• Dark blue background with a golden star in the background. Front and center, a tablet showing the promo image for The Neighborhood. - TEXT: The Neighborhood - Sitcom with Heart But Uneven Humor - Karrie Wortner

    The Neighborhood: Sitcom with Heart but Uneven Humor

    At its best throughout its current 145 episodes, The Neighborhood shines a spotlight on important cultural and social issues in a way that feels accessible to a broad audience.

  • A square illustrated image with a soft, muted green background and a clean, comic-style design. On the right side sits Emylle, a smiling cartoon girl using a wheelchair. She has short, curly brown hair, large round glasses, and wears a blue-and-white striped sleeveless outfit. Emylle faces slightly toward the center of the image with her hands resting on the wheels of her chair. A white speech bubble above her reads, “I’VE JUST BEEN INVITED TO A RESTAURANT OPENING!” Along the left edge of the image, the phrase “EMYLLE ON WHEELS” appears vertically in a hand-drawn black font. In the top-right corner, a black owl logo holding a quill is visible. The overall tone is upbeat and anticipatory, setting up the beginning of a story. staircase - TEXT: I’VE JUST BEEN INVITED TO A RESTAURANT OPENING!, EMYLLE ON WHEELS, Milene Correia and Emylle Torres

    Emylle on Wheels, Web Comic – Staircase Irony

    “Too bad I couldn’t see it from the inside. There was a ramp, but there was a staircase right in front of it.”

  • A woman and small child handle vegetables from a garden. TEXT: Silly Jokes - Earth Lessons, Paula Frew, Fiction

    Earth Lessons

    Her garden is the second most special thing to her. The most special is Charlie. If she joins her garden, Charlie can continue to work with all their seeds and their rich soil and the silly little jokes no one else but they cared to hear. They could still work together.

  • A wide coastal landscape shows a calm blue body of water stretching toward low, green islands in the distance under a clear, pale blue sky. In the foreground, a small coastal town with terracotta rooftops lines the shoreline. The scene feels open, serene, and rooted in place, evoking island life and connection to land and sea. White overlay text and graphics float in the sky area. plant their seeds TEXT: Islanders, Michael J LaFrancis, Poetry

    Islanders

    They plant their seeds in the iron rich red soil, drop bait in emerald blue water; these faithful stewards live to fish and farm.

  • A square image with a cozy, wintry, and peaceful aesthetic, designed for a poetry piece. The foreground features a clear glass mug filled with coffee, resting on a thick ledge of fresh white snow. The background is a soft, blurred bokeh of winter whites and grays, suggesting a snowy outdoor scene. The overall mood is quiet and reflective. A black owl logo is positioned in the lower-right corner. Never-Never Land of Rest Text: In Praise of Late February, Shamik Banerjee, Poetry

    In Praise of Late February

    This planet, once a schlocky sketch
    Made by December’s hue — graphite —
    Becomes a splendid fresco where
    The paints are flowers and sunlight.
    The sky, a multiplex-like screen,
    Displays a movie where a few
    Small, plumy planes hide in the clouds
    Then once again appear in view.

Quarterly & Special Issues

  • Poetry Special 2022 cover
  • Introspection issue cover
  • Sleeper of R'Lyeh cover
  • cover image of the MockingOwl Roost, Volume 1, Issue 4: Community
  • giant elephant in forest with a man standing in front of the elephant
🦉 Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
December 24, 2025
Outline of Santa Claus in his sleigh flying past the moon - holly and ivy in the corners of image in green, red, white, and gold. TEXT: Nochebuena - Christmas Eve Humor - Shelli Rottschafer
Published by Shelli Rottschafer at December 24, 2025
Categories

Nochebuena

My parents recognized a presence lingering in the hallway, like when you feel someone staring at you from across a room. That gaze makes you lift your head to turn your body and stop mid drag on a cigarette. Or to part those lips just so, before that bitter sip of Chivas Regal Whisky trickles down.
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December 22, 2025
Cobalt blue background with gold flecks, stars, snowflakes, and ornaments. A small black lab puppy looks up at the camera. The pup is wearing a green Santa hat with white trim and ball. TEXT: Mother Knows Best - a Black Orb Story for Christmas - Sue Cook
Published by Sue Cook at December 22, 2025
Categories

Mother Knows Best

“I just wanted to drop this package off for Mr. Gar. He will know what to do with it.” The man tapped his nose, winked, and began to walk out of the store. Before he left, he turned and smiled radiantly. “I do believe I feel the warmth of this store returning. It’s been too cold for too long.”
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December 20, 2025
A square image with a split aesthetic—part color and part black and white—and a dominant pink border, designed as a thank-you poem greeting. The upper and lower edges feature a rough-edged pink banner effect. The background is divided vertically: the left side is in full color and shows a smiling woman and a young girl (seen from behind) at a dining table with a man in the background. The right side is in black and white and shows a man and woman conversing across a table, which holds a jar of jam, strawberries, and a small stack of books. This visual split suggests contrasting perspectives or memories. A pink owl logo is positioned on the black and white side. tartines Text: Seasonal Greetings, Karen Greenbaum-Maya, a thank-you poem,
Published by Karen Greenbaum-Maya at December 20, 2025
Categories

Seasonal Greetings: A Thank-you Poem

We try to be grown-ups, but troubles in herds invade our home, which is usually secular, and raise our anxiety to levels molecular. Such was our sad state when a package from Adda showed up on our doormat…
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December 18, 2025
Pale cream colored background, with etched outlines of leaves and holly in reds and greens. At center, a large red heart surrounded by poinsettia, holly, and greenery, with stars overlaid. TEXT: North Pole Romance - Joseph Arachevala - Christmas Romance Fiction
Published by Joseph E. Arechavala at December 18, 2025
Categories

North Pole Romance

"I need a reason to see you and Dad?" Another knowing smile. Her head tilted and the right eyebrow went up like always. "Right. When I have to practically send your father in the sleigh after you to drag you up here once a year."
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