Issue #6 Contributors
L. Acadia • Robert Allen • Susan Alpert • Swetha Amit • Emma Atkins • Kevin Bain • Aicha Benali • Mickey Bertram Jeppesen Jensen • Andy Betz • Vanessa Blakeslee • Ace Boggess • Terry Brinkman • Christian Cacibanda • James Callan • Jack Coldicott • Lindsay Comer • Sheldon Lee Compton • Claire Cooper • A.M. Castro • John Franklin Dandridge • Shome Dasgupta • Daniele De Serto • Mitzi Dorton • Lorraine Durbin • Zary Fekete • A.Z. Foreman • Hassan Ghlich • Vali Hawkins-Mitchell • Benjamin Goluboff • Pawel Grajnert • John Grey • Alaina Hammond • Anthony Ikeh • Patrick Johnston • Jeffrey-Michael Kane • K.A. Keckler • Inaayah Khan • Joe Kilgore • Craig Kirchner • Anthony Kleem • Henry Kneiszel • Keith Kopp • Anna Kornfeld • Norbert Kovacs • Abby Kozal • Barbara Krasner • Sophia Krich-Brinton • Jake La Botz • Bartholomew Lamb • J.D. Lewis • Alexander Limarev • Glenn Lucas • P D Lyons • Cam Mackie • Lance Mason • Matthew McCain • Phillip McGough • Athena Melliar • Azim Moradi • Ellen Murray • Guliz Mutlu • Chris Negri • Peter Newall • Erica Noble • David Obuchowski • Fatima Okhuosami • Donald Patten • Ihor Pidhaney • Stephen Priest • Thaddeus Rakowski • Ron Riekki • Wyatt Robinette • Brad Rose • Mykyta Ryzhykh • Edward Sage • Lizzie Scheader • Jennifer Shneiderman • M.D. Smith • Ephraim Scott Sommers • Tutt Stapp-McKiernan • William Summay • Edward Michael Supranowicz • Carter Vance • B.F. Vega • Reed Venrick • Suellen Wedmore • Lynn White • David Williams • Marisela Zamora
Issue #6 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!!!
Visions of sugar plums and things that go bump in the night…
Theme #5: “Ghosts”
The Argyle presents its fifth themed collection, “Ghosts,” with poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art that center around ghosts, the dead, and the holidays.
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Special Feature…
Book Review: Take It Personally by Claire Hopple
by Christie Chapman
“In this pressure-cooker world, where so many seem to be chasing after the top dogs, the glitz and clout, the Big Five, the “template for success”—Take It Personally, in its unbothered originality, is refreshing. “A+.”
Featured Serialized Fiction Chapbook…
Straight, No Ice
by Lance Mason
The Argyle is pleased to present its first serialized chapbook, Straight, No Ice, by the talented Lance Mason, whose fiction and award-winning CNF reflects both his farm-town origins and his extensive travel abroad.
Issue #6 will feature a new short story on the 1st of the month, starting with “A Journey Begins.”
“…Hoa felt Black Face raise his head toward the three people there. Phuong looked down into his eyes and remembered his mother and the years that had flown away.”
Stay tuned for Lance’s next short story “Go Tell Your Amigos” on January 1st, 2026 @ 6 PM CST!
Issue #6 Highlights
"Obituary for the Invinicible Man" by Wyatt Robinette (flash fiction)
"Hey man," by Henry Kneiszel (poetry)
"Lack of Postage" by Edward Sage (creative nonfiction)
"The Bravest Fly" by Lindsay Comer (flash fiction)
"Womenstration" by Lorraine Durbin (micro-fiction)
"Childhood Winters, Fredericton" by Ihor Pidhaney (poetry)
"Articulated" by Claire Cooper (creative nonfiction)
"Core Strength" by Zary Fekete (creative nonfiction)
"Mother" by Mykyta Ryzhykh (micro-fiction)
"The Blue Petal" by Guliz Mutlu (digital art)
"Nasturtiums" by Susan Alpert (fiction)
"Mermaid Tales" by Anthony Ikeh (poetry)
"Plum Juice" by Inaayah Khan (creative nonfiction)
"The Russian Brontosaurus-Cow as Seen with Faceted Vision: On Vladimir Sorokin’s The Sugar Kremlin" by Eric Vanderwall (special features)
"The Hot Rod Trio" by Glenn Lucas (fiction)
"LAY MY MOUTH DOWN AND DRENCH MY BODY IS DEET." by Lizzie Scheader (poetry)
"American Magician" by Emma Atkins (creative nonfiction)
"Primadonna Of The Weapons Factory: On Conversion" by William Summay (poetry)
"In the Fog" by Tutt Stapp-McKiernan (creative nonfiction)
"If You Go, I'll Stay" by Matthew McCain (digital art)
Featured Poetry from The Argyle…
“In Moments 3”
by Marisela Zamora
“The profiles of us faceless in essence our smile you grab / tiger blood bleeding withstanding placed hissing doors / synthetic signals signal away now watch ocular twitched / drinking browns Crooked case beading bracelets burning / Necks rosary reds This moment effaced.”
Note from the EIC
The Argyle is back with Issue No. 6! We have some splendid poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art for you this issue, including our new themed-page “Ghosts” that we are delighted to report has been our most successful themed call to date. Who knew?
Submissions for Theme #6: “Bucolia” are currently open, and we can’t wait to start diving in. Our call for general submissions will open on January 1st for Issue #7, so get ready to kick your “little darlings” out of the nest. We’ll be waiting,
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
Theme #6: ”Bucolia”
***Coming March 2026***
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘bucolia’ as “relating to or typical of rural life; pleasing or picturesque in natural simplicity; idyllic” which makes the concept perfect for the beginning of the new year. Shifting gears and taking a brief hiatus from the hustle and bustle of modern life, immersing ourselves into the quiet rhythms of nature, is just what the doctor ordered for a much needed “reset” to better prepare ourselves for the chaos and uncertainty 2026 will surely bring.
Submissions for Theme 06: “Bucolia” open January 1st, 2026, for your poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art that centers around all things bucolic.
All submissions MUST center around rural life. Submissions can focus on the beauty (or peril) nature brings, or they can speak to the serenity (or boredom) of living in quiet spaces. Possibilities abound. Farms. Ranches. Orchards. Rivers. Harvests. Gardens. Flowers. Birds. Animals. The list goes on…
Of course, there is a catch. In keeping with the bucolic spirit, submissions should demonstrate the simplicity of nature/rural life, even in its complexities. Pieces should emanate a sense of quiet and calm. But, as we all know, such a sense of absence can be disturbing and unnerving, sometimes maddening.
Have fun with it!
***Submissions for Theme 06: “Bucolia” open December 15th, 2026 @ midnight!!!***
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 (digital 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 (creative nonfiction)
"Essential Workers" by John Byutorie (fiction)
"Tuberculosis" by Zary Fekete (creative nonfiction)
"As though the light stole under her skin" by Jeffrey Alfier (digital art)
"One Week Later" by John Pring (poetry)
"Elegy" by Alexander Limarev (digital art)
"Overnight, the Mushrooms Appeared" by Gary Leising (poetry)
"Suburbia" by Robert Beveridge (poetry)
Featured Fiction from The Argyle…
“A Eulogy for Caramel Staxxx”
by A.M. Castro
“He turned Mötley Crüe’s hedonistic headbanger and tweaked it into what it was, a dirge for decadence, a riff-driven catharsis about over-consumption, a retrospective reauthoring that looks at the world dead in the eye, looking for a Friday night fight.”
Spotlight on…
The Argyle’s Best Microfiction 2026 Nominees!!!
Featured Digital Artist
Jennifer Shneiderman
Car Wash Party
Spotlight on…
The Argyle’s 2026 Pushcart Prize Nominees
A Nonfiction Feature from The Argyle…
“Smoking Vegans and the End of Times ”
by Robert Allen
“I borrowed one from a stranger in the street, asked for a light, pulled in my breath, and my mind opened like a dusky flower.”
Upcoming events…
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Theme 06: "Bucolia" Open Call for Submissions
12.15 @ 12AM CST
Poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art submissions for Issue #7’s “Bucolia” theme-page will be accepted thru February 28, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST (or until slots are filled). Submissions MUST follow the theme guidelines.
***Theme 06: “Buclolia” subs open December 15, 2025 @ midnight***
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Issue #6 Launch
12.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, including featured pieces for Theme 04: “Ghosts.”
Follow our social media for updates!
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Issue #6 Open General Submission Call
01.01 @ 12AM CST
Send us your poetry, CNF, and digital art for Issue #7. Submissions accepted thru February 28, 2026 @ 11:59 PM CST or as category slots fill.
Check out our “Submissions!” page for more detailed information.
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Issue #7 Launch
03.15 @ 6PM CST
New poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art, including featured pieces for Theme 06: “Bucolia.”
Follow our social media for updates!
Blood+Honey
Blood+Honey
Blood+Honey January ‘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 OPEN for Issue #7 on January 1st, 2026 @ midnight!!!
Send us your:
Poetry
Fiction
CNF
Digital Art
Articles, reviews, interviews
See our “Submissions” guidelines and send us your 'little darlings’!
September 2025 Cover Art by Paul Warren
Missed any of the #1 thru #5 issues of The Argyle?
No worries. Check our Archives and catch up!!!