Issue #7 Contributors
Millicent Borges Accardi • sef adeola • Austin Alexis • Erica Anderson • Angela Arnold • Mikki Aronoff • G. L. Bacchetta • Rob Bailey • Stephen Barile • Spencer Barnes • Maxwell Bauman • Egon Baxter • Thomas Belton • Jacek Blaszkiewicz • Hannah Brading • William Brasse • Jessica Brauer • Terry Brinkman • JW Burns • Rachel Burrows • A. D. Canareira • Andrew Careaga • Jonathan Chernoff • Craig Cotter • Dario Cvencek • Michael Cyzniejewski • Rob Debenedetti • Alicia DeFonzo • Susan Demarest • Deniz Ertem • David Estringel • Nicole Farmer • Federico Federici • Zary Fekete • Nanami Fetter • Merlin Flower • Allen Forrest • Madeleine Foster • Sean Foster • Seth Frame • Marc Frazier • Chris Gerboth • Pierre Gervois • gabor g gynkics • Najib Joe Hakim • Molly Higgins • Sharon Hoffman • John Horvath, Jr. • Stephen Dean Ingram • Patrick Johnston • Dee P. R. Kay • Justin Karcher • Henrick Karoliszyn • Alvin Kathembe • Emily Anna King 锡萍芳 • Kent Kosack • E. P. Lande • Scott Larimore • David Anson Lee• Joshua Lillie • Renee LoBue • Marvellous Lovelace • Lance Mason • Bob McAfee • Hazel McCorriston • Shannon McNicholas • J. M. Medeiros • Keith Melton • Miles Miller • Thomas Misuraca • Davor Mondom • Marshall Moore • N_Mori • Kelly Murashige • Elizabeth Murphy • Jim Murdoch • Güliz Mutlu • Annemarie Neary • J. Alan Nelson • Britni Newton • James B. Nicola • Penny Nolte • Sara Oakes • Itto & Mekiya Outini • Sophia Papasouliotis • Akhila Pingali • Kenneth Pobo • John R.C. Potter • John Power • Sai Pradhan • Tukur Ridwan • Mykki Rios • Eric Roller • C.C. Russell • Christopher Russell • Patricia Russo • Jason Ryberg • Mykyta Ryzhykh • Karyna Saifudinova • John Sara • Nicholas Schmidt • Mather Schneider • Marcus Silcock • Robert L. Singer • Antonio Sodré • Trae Stewart • Edward Michael Supranowicz • Yucheng Tao • William Teets • Randy Tierce • Patrick Trombly • Rachel Turney • Pradeep R. Varadwaj • Reed Venrick • Tom Wade • Maura Way • Ronald Wetherington • Charity Whan • Mike Wilson • Kirby Michael Wright • Matt Zambito
Issue #7 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!!!
Woohoo!!!
BIG THANKS, again, to Chill Subs and our readers for directing some love The Argyle’s way for our first nod from the illustrious Chill Subs! We promise to keep the argyle-cool-sexy-grooviness flowing.
Got some poetry, fiction CNF, or digital art you think might be Blood+Honey’s flavor? Check out our submission guidelines and see.
Theme 07: “Bright Lights, Dark City”
Now that we have had a taste of the rural life (Theme 06: “Bucolia”), The Argyle now has a hankering for a taste of the “big city”…but with a twist. Our new theme for Issue No. 8 is “Bright Lights, Dark City,” so we would we will be accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and digital art that center around urban life with all its glamors and all its pitfalls.
We want front row seats for the “rat race.” Accounts from casualties of urban sprawl. Mainly, though, we want glimpses of life underground that are strange enough to be true, which could inlcude (but are not limited to) existential crises in art galleries, the plight of sex dungeons during a nationwide bleach shortage, street vendors with questionably sourced ingredients, street prophets that can actually predict the future, socialites who run illegal cockfights in their poolhouses, and desperate writers that sell their souls to the devil for a spot in the Paris Review.
Give us the real. Give us the absurd. Give us a dazzling—but sobering—look at the dirty underbelly of city life. Above all, your submissions should reflect the humanity beneath it all. The triumphs. The failings. The ongoing struggle for more ____________ (fill in the blank).
Submissions for “Bright Lights, Dark City” must be original pieces (no reprints) and must follow submission guidelines. Subs open 3/15 at midnight and close on May 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST or until all slots are filled.
Check out our Submission page for guidelines!!!
Spotlight on…
Sneak Peek of Theme 06: “Bucolia”
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"The Woods"
Creative Nonfiction by Hazel McCorriston
“The air is crisp wet on my hair. My little dog zig zags beneath the trees, and I like to think he leaves a trail behind him as he forages across the world so much vaster and more real to him than it is to me. Richer, more at peace, something he walks within rather than past.“
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"Eden In the Ozarks"
Poetry by Andrew Careaga
“If God had put the Garden of Eden / in the Missouri Ozarks, would the serpent / have been a copperhead? A water moccasin? / Would a pawpaw have been the forbidden fruit?”
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"Hayfields"
Creative Nonfiction by Tom Wade
“As we drove into a hayfield, I surrendered to the imminent undertaking. I climbed onto the truck bed, aware that the dirt and heat would soon enshroud me.”
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"Leaves for Feathers"
Hybrid Poetry by Reed Venrick
“How to interpret four doves fluttering, / Growing not feathers but leaves from trees? / What is the intention? Signification? Do we witness / The fantasy of an artist remembering his ayahuasca / Trip? The memory of an psilocybin hallucination?”
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"A Fruit On the Branch"
Poetry by Dario Cvencek
“…let it ripen well / when it’s / ready to / silently / it will / fall into / your palm”
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"Among the Dandelions"
Poetry by Jonathan Chernoff
“Here, among the dandelions, I take my stand, / and with a sharp stick uproot the corruption.”
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"Grace"
Fiction by Randy Tierce
“I would often lie awake in that tiny country farmhouse just listening to the sounds of the night. The lamentations of the whippoorwills. The yipping of the coyotes. The complaints of northbound cattle trucks downshifting, their jake brakes blapping strong objections to slowing down.”
Theme #6: “Bucolia”
The Argyle presents its sixth themed collection, “Bucolia,” with poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art that center around wonder and harshness of rural life and the natural world.
Issue #7 Highlights
"Polly" by Spencer Barnes (fiction)
"A Poem About Batman" by John Sara (poetry)
"Embryo" by Willy Conley (digital art)
"On Sticking a Middle Finger: One Girl’s Journey to Finding Out Who She Is" by Karyna Saifudinova (creative nonfiction)
"Your Pathways" by Renee LoBue (fiction)
"eXtinct" by Michael Czyzniejewski (fiction)
"Kraken" by Maxwell Bauman (poetry)
"REVERBS" by Kirby Michael Wright (creative nonfiction)
"Alice in Chains" by Güliz Mutlu (digital art)
"Shelter and Storm" by Nicholas Schmidt (creative nonfiction)
"Care Liaison" by Henrick Karoliszyn (fiction)
"Solitary" by Davor Mondom (micro-fiction)
"food for fungus" by gabor g gyukics (poetry)
"The Piano" by Hazel McCorriston (creative nonfiction)
"Freedom Equality Brotherhood" by Najib Joe Hakim (digital art)
"The City Is a Plastic Flower: A book Review of Ripped Backsides by Richard Cabut by David Estringel (special feature)
"Hand Them Flowers" by Charity Whan (digital art)
"From the Rat's Throat" by Itto and Mekiya Outini (fiction)
"Friends with Benefits" by Britni Newton (poetry)
"There's Nothing We Can Do" by Christopher Russell (creative nonfiction)
"That Heaviness" by Matt Zambito (poetry)
"Strangulation As Part of The Performance" by Allen Forrest (poetry)
"Wet WIlly" by Erica Anderson (creative nonfiction)
"Doom Boom" by N_Mori (digital art)
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Special Feature…
The City Is a Plastic Flower: A book review of Ripped Backsides by Richard Cabut
by David Estringel
“[Ripped Backsides] not only fulfilled its promise to deliver a dopamine-laced travel log/urban anthropologist shadow diary but also an erudite commentary on societal decay and disconnection that rings true today, as much as it did decades ago, if not more.”
Spotlight on…
Straight, No Ice
A Serialized Fiction Chapbook
by Lance Mason
Lance Mason
Lance Mason's writing reflects both his farm-town origins and his extensive travel abroad. He has explored, lived, and worked overseas for decades, traveling the world by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, train, tramp steamer, and dugout canoe, about 15 years of which was spent living in current or former Commonwealth countries. These experiences that have both enhanced and interfered with Mason’s writing life. His work has appeared in 50+ journals, collections, anthologies, etc., was included in Fish Publishing's 2025 Memoir Prize (Ireland), received a Silver and 2 Golds in the 2024 and ’25 Solas Awards, and his fiction recently appeared in ShortStoryStack (Palisatrium), Eerie River's BLADES, and Cowboy Jamboree's PRINE PRIMED.
From The Argyle’s Archives…
“Up Close and Personal: An Essay on Travel Tension”
CNF from Issue #5 by Lance Mason
***Winner of the Silver Award at the 2026 Annual Solas Awards***
“Nairobi was an illustration of why it is incumbent upon Americans to choose our leaders wisely—because history is not done with us.”
Featured Poetry from The Argyle…
“Out”
by Mykyta Ryzhykh
“i call a light bulb the sun and I don't see new likes thusbecause no one loves me / now / and my late grandma and grandpa can't dodge anything anymore / and my late grandparents will never see anything again”
Note from the EIC
The Argyle is back with Issue No. 7! We have some amazing poetry, fiction, CNF, digital art, and special features for you this issue, including our most popular themed-page yet, “Bucolia.” Who knew?
Submissions for Issue #8’s “Theme 07: Bright Lights, Dark City” are currently open, which asks creatives to explore the unseemlier side of city life. Our open call for general submissions will open on April 1st @ midnight for Issue #8, so get ready to kick your “little darlings” out of the nest. We’ll be waiting.
The Argyle is bringing back its Disappearing Virtual Chapbook Series for Issue #8, which will drop June ‘26. As many of you may recall, our disappearing virutual chapbooks offer up mini-collections of poetry, fiction, CNF, or maybe a combination, for the duration of an issue’s run and then disappear into the void upon publication of the next issue, so they need to be enjoyed while they last. Virtual disappearing chap subs will be accepted during The Argyle’s open call, starting April 1st.
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 are currenlty looking for new voices and new lenses to add to our editorial team, so don’t hesitat to contact me @ eic@theargylelitmag.com to get a conversation started.
As always, 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
Featured Digital Artist
Static Typewriter Machine
Federico Federici
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Special Feature…
Book Review: PTSD Martini by Dario Cvencek
by David Estringel
“At their core, despite the sense of loss and chaos and alienation one perceives through their reading, Cvencek’s poems convey an optimism (if not in glimpses and glimmers) that promise the reader a hopeful release from his or her own demons.”
Featured Fiction from The Argyle…
“The Terror of Turquoise Elfcap”
by Sarah Oakes
“Before the terror, the town of Turquoise Elfcap bustled with life. It was an old town, that had used the mushrooms to dye the wood of their houses, each one a different shade of blue….the caps bided their time for revenge.”
Help keep The Argyle going and support us by making a one-time or recurring donation today.
Featured Nonfiction from The Argyle…
“Why Do Others Hurt”
by Miles Miller
“We can only trust when our eyes are closed. / Even if “you wish to see.”
Upcoming events…
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Issue #7 Launch
3.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, including featured pieces for Theme 06: “Bucolia.”
Follow our social media for updates!
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Theme 07: "Bright Lights, Dark City" Open Call for Submissions
3.15 @ 12AM CST
Poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art submissions for Issue #8’s “Bright Lights, Dark City” theme-page will be accepted thru May 31, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST (or until slots are filled). Submissions MUST follow the theme guidelines.
***Theme 07: “Bright Lights, Dark City” subs open March 15, 2025 @ midnight***
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Issue #8 Open General Submission Call
04.01 @ 12AM CST
Send us your poetry, CNF, digital art, and disappearing virtual chapbook submissions for Issue #8. Subs accepted thru May 31, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST or as category slots fill.
Check out our “Submissions!” page for more detailed information.
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Issue #8 Launch
06.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, digital art, and disappearing virtual chapbooks, including featured pieces for Theme 07: “Bright Lights, Dark City.”
Follow our social media for updates!
Blood+Honey
Blood+Honey
Blood+Honey March ‘26 cover art by Paul Warren
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 for Issue #8 are currenlty OPEN!!!
Send us your:
Poetry
Fiction
CNF
Digital Art
Articles, reviews, interviews
See our “Submissions” guidelines and send us your 'little darlings’!
December 2025 Cover Art by Paul Warren
Missed any of the #1 thru #6 issues of The Argyle?
No worries. Check our Archives and catch up!!!
