writer | assistant professor | nonfiction editor for Aquifer: Florida Review Online | metal head brendanstephenswriting.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mtfatonwhc2sThe AWP gods have elevated me from an attendee to a panelist. Stoked to go to Chicago and eat all the vegan food.18 Aug 2026 22:20 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtfatonwhc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mojpr4tihk2qTelevision pitch: a medical drama for people who are squeamish. Basically just The Pitt but no close ups of all the gross things about the medical field.18 Jun 2026 01:52 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mojpr4tihk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mgy7zgdckc2hI love this essay so much! [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Mar 2026 00:59 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgy7zgdckc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mfmhb652w22zThe world needs to know that my partner woke up from anesthesia and complimented a nurse in scrubs on her outfit.24 Feb 2026 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfmhb652w22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mdhaa6dil22yHad my hair in a ponytail, and I became a parent’s teachable moment to explain to their son to not point.28 Jan 2026 02:32 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdhaa6dil22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mdc46bbzxk2jGot acceptances on the last 2 poems from my MFA from 10 years ago. Thought they weren’t good enough after one submission cycle. 9 years later, submitted unrevised on a whim and immediately taken.26 Jan 2026 01:36 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdc46bbzxk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mckxsofui22sHere is the writer crew at @vermontstudioctr.bsky.social. What an unbelievable residency with so many talented folks.16 Jan 2026 20:46 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mckxsofui22shttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mbr4ekk6xc22At the Vermont Studio Center to crush pages.06 Jan 2026 13:59 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbr4ekk6xc22https://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mbkguboahc2rThis just in, my partner is not thrilled that I have started to refer to finishing a novel as “beating a book.”03 Jan 2026 22:18 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbkguboahc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mbckvvdghc2iLast year, my resolution was to connect with old friends with a goal of calling someone every week. I quickly found that NO ONE wants to be cold-called and that scheduling a chat with people in their 30-40s is like, “I’m busy this day, week, & month, but I’d love to catch up around 2030.”31 Dec 2025 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbckvvdghc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3mamgkdnagk2rBianca: “I’m not into hunks.” Me: 👀22 Dec 2025 23:53 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mamgkdnagk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3ma7ob3zkns2aHey, in case you missed it, the new SmokeLong is out! So many excellent flash stories plus a little interview by me. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Dec 2025 22:06 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma7ob3zkns2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3ma7gspdidk2ySewanee is getting rid of publishing fellowships for needs-based scholarships. Weirdly torn. Stoked for more people to have access, yet a fellowship was a white whale for me. And since I got a stable career and won’t qualify for needs-based, I doubt I’ll ever make it to Sewanee.17 Dec 2025 19:53 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma7gspdidk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m5k4lrm62s2hEthical question: if a student sends me an AI email, should I give an AI reply? I just spent twenty minutes responding point by point to an AI email, pretending not to notice, and I kind of resent exerting any effort.13 Nov 2025 21:33 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5k4lrm62s2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m4svkews2k2kI have a graduating student who is interested in being a reader or intern for a literary magazine or small press. Do any of y’all know of anyone looking for readers?04 Nov 2025 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4svkews2k2khttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m3xlfdiosc2vI recently learned that if I’d been a girl, my parents would’ve named me after a ski company called Kastle, pronouncing it Kass-ley. I have no idea what to do with this information and yet it feels very profound.24 Oct 2025 19:13 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3xlfdiosc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m3afxdkd6c27Bianca: “This song is about losing your virginity by having sex.” Me: “Is there another way?”15 Oct 2025 14:04 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3afxdkd6c27https://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m2ow2nfwwc22Backing into a parking spot, I begin singing “What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.”08 Oct 2025 15:04 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2ow2nfwwc22https://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m2aaa64nfc2qIt’s me. Really tried to experiment with breaking a rule of fiction with this one. I wanted to try to show an epiphany that ultimately doesn’t provoke a change in the character. Bleak stuff. Enjoy! [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Oct 2025 18:56 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2aaa64nfc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3m25nnm7rp22aI got a story in this issue along with a bunch of my favorite writers. Unreal issue! [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Oct 2025 18:19 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m25nnm7rp22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lzw5yupd5s2bJust took some Tylenol so I think this means I’m about to go ASD super Saiyan.28 Sep 2025 18:50 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzw5yupd5s2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lyxlj3jkds2vMy followers on here skew literary instead of punk/metal, but I feel like it is still worth a little tribute to Tomas Lindberg, the vocalist for At the Gates and Disfear. Slaughter of the Soul was my first death metal listen and Live the Storm is the best dbeat lp ever. What a monster.16 Sep 2025 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyxlj3jkds2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lyw4mengmc2hIn the middle of a classic DND session where an insulted NPC kindly asks the party to leave his house, so the party had no choice but to escalate to a hostage situation which quickly turned to a kidnapping.16 Sep 2025 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyw4mengmc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lybagvslus2uI had a reader point out that I overused “ever” and “just” in my manuscript, so I literally spent 2 hours with ctrl+f searching and changing wording. Can’t decide if this was my most productive or least productive writing session of 2025.07 Sep 2025 17:42 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lybagvslus2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lxuviaobvk2zI just found out a picture of me as a child has been sold as a postcard for like 30 years. Where are my residuals?02 Sep 2025 19:54 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxuviaobvk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lxnkkufnrs24I have made a grave and terrible error by committing to a show with doors at 9 and music at 10.30 Aug 2025 21:50 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxnkkufnrs24https://bsky.app/profile/bstephens.bsky.social/post/3lwz2gbgyxk2lA close friend (and former editor of Gulf Coast and Black Warrior Review) was recently diagnosed with ALS. He’s lost most of his mobility and a lot of his medical care isn’t covered by insurance. He’s been a gift to the literary community and he could use your help. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ryans-fight-against-als?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwMVkO9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpxKZMvT6-BxK6No0c3DSt024rDvVT-lKJ3hcv4yN0ZtqMf12HUTgvoD1ZyvE_aem_T4X6Wl0kZsN7TvaqhH0aOA22 Aug 2025 18:08 +0000at://did:plc:c6vrsbtychgqiscix4prgr5i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwz2gbgyxk2l