Issue #5 Contributors
Ruchi Acharya • a.d. • Tracie Adams • Saima Afreen • Pulkita Anand • Mileva Anastasiadou • Mea Andrews • Lauren Arienzale • Naa Asheley Afua Adowaa Ashitey • Jessie Atkin • Tinker Babbs • Ani Bachan • David Barret • Thomas Belton • Jane Berg • Sharon Berg • Dan Berick • Jack Bordnick • Naomi Borwein • Amy Boyes • Molly J. Bredehoft • Keith Burkholder • Margaret Cahill • Andrew Careaga • Ray Carey • Cameron Carter • Ya Lan Chang • Sreelekha Chatterjee • Wes Civilz • Silas Coghill • Michael Collard • Kathi Crawford • Arthur Davis • Linda Derezinski • DC Diamondopolous • Christopher Dungey • Kristen Dunn • Christie Ellen • David Estringel • Zary Fekete • Bryana Fern • Maria Fischer • Hannah Flynn • Mae Fraser • Eamonn Furey • Mark Hall • Scott C. Holstad • David Harrison Horton • Damon Hubbs • Amanda Izzo • Patrick Johnston • Bill Kessler • Susan Knox • Adrien Kresnak • John Kruschke • Kimberly Lauth • Paul Lewellan • Jack Mackey • Jennifer Markert • Lance Mason • Mary Ann McGuigan • Susan McHugh • Mark Meierkort • H. Lee Messina • Genevieve Methot • Daniel Edward Moore • James Morena • Elizabeth Murphy • Amelia Nason • Joe Nasta • Allister Nelson • Prasida Clare Newman • Eric Robert Nolan • Kevin O’Neill • Oleg Olizev • Kaitlyn Owens • Mark Parsons • Donald Patten • Kenneth Pobo • Frederick Pollack • R L Powell • Alexei Raymond • Kathryn Reese • Valentina Reetz • Faraz Rezai • Daniel Ruefman • Kelly R. Samuels • Gerard Sarnat • Chris Scott • Brandon Shane • Susan Shea • Garbrielle Showalter • Kristy Snedden • Travis Stephens • Mercury Sunderland • Joanna Theiss • Frances Thomas • Svetlana Tomlin • Rachel Turney • Clay Waters • Kirby Michael Wright
Issue #5 Is of The Argyle Is Here!!!
All new poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, so dive in and enjoy!!!
Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook for news and updates!!!
A “Gastronomy” amuse bouche…
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"To Taste" (from Digestrion)
Digital Art by Donald Patten
“I have created a series of drawings that represent my experiences in modern COVID life by drawing inspiration from past masterpieces that depict the embodied experience of trauma.”
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"of rain, of orchestras"
Poetry Poetry by Saima Afreen
“There’s no midnight hour in a pink / drink. It opens its atoms in a slow / dance from the mouth of the carafe / to the edge of your lips…”
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"Ten Cents Cheaper than Spam"
CNF Creative Nonfiction by Kevin Brown
“Treet was difficult to describe. Canned meat, sure, but also my 70s suburban satisfaction. Satiation, even.”
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"Anorexic"
Poetry by Scott C. Holstad
“She was one hundred / four pounds when it ended; / I don’t know how much she / weighed when she died.”
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"Flux Lit: One Poem and One Story"
Fiction by Adrian Kresnak
“Just out of arms reach, one of the other participants was pulling some things out of her bag. It looked like a food storage container. The participant opened it; a stack of pancakes remained perfectly piled inside.”
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"Courtship at the Pizza Giant"
Fiction by Paul Lewellan
“‘By the time you turned sixteen, you’d been arrested for breaking and entering, vandalism, simple assault, graffiti, truancy, drug possession, petty larceny, underage drinking, joy riding, and shoplifting.’
‘I keep busy.’”
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"The Things My Father Used to Eat"
Fiction by Andrew Careaga
“And now, I think, perhaps that was why he ate those strange organs with such vigor. Perhaps they were some curandero’s remedy, some potion, some magic to inoculate him from the ailments that had historically plagued his family. Ailments of kidneys, livers and matters of the heart.”
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"As a child, mother fed me sugar lemon snaps"
Poetry by Kristy Snedden
“Trees of hard polished lemons / potted in the front room. / Yellow fruits sprouted like pale rocks coaxed by her slick green thumb.”
Theme #4: Gastronomy
The Argyle presents its third themed collection, “Gastronomy,” with poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art that center around food in all of its maifestations.
Issue #5 Highlights
"Junkie Horror Story" by Amanda Izzo (Nonfiction)
"consider reducing the journey at large— regarding each step and calling out the self" by R L powell (Poetry)
"1969: The Stonewall Inn" by DC Diamondopolous (Fiction)
"Seasonal" by Lauren Arienzale (Poetry)
"Cueva de las Manos" by John Kruschke (Poetry)
"Article Forty-Three" by James Morena (Flash Fiction)
"Vegas" by Kirby Michael Wright (Nonfiction)
"I Have Something to Tell You" by Ya Lan Chang (Fiction)
"The Annunciation of Appalachia Mary" by Allister Nelson
"DId You See It Too?" by Amy Boyes (Nonfiction)
"Death of Legions" by Alexei Raymond (Flash Fiction)
"RUGGED INVISIBLISTS " by Gerard Sarnat (Poetry)
"Flip the Hourglass and Quicksand Sinks" by Mercury Sunderland
"Realizations that are hard to understand" by Keith Burkholder (Fiction)
"New York, Siberia: Same Story, Same Language" by Oleg Olizev (Nonfiction)
"Ast(e)roidal Intelligence" by Naomi Borwein (Poetry)
"LENNY WITH VIOLETS" by Kenneth Pobo (Poetry)
"Life Is Art Is Life" by Margaret Cahill
"Long Exposure" by Jennifer Marketer (Nonfiction)
"The Cafe, Sunday, 11 AM" by Valentina Reetz (Poetry)
Featured Poetry from The Argyle…
“po(L)em(IC): A Manifesto”
by Patrick Johnston
“I’m a poet / I get paid by the thought / Most of my thoughts / Are worthless”
Note from the EIC
The Argyle is over the moon to be back with our new, AMAZING Issue No. 5. We have gathered some splendid poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art for the issue, plus, a brand new themed-page “Gastronomy” that will be sure to please.
Submissions for Theme #5: “Ghosts” are currently open, and we can’t wait to start diving in. Our call for general submissions will open on October 1st for Issue #6, so start getting your “little darlings” prepped and ready. We’ll be waiting,
After our current issue, The Argyle will sadly no longer publish our popular Disappearing Virtual (Micro)Chapbooks. They had a good run, but plans are currently in the works to start Blood+Honey Press, which will focus a good deal of attention on mainly publishing chaps, so we don’t want to compete with ourselves. We will definitely miss them. Keep an eye out for updates about Blood+Honey Press on our site and our social media platforms.
None of this would even be possible without the amazing work and dedication of our EDITORS!!! Their creative voices have shaped The Argyle’s trajectory marvelously, and the magazine couldn’t be in better hands. We continue to be floored by the support of our readers and contributors, alike, and we feel privilaged to continue to be a part of your literary lives.
Sincerely,
David Estringel
EIC @ The Argyle Literary Magazine
Theme #5: ”Ghosts”
Coming December 2025
Our X followers have spoken, so the theme for Issue #6’s theme-page will be “Ghosts.”
This may seem like a strange theme for a December edition of a lit mag, but (if you think about it) Issue #6 will come fresh off the heels of Halloween, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos, and more interpretations of A Christmas Carol than you can shake a Yule log at.
Submissions for Theme 05: “Ghosts” open September 1st, 2025, for your poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art that centers around our otherworldly counterparts….but there is a catch.
All submissions MUST incorporate one of the holidays listed above (or other culturally appropriate holiday/celebrations of the dead/ancestors) as part of the submission AND a literal ghost (or ghosts) must be a character (or characters). This means no sparkly vampires, werewolves with amazing pecs, or teenage witches who all of a sudden wake up one day having come into their power.
You can give us scary, funny, sad, or cerebral. We love it all, BUT we really would like to see ghostly characters that are complex and have layers, not just scary props. EIC David Estringel will be fielding the CNF submissions and is DYING (pardon the pun) to read your real-life ghost stories. He has a few of his own.
Deadline for Theme 05: “Ghosts” submissions will be November 30, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CST.
Spotlight on…
The Argyle's 2026 Best of the Net Nominations
The Argyle's 2026 Best of the Net Nominations
"Bitch" by Chrissy Stegman (Fiction)
"Shoplifter!" by N. Mori (Art)
"Evening Red" by Sam Kerbel (Poetry)
"An unbelieving hand - Lakes of Killarney by Eóin Flannery (Poetry)
"Homewreckers" by 蒢楀栟 Ee Bing Tsu (Poetry)
"Baggage Claim: Other Girls Take It Just Fine" by Nikki Howard (CNF)
"Essential Workers" by John Byutorie (Fiction)
"Tuberculosis" by Zary Fekete (CNF)
"As though the light stole under her skin" by Jeffrey Alfier (Art)
"One Week Later" by John Pring (Poetry)
"Elegy" by Alexander Limarev (Art)
"Overnight, the Mushrooms Appeared" by Gary Leising (Poetry)
"Suburbia" by Robert Beveridge (Poetry)
Featured Fiction from The Argyle…
“The Annunciation of Appalachia Mary”
by Allister Nelson
“God comes hungry to your table. The crops have rotted. Tins of bean, ash in the cornbread. He asks you for food.”
Featured Digital Artist
H. Lee Messina
The Argyle’s Disappearing Virtual (Micro)Chaps
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Songs from the Disappearing Nevada Hotel Kitchen
A Disappearing Virtual Poetry (Micro)Chapbook by Mark Parsons
“‘THE REASON YOU CAN’T / GET IT UNCLOGGED / IS YOU CAN’T FIND THE HOLE!’”
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away from the action
by Kevin John O’Neill
“…i / follow the unity of silence, / the century’s crutch is also / its curse, civilized strap, cash / language free as speech…”
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Galactic Herbarium
A Disappearing Virtual Poetry (Micro)Chapbook by Mea Andrews
“Their pinks, whites, and yellows / glowing against / the slow wheel / of the Milky Way.”
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Night Shift in Japan
A Disappearing Virtual Hybrid (Micro)Chapbook by Rachel Turney
“…Japanese curry felt like it warmed our souls and weary minds.”
A Nonfiction Feature from The Argyle…
“Characterization”
by Amelia Nason
“Accidentally flooded my house with mustard gas oops. He considers himself an amateur alchemist. Half awake, I scream into a pillow when I read the text. I’m getting used to his affinity for death, but it still makes me sick with worry.”
Upcoming events
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Theme 06: "Ghosts" Open Call for Submissions
09.01 @ 12AM CST
Poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art submissions for Issue #6’s “Ghosts” theme-page will be accepted thru November 30, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CST (or until slots are filled). Submissions MUST follow the theme guidelines.
Check out our “Submissions!” page for more detailed information.
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Issue #5 Launch
09.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, including featured pieces for Theme 04: “Gastronomy.” New Disappearing Virtual (Micro)Chapbooks.
Follow our social media for updates!
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Issue #6 Open General Submission Call
10.01 @ 12AM CST
Send us your poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art for Issue #6. Submissions accepted thru November 30, 2025 @ 11:59 PM CST or as category slots fill.
Check out our “Submissions!” page for more detailed information.
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Issue #6 Launch
12.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, including featured pieces for Theme 05: “Ghosts.” New Disappearing Virtual (Micro)Chapbooks.
Follow our social media for updates!
Blood+Honey
Blood+Honey
If you love The Argyle, give our sister lit mag Blood+Honey a read!!! We have the best in experimental and avant garde poetry, fiction, CNF, digital art, and much much more.
Submissions are open 24/7, 365 days a year. New content published daily!
C’mon over and have a taste!
Open Submission Call!!!
Open Submission Call!!!
General submissions are OPEN for Issue #6!!!
Send us your:
Poetry
Fiction
CNF
Digital Art
Articles, reviews, interviews
See our “Submissions” guidelines and send us your 'little darlings’!
June 2025 Cover Art by Paul Warren
Missed the #1 thru #4 issues of The Argyle?
No worries. Check our Archives and catch up!!!
