Yule Dreams
Come, snow!Dance across my window and carry my soul to the heavens.I am so tired of this fight andneed the feel of lace and sweetness across […]
Feast Bouquet
My gratitude flows free this morn,for blessings doth abound;from grandparents to babies born,familial love surrounds. An open ear or warm embrace,a laugh or helping hand;we all […]
A Rose For My Love
A sharp push made her trip over her long skirt and stumble to the counter. “Go on, Nellie,” her mother hissed. “You serve him.” Flushing under […]
A Day of Four Suns
On a white May morning, my neighbour, an honourable secretary of our residents’ welfare association, is watering his small outdoor garden with a hose pipe. Among […]
Domestic Violence Awareness – Special Issue of the MockingOwl Roost
Our final special issue of 2024 is here – an issue inspired by submissions discussing this challenging topic of domestic violence. Within its pages you’ll find […]
Quarterly & Special Issues
Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
July 17, 2023
The words wound their way around my soul so that I needed to read them to my husband. It became a series of poetry readings no one asked for, but I couldn’t help performing.
July 16, 2023
The story is only a part of the story. It only thrives if the world built under it can stand in the face of your readers’ scrutiny.
July 15, 2023
I’d ask so many questions.Tell me again about your mother Lily. Was she Mohawk or Shawnee?
July 14, 2023
Each therapist has his own techniques. The more experienced ones don’t talk much. You may talk for an hour and all he does is listen. When he feels you cannot express your emotions, he asks a simple question to get you back on track, a question you could have asked yourself but didn’t. And then he keeps quiet and listens again.
July 11, 2023
One of the standards I have run across many times myself as a writer and journalist has been that of punishing writers for speaking their minds and expressing their voices. I can think of many times a professor, a fellow journalist, or writer’s club member has mentioned being suppressed at the hands of their editor(s). The editor holds all the power.
July 10, 2023
Familiar characters are back, with new ones introduced who instantly become friend or foe. This includes Emily’s niece/assistant, Ariadne, and a few of her colleagues in the field of Dryadology. Colleagues that hold fantastical secrets that span the years.
July 8, 2023
July 7, 2023
I kept my teeth in a Disney Princess piano pencil box. I stored it in my closet. I waited for the day I could charge the tooth fairy for all of those teeth together. It would be a major pay out for my meager savings.
July 6, 2023
I nestle among the daffodils with their mouths turned open toward me. The green of the lawn stretches like a giant carpet rolled out beneath my feet…
July 2, 2023
Most often, we think of a sabbath as a day off of work. This is the reason the most dedicated followers of sabbath practices don’t even allow themselves to cook or clean on their days off, and, instead, must do the work ahead of time.
July 1, 2023
June 30, 2023
The MockingOwl Roost Poetry Special 2023 is finally here! After a lovely sabbatical taken by the staff, we're eager to share this beautiful collection of poetry with the world! The contributors and staff have created some truly stunning poems spanning the skies, the seas, and the earth. May you read and delight in the beauty of these works from around the world.
June 27, 2023
Matt, who I knew would be the biggest critic because of those Chilton County Peaches, got the first cup. He wouldn’t be a make or break for me, but at least I’d know what I was getting into. I can’t say he was awed but I can say he was surprised. “It’s actually good!”
June 25, 2023
The world that Nick Harkaway built is very believable. It reminded me of New York, or Chicago down to the places to eat. To be honest, I had a bit of a crush on Cal. I loved the idea of him knowing what he could be, and choosing to remain what he is so that he can do his work.
June 24, 2023
June 23, 2023
Hi Judy,
I am texting you from the railway station on my way to meet the train that connects to the airport bus. Judy, you wouldn’t believe it. I’ve won a trip! A mystery trip!
June 17, 2023
June 15, 2023
The setting is vivid and draws you in, leading you to forget that you're not in an old painting of London and Nottingham. The characters are mostly warm and compassionate. Some are confusing, others surprising, all extremely well crafted and heartbreakingly developed.
June 2, 2023
On the first night, Nicole stood by the kitchen window washing the last of the dishes, procrastinating. The expanse before her was dark but for star- and moonlight bouncing off the fields. It was one of the most beautiful things Nicole had ever seen. Just as she thought, maybe the dark here isn’t so bad, the tiniest, almost imperceptible dust up at the side of the house caught her attention. Nicole felt her face warm, and her throat tighten.
May 31, 2023
ripe petal perfume swells in his nose congests his course ambushed silver aura imprisoned by her ashy trance