Top Stories
New stories you'll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
The Equinox of Shadows. Top Story - September 2025.
The evening of the autumnal equinox settled across the playground with the color of ripe plums. Abigail darted past the swings with a group of children at her heels, her braids flying as she ran. Feet thudded against packed earth. A ring of girls skipped rope near a tree stump, their chant rising like birdsong. Two boys tore through the tall grass, leaping roots and flinging handfuls of leaves at each other as they ran.
By Fatal Serendipityabout a year ago in Fiction
Ghosted. Top Story - September 2025.
Tired from a long workday and late dinner with her teenage twins, Laura checked her Facebook account before bed. She was terrified that she almost forgot to wish her high school friend a happy birthday. Laura herself turned 45 several months earlier and was pleased to get all the FB Birthday wishes from so many people! She always tried to do the same for her friends. Thank God for Facebook reminders!
By Lana V Lynxabout a year ago in Fiction
A Good Story . Top Story - September 2025.
Hemingway said: "The first draft of anything is shit." But for one particular screenplay that I laboured over, the second, third and fourth drafts were also going to be shit. And it would stay that way until I made some big changes. So, I had to start over, almost from scratch. I had to get back to craft. And I had to abandon proselytizing.
By Marie Wilsonabout a year ago in Writers
Rachel Reviews: The Ballad of Midnight and McRae by Jess Lederman. Top Story - September 2025.
I'm not sure where to start with this book because it isn't one thing. It's a mash-up of many things although that description, whilst it may be apt, does not do justice to the well-crafted, rich composition that this is from Lederman
By Rachel Deemingabout a year ago in BookClub
The Whispering Wind . Top Story - September 2025.
Sarcha was a shaman who was to lead her people to find food, water and safety. She was to use her skills, not in the tropical rainforest jungles, but to escape the concrete jungles that had now become one of the harshest environments to live in.
By Katherine D. Grahamabout a year ago in Fiction
Nona. Top Story - September 2025.
I should have ignored the knock on the door. I should have stayed there in my pyjamas and my old lady cardigan, my left eye throbbing. I should have stayed under my blanket, chain-eating snacks, and drowning my last emotion in whiskey. But I dragged myself out of my pit to answer the door. Of course I did. There she was on the doorstep. Rita. In that moment, I was brutally reminded of the first time I'd met her. Back before I upgraded her husband. Ian. God, he'd been a wanker. Her hair had looked like straw then, her skin pink and cracked and flaky. She'd held her handbag like a shield, and her eyes and manner had put me in mind of a frightened rabbit. Look at her now. Her hair is blonde silk. She has glutes that can crack a walnut, and rock hard confidence to match. Her voice has lost that questioning tremor. This contrasts with the haystack on my head, the crumbs down my front, and the confusion in my tone. Rita smiles wide, showing all those veneers. She's having a little get together. Apparently. So she tells me. This is different. New. I am the one who hosts these things. Either here, at my home, or at the property of whoever just moved in. All the same, I tell her, sure, I'll be there. I actually open my mouth to issue a stream of instruction to my AI partner. Jac, lay out an outfit for me while I shower. After that, put together a dish I can take with me... I slam my lips closed like a tomb. My new AI partner is still twitching and gibbering in the corner. It's this, surely, that has triggered this little bit of socialite flair from Rita. She wants to know whether the latest upgrade was a success. She wants details. I get it. In her position, I would too. Maybe she wants to touch on other topics. Like, where is my husband? Where are the girls? Was that implant sterile? How stable is this latest asset? Why not talk to me here? As a friend? Why raise these subjects in front of everyone? This feels calculated. I want to tell her to go fuck herself, but instead I'm acting meek. Saying "give me half an hour to freshen up, would you?" Nodding like a bobble-head, already backing into the hallway, performing the part of someone grateful for the invitation. It fits me like a sickening glove. In the bathroom, I catch my reflection and flinch. The bruising’s bloomed further overnight, a sickly halo around the socket. I dab concealer over it and layer make up over the rest of my face. I hope I look dashing and mysterious. The cardigan goes in the laundry basket.
By L.C. Schäferabout a year ago in Fiction
Introducing the Fall Poetry Series
Challenges on Vocal have always been about more than winning. If you joined us for the Summer Writing Series, you saw what happens when a strong creative spark meets the power of this community. Thousands of entries, new voices discovered, and a steady rhythm that kept writers returning to the page.
By Justin @ Vocalabout a year ago in Resources
SWS: This Is How I Remember It Challenge Winners
For This Is How I Remember It, we asked for poems built from memories that stay with us. Vocal writers returned with afternoons that still glow with sunlight and dust, the scent of someone who lingers long after they have gone, and houses filled with both laughter and loss. Some memories came through clear and sharp, others fractured and blurred, but all of them carried a truth that felt undeniable.
By Vocal Curation Teamabout a year ago in Resources
Top 5 Books from 2025.. so far. Top Story - September 2025.
I have not read as much as I wanted to this year. I set myself a goal of reading twenty books at the beginning of January. It's now September and somewhere in between working, being a mom, and my regular life- I managed to read 14 books/audiobooks so far. I actually am quite proud of that number as it's only September.
By Chloe Unfilteredabout a year ago in BookClub
