The Feed
A Boater is Born: An Unexpected Turn with the Long Island City Community Boathouse
On a warm June evening in 2018, I showed up for my first canoe trip as a member of the North Brooklyn Community Boathouse (NBCB). I greeted the other members and the trip leader, selected my paddle and life jacket, listened to the instruction details for the outing,...
Celebrating Mark Z. Danielewski: A New Novel and 25 Years of ‘House of Leaves’
Readers, writers, and shark fans, rejoice! In a remarkable dual celebration of literary innovation, cult author Mark Z. Danielewski marks the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking novel, House of Leaves, while simultaneously announcing the forthcoming release of his...
What in the World?! The Zones of the Ocean
The Sunlit Zone When most people think of the ocean, they think of the sunny upper layer called the “Sunlit Zone” or more scientifically, the “Epipelagic” layer or zone. It ranges from the surface to 656 feet (200m) deep. Here, creatures such as hammerhead sharks,...
What in the World?! The Truth About Microplastics
Microplastics! What are They, and Why are They Harmful? Microplastics, or polymer chains composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms, are much smaller pieces of plastic that have disintegrated from larger plastic over time and environmental impact. Although it takes...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s December-January AND February Poem of the Month!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope that you've had a chance to explore our issues from last year and have been able to enjoy some of the weather. As important as winter is, I cannot hide the fact that I am pleased that it's starting to get the...
Happy New Year! Lit Shark’s Best Of 2024 Anthology Is Out Now!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Happy, Happy New Year to each of you! I hope you're having a wonderful week! I've been enjoying my first full week off of work in the past nine years, and I had a wonderful time disconnecting from my workspace, making...
Celebrate Tonight’s Full Moon & Reflect on September’s Super Moon with the NBCB!
In light of tonight's full moon, the "Cold Moon" and the last full moon of 2024, we're excited to introduce our newest contributor, Pamela Rafalow Grossman, and to hear an amazing story about last September's Super Moon, which she experienced with the North Brooklyn...
Great White Sharks & Black Friday Weekends!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! To those who celebrate, I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving! And if you're like us and doing something this weekend instead, we hope you have a wonderful time. With Thanksgiving also comes historically the biggest...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s November Poem of the Month!
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And Happy Thanksgiving to our US community members! We hope you're having a wonderful week. We want to say Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate, safe travels, and also happy decorating and happy shopping...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s October Poem of the Month!
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And Happy Thanksgiving to our US community members! We hope you're having a wonderful week. We want to say Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate, safe travels, and also happy decorating and happy shopping...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s September Poem of the Month!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you're having a wonderful week. We want to say Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate, safe travels, and also happy decorating and happy shopping for those of you who will throw yourselves into the...
Keeping a Journal: How Journaling Can Be a Voyage to Self Discovery
A Voyage to Self-Discovery Journalling can be cathartic. It allows you to wordlessly express yourself, relieve pent-up emotions, and discover your true feelings. Having a journal can be really life-enhancing. Whether you are at a crossroads in life, trying to make a...
Issue 8 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK WEEK Edition Is Live!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We remember anticipating Tuesdays while we were growing up, because that was when the best movies and albums were released! We're excited to be releasing an issue on a Tuesday this time around, and we're even more...
Make a Joyful Life in 30 Days with ‘The Joy Plan’ by Kaia Roman
The Joy Plan by Kaia Roman outlines a 30-day experiment where the author concentrates solely on joy, quitting complaining, and stopping worrying! She puts the results of the experiment into this book. It’s easy to read, fun, joyful—and super inspiring. The book starts...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s July-August Poem of the Month!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you're having a wonderful week. We're so excited today to announce the winners of our July-August Poem of the Month contest! Submissions for the July and August contests were accepted throughout the months of...
Issue 7 of Lit Shark Magazine Out Now! Just in Time to Scoop Up the Last of Those Fall Vibes!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We know that we're releasing our Spooky (TEETH) Edition after Halloween, and we also know that this week has been really hard for a lot of the members of our community, especially those living in the United States. We...
Congratulations to Han Kang for Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We're very excited to share that the results are in for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, and the winner is none other than the incredible Human Acts author, Han Kang. The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2024 is awarded...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s May-June Poem of the Month!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We know that it has been a hard week for everyone, and our thoughts are with the many people who have been impacted, particularly in Florida, the Carolinas, and Wyoming. We're grateful to know that there are other people...
Chicken Run Gone Wrong! A Story of Levity, Ruffled Feathers, & Incidental Exercise
Before we get started, just try to tell us that you can't hear this picture. In light of all the troubling news around the world, we wanted to take a moment to bring a little levity and humor to your day today. This piece written by Melinda Torr will be relatable to...
Balancing Rejection, Acceptance, Grief, and Groceries: A Review of Michelle Zauner’s ‘Crying in H Mart’
Content Warning: Death, Depression, Abortion, Cancer. Death comes in many forms, whether it's the loss of a pet, a family member, a friend, or an acquaintance. For many, this loss propels those affected into periods of self-reflection as they do their best to...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s March-April Poem of the Month!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you're having an incredible week! I'm sure those of you who have been following along have wondered what ever happened with our Poem of the month contest, and put very simply, we fell behind on going through...
Lit Shark’s Response to NaNoWriMo (& What We’re Doing Instead)
Happy First of October, readers, writers, and shark fans! Many of you following us are familiar with National Novel Writing Month (often referred to as NaNoWriMo), the organization that promoted the concept of writing an entire novel (first draft) during the month of...
Where Are All the Sharks?! Submission Call EXTENDED: Lit Shark’s Friday Feed
Happy Saturday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome back to Lit Shark's Friday Feed! Every Friday or Saturday, we share our favorite content from the week (in case you missed it), new submission calls, and what else we have in the works. (And if you'd like to...
Join Lit Shark in Celebrating Life on National Rainbow Baby Day
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you're enjoying your week as well as Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK DOG Edition if you've begun reading it. Thank you so much for your support! Today, we want to draw your attention to an important...
XL Bully, Shark Dog, and Shark Fans, Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine Is Here! (Slobber Not Included)
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Not only is it the middle of the week and the second-to-last full week of August, but AT LONG LAST, we're so pleased to tell you that Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK DOG Edition is now live! This issue is...
Lit Pup! Come ‘Meet a Marine Biologist’ with Elmo & HiHo Kids!
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We previously had the pleasure of sharing with you the latest collaboration between Sesame Workshop (the home of Sesame Street) and HiHo Kids in their "Kids Meet" series on YouTube, starting with their episode, "Kids...
Celebrate With Us: Sandra Noel’s ‘Into The Under’
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We're always so excited to see members of our Lit Shark community succeed, especially when they have a book coming out, so we could not be more pleased to share the news that Sandra Noel has just published her poetry...
Dickinson & One-Thousand Rages: An Interview with ‘Armed to the Teeth’ Poet, Ellen Hirning Schmidt
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We love celebrating our Lit Shark community here, so we are excited today to share Ellen Hirning Schmidt's latest poetry collection, Armed to the Teeth. Ellen graced us with her presence in Issue 2 of Lit Shark...
Discover the Charm of Dark Retellings & Cozy Horror in Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’
King's Out Here Redefining Dark Retellings & Cozy Horror Stephen King reflected before writing Fairy Tale and asked himself what would make him happy to write, and this was it: “As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a...
Celebrate Juneteenth with 19 Lit Shark Picks for June 19th
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans, and Happy Juneteenth! On June 19, 1865, more than two years after Abraham Lincoln manumitted all enslaved people in the Confederate states, Union Army general Gordon Granger announced the news of freedom to enslaved...
Celebrate Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas’ Latest Book With Us: ‘A Shared and Sacred Space’
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We're always so excited to see members of our Lit Shark community succeed, especially when they have a book come out, so we could not be more pleased to share the news that Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas has just...
Get Ready! Issue 5 of Lit Shark Magazine Is Here!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! To get you through the rest of the week, or to answer that looming question of what you will read this weekend, we're excited to announce that Issue 5 of Lit Shark Magazine is now live! We're so excited about this...
Past, Present, & Fridays! Welcome Back to Lit Shark’s Friday Feed!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome back to Lit Shark’s Friday Feed! Though it's been a lighter week content-wise, we're excited to share what we've been working on, thinking about, and of course, writing! Let's jump right in! True to our past...
This Charming Equestrian Thriller Has Surprises at Every Turn, Even for the Author
How many lives can one woman save in one romantic equestrian thriller? Well, Betty Briggs pushes the envelope in her novel, Pressure Point, in which Stephanie receives a letter from her ultimate nemesis, who mocks her with the kidnapping of her future adoptive...
How To Become A Shark: A Writing Prompt for All Ages
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday and a belated Lit Pup Tuesday! To honor both occasions, I've provided a writing prompt today that a writer of any age can use! Keep reading for some suggestions for how to use this...
Motivation Monday: Wear Your Art on Your Sleeve
Happy Monday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you had a wonderful weekend! We've all heard the idiom about someone "wearing their heart on their sleeve," and for this Motivation Monday, I wanted to talk about the importance of being vulnerable, at least...
Welcome Back to Lit Shark’s Friday Feed!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And welcome back to Lit Shark's Friday Feed! We appreciate you being patient as we get back on our "fins," and we hope you've enjoyed this week's wave of new content. True to our past Friday Feed editions, we have a few...
Help the Misunderstood & Submit to Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you're having a wonderful week! While submissions have technically been open for a while, we wanted to take a moment to officially announce that submissions are open for Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine, now...
Writing Prompt Wednesday: Start with Something Small!
Happy Writing Prompt Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We're so excited to get back to this series and hope you are, too. In case you missed it, we hosted our first Lit Pup Tuesday yesterday, including writing prompts for children and teen writers. All...
Geena Davis Rises Like a Phoenix from the Ashes After ‘Dying of Politeness’
This September, our silver screens will be graced (or haunted?!) by the revival of a triple-named ghoul with the return of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (also known as Beetlejuice 2). In preparation, not only are we rewatching Beetlejuice...
A Unique & YA-Friendly Look at Cancer Treatment & Remission, Race & Privilege, & Living Life to the Fullest
Few of us understand how privileged we are until we are put face-to-face with a dire situation, like seeing a house fire where the family loses everything they own. Though middle-schoolers and twin sisters, Taylor and Mackenzie, had their own struggles with a year of...
Welcome to Lit Pup Tuesday! Here Are Some Sea-tastic Prompts!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And a special hello to our Lit Pup Community! As we get settled back into a regular content schedule, you might notice that Lit Shark is now going to be posting themed posts each day, including "Lit Pup Tuesdays," which...
HiHo Kids & Sesame Workshop Start Young in ‘Elmo & Kids Meet a Beekeeper’
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! As we're getting back in the swing of regular posting, you'll begin to notice that each day of the workweek has its own "theme" here at Lit Shark, including today's very first Lit Pup Tuesday, geared toward children and...
Anne Hathaway Fulfills the Boy Band Fantasy of Our Dreams in ‘The Idea of You’
Happy World Book Day, readers, writers, and shark fans! To celebrate, we're sharing a fun book that will be available to watch early this May. Our Editor-in-Chief was invited to attend an early viewing event of the film adaptation of Robinne Lee's 2017 romantic...
‘I’d Rather Be Dead Than Deaf’: An Unflinching Glimpse Into One Teen’s World of Art, Poetry, Music, Family, & Liver Cancer
I remember about a decade ago, while sitting in on an interview for what would turn out to be an incredible internship at a cancer-centered publication, I discussed with the publication's President the importance of how we talk about cancer and how we communicate with...
Out Now: A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
Happy Saturday, readers, writers, and shark fans! The reading community has been on a wave of top new releases this year (it's going to be hard to pick our Top Ten favorites at the end of the year at this rate!), especially fantasy readers, as Danielle L. Jensen has...
Time To Celebrate! Lit Shark’s Best Of 2023 Anthology Is Out Now!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you're having a wonderful week! At the same time, I know sometimes I need a little bit of a pick-me-up around the middle of the week, so in case you're feeling that way today, I'm happy to share some great...
Join the Lit Shark Team
Helloooooo, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome or Welcome BACK to Lit Shark Magazine! I'm so grateful you're interested in writing for us and/or potentially joining our team. We're gradually growing our team with Assistant Editors and other positions, so if...
Submit to the Inaugural Issue of Lit Pup Magazine!
Helloooooo, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome or Welcome BACK to Lit PUP Magazine and the Lit Shark Community! I'm so grateful you're interested in submitting. We're actively looking for submissions for the inaugural issue of Lit Pup Magazine, which will be BY...
Submit to Lit Shark’s Poem of the Month Contest!
Helloooooo, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome or Welcome BACK to Lit Shark Magazine! I'm so grateful you're interested in submitting. If you're specifically interested in submitting to Lit Shark's Poem of the Month contest, I'm happy to tell you we'll be...
Submit to Lit Shark’s Special Edition SHARK DOG Issue
Helloooooo, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome or Welcome BACK to Lit Shark Magazine! I'm so grateful you're interested in submitting. If you're interested in submitting to Lit Shark's special edition SHARK DOG Issue, we need submissions in as soon as possible....
Last Day to Submit to Issue 5 of Lit Shark Magazine!
Helloooooo, readers, writers, and shark fans! Welcome or Welcome BACK to Lit Shark Magazine! I'm so grateful you're interested in submitting. If you're specifically interested in submitting to Issue 5 of Lit Shark Magazine, tomorrow (Friday, March 15, 2024) is the...
Hot Take: ‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo Is Reflective of Our World, Plus Magic
Ketterdam, a bustling commercial city. Grisha, with his specific powers. Children who were forced to grow up suddenly. Powers that shake the world. Poverty, tragedies, politics... It sounds gloomy, but the Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is by no means. Leigh Bardugo...
Welcome to Our First Friday Feed of 2024!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And welcome back to the Friday Feed! I'm so excited to get this series back up and running. If you're interested in a more in-depth version of the Friday Feed each week, including writing/submission tips,...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s February Poem of the Month!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you're having an incredible week! Our week at Lit Shark has been wonderful, because we announced our December-January Poem of the Month winners yesterday, and we're back again today to announce the winners of...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s December-January Poem of the Month!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start. Tuesdays are a popular day for entertainment releases, and Lit Shark is getting in on the fun today, because we (at long last!) are here to announce the winners of our...
Pelumi Nubi, First Black Woman to Trek from London to Lagos, Says to Step into the Unknown
Happy Monday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and have been enjoying this February that's just swimming right on by! I've always enjoyed Motivation Monday posts, but my favorite ones are stories that show us something being put...
One Week Left: Submit to Lit Shark’s February Poem of the Month!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We can't believe it, but it's January 24th, which means... we already only have one week left in the first month of 2024! Since there's only one month left in this month, if you'd like to be considered for our...
An Update to the UK XL Bully Ban & A Special Edition of Lit Shark Magazine
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you're having a wonderful start of your week. I have a bit of a rough update for you today relating to the XL Bully Ban in the UK and Wales (find our previous post about this here), but I also have a unique,...
Join Us in Saying Happy 1st Birthday to Lit Shark!
Happy Thursday, readers, writers, and shark fans! ...and Happy 1st Birthday to Lit Shark! We knew this day was coming, but now that it's here, we're reeling. It's so exciting, isn't it? It feels like we just got started yesterday, so how could it possibly be a year...
‘Rabbit Hole’ Author Kate Brody’s Creative Comparisons Almost Ruined Her Novel’s Success
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! For this week's Tuesday Tip, we want to talk about something that seems to be plaguing everyone more than ever, whether they're in the creative space or not: the pain of comparing ourselves to other people and what we...
Issue 4 of Lit Shark Magazine Out Now! Just In Time for the First Weekend of 2024!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And happy first weekend of 2024! If you're looking for something to read this weekend or are looking to relax a little this weekend before we really ramp up next week, we've got you! Issue 4 of Lit Shark Magazine is...
Thank You, 2023! And Hello, 2024! Lit Shark’s 2024 Resolutions
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Happy Holidays, however you celebrated, and Happy New Year! I hope 2024 has been good to you so far. I took a much-needed break away from my desk (in all of its digital forms) for the first time in 2023 to celebrate the...
Cait Corrain’s Author Career Ends Before It Begins After Despicable Review-Bombing Campaign
Hi readers, writers, and shark fans! As you know, Lit Shark is here to celebrate literature and conservation and also to share news and updates about both of those subjects. Unfortunately, not all news is good news. The Book Community on X (Twitter) and TikTok has...
The Game of 2,000 Words & Other Tips from R.L. Stine
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We love Motivation Mondays and Tuesday Tips around here, so today, we thought we'd share an interesting series of tips from Goosebumps YA horror author R.L. Stine. We recently sat in on an interview between some of the...
Out Now: The Inspirational ‘Dear Starving Artist, Get Something to Eat’ by Actor Ransford Doherty & Screenwriter Angie J. Sanders
Unless they go in totally delusional, most creatives know that their journey to success may not be the smoothest or easiest journey they’ve been on. Actors and writers are referred to as “starving artists” by those critical of working creatives for a reason. ...
We’re Rattled By Patrick T. Reardon’s ‘Puddin’,’ Poetry Written By a Baby
Whether we personally identify as an introvert or an extrovert, a loner or a team player, we all yearn for a connection with other people, especially the people who should love us the most: our families. But sometimes life doesn't work out that way, and we're left...
Last Chance to Submit for 2023!
The day is here! If you haven't submitted for December's Poem of the Month contest of Issue 4 of Lit Shark Magazine, the final issue of our inaugural year, this is your last chance! Because we're reminding you so late in the date on December 4, we WILL consider your...
Creative Highlight: “Listing”
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! In response to our "We're Making a List" writing prompt, Julie A. Dickson wrote this wonderful poem, "Listing," which also went on to appear in Issue 1 of Lit Shark Magazine. Here is Julie's poem, recreated as a...
Announcing: Lit Shark Magazine’s November Poem of the Month!
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start! Tuesdays are a popular day for book and music releases, and today, it's a wonderful day for Lit Shark, because we have the results for Lit Shark Magazine's November Poem of...
Friday Feed: December 4 is Our FINAL Deadline of 2023!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We hope you've had a wonderful week. Our Editor-in-Chief is still sick, so it's been a pretty quiet week in the Lit Shark world, but we still have a few important announcements to make. Thanks for reading! Coming Soon:...
Let’s Talk About Shark Dogs & The UK XL Bully Ban
UPDATE: We've shared a new post with an update on the XL Bully Ban, as well as a submission opportunity to work with Lit Shark and to support XL Bully Dogs, their families, and the animal rescues who are advocating for them. You can find that post here. We hope you...
From Grieving for ‘Seven Years’ to Drowning in ‘Treading Water,’ Alyssa Harmon’s Hope-Infused Poetry Should Not Be Missed
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We have a wonderful double book review for you today of the first two full-length poetry collections by Alyssa Harmon: Seven Years and Treading Water. If you've been reading the issues of Lit Shark Magazine (thank you),...
Good News, Notebooks, & This Week’s Friday Feed
Hi, readers, writers, and shark fans! Happy Friday! Our Editor-in-Chief is pretty sick, so we're going to keep this one short, sweet, and to the point. Here's what to expect: Paperback Editions Available of All of Our Magazine Issues Poem of the Month Broadside Series...
Wednesday Writing Prompts & NEW NOTEBOOKS AVAILABLE
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Ugg, I have to be real with you: This post should have come out on Wednesday. But I have been SO sick this week and I feel like barely squeaking by, so the writing prompt came out on social media on Thursday instead of...
We’re Screaming: New Stephen King Short Story Collection & ‘Cujo’ Sequel: ‘You Like It Darker’
Happy Tuesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! We're so excited---screaming, in fact---to share that Stephen King has announced his next book: a short story anthology entitled You Like It Darker, which includes a sequel to his 1981 novel, Cujo. The sequel is called...
‘Someone Somewhere Maybe’: Reading More Poetry by Sophie Diener (Plus, a Broadside!)
Hi readers, writers, and shark fans! You know that feeling when you finish reading a book... and a few weeks later, it comes back to you, and you can't stop thinking about it unless you revisit it? Well, that's how we're currently feeling about Sophie Diener's debut...
Cheerful Novel or Morose Tale? A Book Review of Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Klara and the Sun’
Content Warnings: Terminal illness, death of a child, grief and loss depiction In Loneliness, We Find Friendship Terminal illness in oneself and those we love can bring out the worst in people and the best in others. Death can be a catalyst for some, a reminder that...
Save Teahupo’o Reef: Olympics 2024 to Break the Wave
Did you know that coral reefs absorb up to 97% of the energy of the waves that reach the shoreline? At Teahupo'o Reef in Tahiti, that is a massive amount of energy generated every winter by the south swells that hit their islands. Coral reefs act as a natural buffer...
Issues 1 & 2 & 3, Oh My! Lit Shark’s Friday Feed
Hi, readers, writers, and shark fans! Happy Friday! And welcome back to the Friday Feed! We haven't hosted one of these in a LONG time; we've sure missed it and hope you have, too! To get us all caught up, this is going to be a longer one, so here's a breakdown of...
Happy Halloween! Lit Shark Issue #3: The Spooky (TEETH) Edition Is ALIIIIIIVE!
Happy Halloween, readers, writers, and shark fans! Today is an incredibly special day in the Lit Shark Community, because Issue 3: The Spooky (TEETH) Edition is finally here! We're so excited to share Issue 3, complete with nearly 200 pages of spooky poetry and...
Lit Shark Issue #2: The SHARK WEEK Edition Out Now!
Happy Monday, readers, writers, and shark fans! Today is an incredibly special day in the Lit Shark Community, because Issue 2: The SHARK WEEK Edition is finally here! We're so excited to share Issue 2, complete with 150 pages of poetry and fiction, as well as a...
In Conversation with Tim O’Brien: ‘America Fantastica,’ A Wild Ride, Lies Like Wildfire, & A Novel Worth Waiting For
While blessing us with the thought of book-themed cocktail parties, Tom Lake author Ann Patchett referenced The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and its surprising mis-genre labeling that she's witnessed among readers perhaps one too many times. "People try to...
LAST CALL: Issue 3 of Lit Shark Mag: The Spooky (TEETH) Edition & Our November Poem of the Month PAID Contest
LAST CALL, readers, writers, and shark fans! If you've been sitting on a horror story, a ghost story, a campy Jaws or The Meg or Sharknado retelling, or even some creepy, surreal poetry, or a real-life encounter, we're ready to read it! Hurry! The doors close on...
Announcing: The Winner of Lit Shark Magazine’s October Poem of the Month!
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you had a wonderful week! I was originally going to post a traditional Friday Feed, but then I realized I had one specific announcement to make that deserved its own space: the results for Lit Shark Magazine's...
Longing, Familial Ties, & Tradition: In Conversation with Poet Millicent Borges Accardi & ‘Through a Grainy Landscape’
Since the pandemic---I know this must be as true for others as it is for me---I've felt this deeper call for connection: to nature, to my family, and to myself and who I'm called to be. These are surely songs that have called all of us at various moments in our lives,...
Lit Pup Writers! R.L. Stine & Dictionary.com Want Your Haunted House Stories
Good morning, readers, writers, and shark fans! McKenzie here (Editor-in-Chief at Lit Shark). I received the coolest opportunity this morning for my Lit Pup writers, and I wanted to share this with our Lit Shark community right away. Lit Pup writers, I hope you'll...
Nature’s Reality Check: ‘Blackfish,’ Sea World, & How Entertainment Comes at a Price
“The stars of amusement park shows around the world, have long died before their time.” –National Geographic I heard some chatter on X (Twitter) recently, where folks were commiserating about whether the natural world was mad at us, considering some of the...
Something to Aspire To: Green Living in the Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest in the entire world, with a rich history, diverse plant life, and people dedicated to keeping the land beautiful for generations to come. I have had the privilege the past two years to live in this region of East...
Poetry That Makes You Feel Something: ‘Someone Somewhere Maybe’ & An Exclusive Interview with TikTok Sensation Sophie Diener
Whether it's poetry by Walt Whitman or Edgar Allan Poe, children's poetry by Shel Silverstein, or poetry by singers like Jewel and Halsey, everyone can agree that poetry is meant to make you feel something, whether it's deeply vulnerable, beautiful, or...
Let’s Sink Our Teeth into Some Submissions: Writing Prompt Wednesday
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I have a little secret: I know you have a project that you've been putting off. Maybe you've put off finishing it, or polishing it, or simply sending it off for consideration. No matter what your situation, though,...
Our First Paid Opportunity: Lit Shark’s Poem of the Month
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! In place of Writing Prompt Wednesday this week, we want to share a new opportunity with you: our first paid opportunity! Starting with the rest of September 2023, Lit Shark Magazine will host a monthly Poem of the...
Will Your Book Be At the Next Launch? – Lit Shark’s Friday Feed
Happy Friday, readers, writers, and shark fans! I hope you had a fantastic week! We're excitedly working our way through Issue 2 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK WEEK Edition and can't wait to share that with you. BUT, we have a lot more to share, too. Read on for...
With Any Luck, A Phase of Orange: Writing Prompt Wednesday
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! It's that time of week again! We're here for another Writing Prompt Wednesday! Each Wednesday, we will share a writing prompt THEME instead of just one solo prompt. There will still be prompts included, but like our...
Monday Munchies (AKA: A Belated Friday Feed!)
Happy Monday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And welcome to last week's belated Friday Feed! There were no technical difficulties this week, thank goodness, but the youngest in our little Shiver team DID have a third birthday! Our original team was made up of...
Motivation Monday: The Struggle of the Multi-Passionate Person & Knowing Where to Focus Your Creative Energy
If you’re anything like me, when the creative idea strikes, you get lost in it for hours and hours, flowing within this world you’re creating, in the project you’re bringing to life. It’s the closest thing to magic, perhaps, feeling that electrical charge of...
Yes, Harrison Ford, It HAD To Be Snakes: The Importance of All-Animal Advocacy
Whether they fly in the air or swim far down in the deep, have soul-searching eyes or giant teeth---we all have a favorite animal (or a few), and our reasons for loving them tend to be very personal. We may not think about it very often, but our favorite animal we...
Something to Aspire To: Sustainability in Greek Waters
One of the most popular destinations for travelers and vacationers is the Greek Islands, nestled in paradise on the Mediterranean Sea. With more than ten million tourists flocking to the mainland and islands each year, one would expect dirty and poorly cared for...
Wednesday Writing Prompt: Following Cheryl Strayed
Happy "Wednesday," readers, writers, and shark fans! (We know it's Thursday, but this was supposed to post yesterday and for some reason... it didn't... so we're going to chalk it up to being Wednesday!) With the Shortlist for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for...
10 New Books to Celebrate National Book Lovers’ Day!
Happy Wednesday, readers, writers, and shark fans! And Happy National Book Lovers' Day! August 9 of each year is a celebration for everyone who loves books---books in general, reading books, collecting books, watching movies based on books... Basically, take August 9...