🦉 Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
January 20, 2022

Interview with Jinn Zamayla: Philippine Jewel

“As a writer, I believe that even though I am new to the world of publishing short stories, I have the passion, love, dedication, and desire to bring out the best writing that I have to the world and touch the lives of people through my writing.”
January 17, 2022

Book Review: What Loss Can Teach Us

First off, I have to express to you that Beth knows what she’s talking about. The book is laced with stories from her personal experiences and those as a therapist, dealing with these deep, emotionally challenging topics of loss, death, and suffering. The stories are crisp, moving, and interconnecting in a way that readers can relate and dig deep if they’re willing to do the work.
January 15, 2022

The MockingOwl Roost Volume 2, Issue 1: Exploration

It's official! The MockingOwl Roost is now one year old! We've got a brand new quarterly PDF issue for you to enjoy on the topic of exploration. New contributors and old, plus staff, share their views on exploration through poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, and more. Please enjoy!
January 13, 2022

Basking in the Light of the “City of Paradise”

At my library study carrel, I conjured scenes of children playing on rocky Andalusian shores and fishermen arranging their bountiful Mediterranean harvests. Vicente Aleixandre’s poem “Ciudad del paraíso”, translated as “City of Paradise” in English, transported me to Málaga, Spain where time stands as still as the mountains overlooking the sea below.
January 12, 2022

Tea Review: Loyd Herbal Tea Mint With Cranberry and Herbs

Many herbal teas by numerous brands cover the shelves of local grocery stores and fill out the aisles at little tea shops in cities like Chicago. Finding the right tea choice can be difficult, especially for newbies. However, seasoned tea-drinkers can struggle with finding new options when favorite blends stop circulating, too. I present Loyd Herbal Tea Mint with Cranberry and Herbs for anyone looking for good-quality, affordable herbal tea.
January 7, 2022

Vacation to the Dragons of Io: Part III

“So this is the bunker?” Clarence said. “What about the bike?” “If the main hatch opens I’ll pull it in. If not, it’s safe. No one steals a bike on Io. The dragons are all a little too big.” “First time for everything,” Julia muttered and actually earned a few shared chuckles. She felt safer already with a roof overhead.
January 2, 2022

Positivity Corner: The Horizon Signal

I’d heard Stellaris had received a small update. Something about a Horizon Signal spawning rarely in black hole systems. I’d never triggered it in any game prior and had religiously avoided spoilers. And in a game where I couldn’t reload, one weaponless science ship had just popped the event chain.
January 1, 2022

In the Mediterranean at Midnight

Closing her eyes, Makenzie soaked it all in. These moments, this was what dreams were made of: moonlight walks along the ocean, a gorgeous man with an accent that made her go weak in the knees, a romantic backdrop that belonged in some cheesy romance novel… It was enough to make her giggle. Or maybe it was the wine.
December 31, 2021

Vacation to the Dragons of Io: Part II

Freefall. Icy, enervating, lacerating winds flipped her far away from Clarence. She fell forever, screaming, dying, and then straps dug into her diaphragm, squeezing what breath remained from her lungs. She drew a breath in barely and then another. Jupiter and Io had stopped swapping places. She looked up and saw her parachute had opened.
December 31, 2021

One Year of Roosting: A Look Back on the First Year of the MockingOwl Roost

For me, being a part of MockingOwl Roost is part of a more significant thing that needed to be done within me, raising from the dead my ability to write.
December 27, 2021

Tea Review: A Lovely Cuppa Cake

Even with a bit of a cold/flu for most of the month of November, I enjoyed the aroma of the tea as much as the taste. The delectable tea is soft yet cake-y in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible in a green rooibos, gluten-free cake-flavored tea.
December 25, 2021

Christmas Traditions

I grew up in the ’60s.I believed in Santa Claus.We had a real tree every year with tinsel – real tinsel. And putting it up was a family affair. A tradition that continued into adulthood, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
December 24, 2021

Vacation to the Dragons of Io: Part I

Her brother was grinning. Despite her intention to remain jaded, Julia’s rebel breath caught. Here she’d thought their views would be restricted to the portholes pocking the side of the shuttle, but there was far more now to see; not only the vast expanse of stars glinting like diamonds by the thousands but the rim of massive Jupiter. And Io: terraformed.