communication, where the listener/reader connects irrespective, and that is how we speak to another human, and touch their lives!
Your thoughts as a writer? Do you watch dramas?
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
I’m hopeful
I’m looking forward to the final judging of Five Minute Lit Micromemoir Marathon contest. We received many more submissions for “Praise Rain” themed micromemoirs than we initially anticipated. Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful words.
Next month?
In July, I celebrate 7 years of being an active writing and submitting author. I hope to post a special article. I’ll also look forward to your ideas, comments and thoughts around writing and as writers yourselves. How do you plan a typical writing day? Do you face Writer’s Block? Are you jealous of other writers? Let me know–I’d be more than happy to have a discussion going and answer any questions you may have.
This blog is a monthly newsletter published on the first week that is truly a newsletter–updates from the literary world, open windows, a few personal updates, some tips, opinions and conversations, and a round-up of recent work I truly recommend. If you enjoyed this, please share with your friends. Consider subscribing, commenting and/or liking this post. Thanks!
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!