Keith Pilapil Lesmeister

I'm looking forward to reading this forthcoming collection of stories-- Oct 2025 -- preorder available now.

new #poem in The MacGuffin. It's addressed to a farmer in Ridgeway, IA who shot a wandering black bear for no reason (it was a young male looking for a mate and we in Iowa don't have a hunting season for bears). I only had one place where I could channel my rage. This poem was the result.

A stellar line up of writers coming to my little corner of northeast Iowa.

This is going to be great! And it's all free 💜

Going to be so much fun!

Friday w/ @rachelyoder.bsky.social, Mike Bazzett, William Russell, and Megan Mayhew Bergman.

Saturday w/ @giano.bsky.social @rachelswearingen.bsky.social, Jennie Case, @akwinji.bsky.social, LD Kidd, @chuyrenteria.bsky.social, Amy Weldon, and Katherine Hannigan, and another appearance by MMB.

Luther College Writers Festival | Luther College Celebrating the rich diversity of contemporary writing, Luther College is hosting the eighth biennial Luther College Writers Festival Friday and […]

I'm looking fwd to this! If you're in/around northeast Iowa, check it out. Free and open to the public. Craft lectures, readings, generative writing workshops. Sept 12-13: www.luther.edu/event/luther...

nice shirt

So excited to be judging the 2025 Larry Brown Short Story Award for @pitheadchapel.bsky.social ! Submissions open Friday! 👇

Tin House Live : Denis Johnson : 2003 - Tin House We are kicking off the new year with a serious blast from the past. A recording from the very first Tin House writers workshop in the summer of 2003 with novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright...

just spent a week w Wes at the Appalachian Writers' Workshop, which was great, btw, both Wes and the Workshop. And we talked a lot about Denis Johnson. Anyhow, Wes sent this to me, and I think you might like it as well, if you haven't listened already: tinhouse.com/podcast/tin-...

trying to figure out how to describe a character's hair, and then I went for a walk and saw this and thought, yes, there it is.

thank you Megan Maloney-Vinz, @underreviewlit.bsky.social and @terryhorstman.bsky.social!

Issue 12 | Summer 2025 — The Under Review

been writing a few poems as of late, and grateful to have this one in the new issue of Under Review, a sports-themed lit journal that publishes twice a year. If you're interested in the intersection of sports & literature, this might be worth checking out: www.underreviewlit.com/issue-12-202...

new issue dropped today. Beautiful new work by Ryan Peed (f), Sharon Perkins Ackerman (p), and Chrissie Anderson Peters (cnf): cutleafjournal.com

someone recommended this book to me the other day, and now with your post I'm for sure going to check it out (I'll read your thoughts/review after I read the novel)

long time ago, I heard Bob Shacochis give a lecture in which he claimed that getting a dog was the first step to being a writer. Among other things, having a dog gives structure to one's day. What I should've asked him: will two dogs double the writerly output?

One of my favorite craft- or fiction-like things to talk about is POV. A convincing POV, like the ever-elusive writerly “voice,” can really carry a story. Anyhow, here’s a very brief and very incomplete lesson on POV w help from this clutch of yellow oysters.

adopted a lab mix from a shelter not far from where i live. Maybe the next one will be a basset hound (gotta keep the cottontails away from my apple trees)

I just love Ada Zhang's The Sorrows of Others -- such a beautiful book that I found while perusing the college library. Thanks for the recommending Sohail's book -- I'll definitely order it

@deepvellumbooks.bsky.social, A Strange Object

love to support the indie/univ presses as well @wvupress.bsky.social @madronabooks.bsky.social A Public Space, Wayne State Univ Press, @redhenpress.bsky.social @graywolfpress.bsky.social @milkweededitions.bsky.social Cornerstone Press, @splitlippress.com

tried to post this last month for short story month, but got caught up with end-of-semester stuff, new puppy, etc, but wanted to showcase some fave story collections over the past couple of years. Please feel free to drop a rec or two.

Bread and Butter - Cutleaf Journal They call me into HR: One of Costello’s proposals was tagged, a scenario for the training manual. Elise asks me to sit. She offers a slice of cucumber, which

A new story of mine, "Bread and Butter," is up at Cutleaf
today! Thanks to @keithlesmeister.bsky.social and everyone there for publishing my work!

Exclusive Cover Reveal of "Feller" by Denton Loving - Electric Literature The design features an octopus that creates a sense of imbalance and mirrors the emotional tension of the poems

my good pal Denton Loving's book was a featured cover reveal at @electricliterature.com!

electricliterature.com/exclusive-co...

that is GREAT news. Congrats to Casey!

If Shai wants to win a trophy -- he's got the team/talent to do it -- he needs to learn how to control the game with the kind of offensive intensity equivalent to what Caruso, Dort, and Williams bring on defense. If Shai can match their intensity, this will be a tough team to beat. #okc #nuggets

love it -- this is exactly what I'm looking for -- both yours and Levin's. Thanks, Aaron!

it's short story month, and I'm looking for recommendations of any recent short stories you've read and loved. Preferably online.

With the school year wrapping up, I'm looking to read and review short stories this month and into summer for read-short-stories.com -- thanks in advance!

Picked up this fantastic collection by @keithlesmeister.bsky.social at AWP. WE COULD’VE BEEN HAPPY HERE. His new collection comes out next year!

so truly honored by this appropriate pairing -- and thanks for sharing! Also, the donut look airy enough that, if broken apart, could sop up the spilled milk, maybe? In any case, thanks, Davin!