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Recommended Reading
and
The Commuter

Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading is your ultimate source for the best in contemporary fiction, including short stories and novel excerpts from today’s most dynamic voices.

Visit Recommended Reading
ISSUE No. 740

There Is More Than One Way to Read Tarot in the French Quarter

“The Hanged Man” by Katherine Conner, recommended by Jacob M Appel
Jul 27 - Katherine Conner

Even Bad Men Need Company in the Night

“Young Flower” by Samuel Jensen, recommended by Willem Marx for Electric Literature

Jul 20 - Samuel Jensen
RR Issue No. 739

Being a Novelist Only Costs Romantic Compromises and Debilitating Debt

An excerpt from FAMOUS MEN by Julie Buntin, recommended by Chelsea Bieker

Jul 13 - Julie Buntin
RR Issue No. 738

This Family’s Favorite Holiday Game Is Resource Control

An excerpt from THE GREAT WHEREVER by Shannon Sanders, recommended by Dawnie Walton

Jul 6 - Shannon Sanders
RR Issue No. 737

The Commuter

Poetry, flash, graphic, or experimental narrative arriving every Wednesday morning.

Visit The Commuter
ISSUE No. 433

Fly Me to the Island of Giant Rats

"Departure," flash fiction by Kevin Spaide
Jul 22 - Kevin Spaide

The Bruised Apple Tumbles Far From the Tree

Two poems by Danielle Shandiin Emerson

Jul 15 - Danielle Shandiin Emerson
poetry

The Bittersweet Cruelty of a Rerun

Two poems by Lindsay D'Andrea

Jul 8 - Lindsay D’Andrea
poetry

Knitting Myself Into the Algorithm

Two poems by Alison Lubar

Jul 1 - Alison Lubar
poetry
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POPULAR in RECOMMENDED READING & THE COMMUTER

Lit Mags

Even Bad Men Need Company in the Night

Jul 20 - Samuel Jensen
Lit Mags

Fly Me to the Island of Giant Rats

Jul 22 - Kevin Spaide
Lit Mags

There Is More Than One Way to Read Tarot in the French Quarter

Jul 27 - Katherine Conner
Lit Mags

The School

Dec 31 - Donald Barthelme
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More Issues

A Quiet Enchantment Invites the Universe Into a Goat Pen in Idaho

An excerpt from NIGHTJAR by Emily Ruskovich, recommended by Paula Hawkins

Jun 29 - Emily Ruskovich
RR Issue No. 736

Dad Died and All I Got Was This Angry Alpaca

"A Report on the Alpaca," flash fiction by Patrick Cottrell

Jun 24 - Patrick Cottrell
Prose

Quarantining in Her Late Husband’s Apartment Is Making Her Horny

“Before” from HORIZON HONG KONG by Xu Xi, recommended by Sybil Baker

Jun 22 - Xu Xi
RR Issue No. 735

The Policeman Finds Me Guilty of Joy

Two poems by Oladosu Michael Emerald

Jun 17 - Oladosu Michael Emerald
poetry

A Long-Lost Mother’s Embrace Is an Obliterative Fate

“The Ominous Shaft” by Marlena Williams, recommended by Preety Sidhu for Electric Literature

Jun 15 - Marlena Williams
RR Issue No. 734

I Store My Demons Next to the Pickled Beets

"Ball Jar Demon," flash fiction by Kyle Winkler

Jun 10 - Kyle Winkler
Prose
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Enjoy absorbing fiction from Recommended Reading on Mondays, strange, diverting work from The Commuter on Wednesdays, and a roundup of our best work of the week on Fridays. Personalize your subscription preferences here.

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Electric Literature is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2009. We are invested in pushing traditional publishing boundaries to support emerging and marginalized writers, while ensuring readers can engage with literature regardless of socioeconomic status. We do not impose submission fees or install paywalls, and everything we publish is free to read online.

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