Off Topic Publishing

“Semblance” by Jennifer Kapler Emotions usually rose inside her quickly and dissipated just as fast, like little sparks that ascend from a crackling fire and disappear into the night sky.

"She wondered how long she could keep this up. Emotions usually rose inside her quickly and dissipated just as fast, like little sparks that ascend from a crackling fire and disappear into the night sky."

=> Read "Semblance" by Jennifer Kapler - February Fiction Contest Honourable Mention

“Caught in the Action” by Andrew Shaughnessy He likes awful things, but he doesn’t like to get caught. He gets things done.

"He likes awful things, but he doesn’t like to get caught. He gets things done."

=>Read "Caught in the Action" by Andrew Shaughnessy - February's Contest Winner!

Honourable Mentions:
"All Eyes Looked Up" - Ruth Rosenhek
"Semblance" - Jennifer Kapler
"Where There is Only Love" - Jacqueline R Lamb

“We All Have Beautiful Veins” by Marilyn Close Like the sleek blue curves of a Van Gogh painting; my limbs the canvas.

"Like the sleek blue curves of a Van Gogh painting; my limbs the canvas."

=> Read "We All Have Beautiful Veins" by Marilyn Close - January CNF Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Creativenonfiction #MentalHealth

“Woman’s Best Friend” – by Heather Maat It turned out that simplifying my life was not what mattered most, especially in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.

"It turned out that simplifying my life was not what mattered most, especially in the middle of a worldwide pandemic."

=> Read "Woman's Best Friend" by Heather Maat - January CNF Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Dogs #Family

“How to Teach a Soul” – by Pam Maddin-Baker I was given a list of names of eight teenagers and the courses each student needed to pass. My goal was simple: get them the high school credit.

"My goal was simple: get them the high school credit."

Read "How to Teach a Soul" by Pam Maddin-Baker - Winner of January's Off Topic CNF Contest!

Honourable Mentions:

-Best Behaviour by Joan E. Peters
-We All Have Beautiful Veins by Marilyn Close
-Woman's Best Friend by Heather Leigh Maat

“A Girl, A Dream Named Etheree (Ode to a Warsaw Statue)” – by M. Benjamin Thorne high above our blind, all-too-busy minds.

"high above our blind, all-too-busy minds."

=> Read "A Girl, A Dream Named Etheree (Ode to a Warsaw Statue)" by M. Benjamin Thorne - November Poetry Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #Poetry #Art #Travel

“Then Don’t Wake Me” – by N. E. Rule I hate stories that end with— / It was all a dream.

"I hate stories that end with—
It was all a dream."

=> Read "Then Don't Wake Me" by N.E. Rule - November Poetry Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Poetry #Dreams

“I Wish It Were” – by Alison McBain You are not on my list—you never were—

"You are not on my list—you never were—"

=>Read "I Wish It Were" by Alison McBain - November Poetry Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Poetry #Relationships

Redshirts Sometimes Survive, by Finnian Burnett – PREORDER A neglected boy clings to an action figure like a lifeline. A trans man meets his childhood hero. An introvert finally finds her voice at a protest. In Redshirts Sometimes Survive, the outcasts, the rebels, the bullied, and the weird find themselves, one other, and a place to call home. Spanning moments of humour, grief, joy, and resistance, these interconnected flash stories are populated by queer fans, lonely children, awkward convention-goers, and disillusioned adults who seek out their favourite starships and captains for solace and strength. By turns moving, thoughtful, and wry, Redshirts Sometimes Survives offers connection and comfort for fans of Star Trek, and for the rest of us. Being a redshirt doesn't mean you're doomed. Sometimes, it means you survive. "I simply adore this book! It’s a celebration both of Star Trek and of love in all its many forms. This bouquet of heartfelt flash fictions captures, better than any other work I’ve ever read, why Star Trek has endured as a cultural force for sixty years now: it’s all about how, in this wide, wonderful universe of ours, there’s a place for everybody. Written with empathy and wit, Redshirts Sometimes Survive moved me to both tears and laughter. Finnian Burnett is a national treasure." —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Downloaded Release Date: April 10, 2026 ISBN: 978-1-0698344-0-9

Redshirts Sometimes Survive, by Finnian Burnett – PREORDER

A neglected boy clings to an action figure like a lifeline. A trans man meets his childhood hero. An introvert finally finds her voice at a protest. In Redshirts Sometimes Survive, the outcasts, the rebels, the bullied, and the weird find…

“Gathering Time” – by Judith Lapadat Time is a tricky boomerang / trace an arc to the future and back

"Time is a tricky boomerang
trace an arc to the future and back"

=> Read "Gathering Time" by Judith Lapadat - Winner of November's Off Topic Contest!

Honourable Mentions:
"Then Don't Wake Me" by N.E. Rule
"I Wish It Were" by Alison McBain
"A Girl, A Dream Named Etheree" by M. Benjamin Thorne

A young hooligan notices that everytime he fights someplace, the place then turns into a bright white box. White Box is a surreal short story I wrote and placed within @offtopicpublishing.bsky.social's Home edited by @marionlougheed.bsky.social
offtopicpublishing.com/product/home...

“Superhero” – by N.E. Rule Tiffany exits her trailer to take in the moonlight glimmering off the lake. Her eyes stop on the shoreline. There’s something in the water.

"Tiffany exits her trailer to take in the moonlight glimmering off the lake. Her eyes stop on the shoreline. There’s something in the water."

-> Read "Superhero" by N.E. Rule - October Fiction Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #siencefiction #nature

“The Mountain.” – by Donnalyn Ferguson The first death wasn’t suspicious.

"The first death wasn't suspicious."

=>Read "The Mountain." by Donnalynn Ferguson - October Fiction Contest Honourable Mention

“Folie A Deux – by Jennifer Kapler Margot was tired. Her dreams had been keeping her awake for weeks. It was fascinating what her brain could conjure up while she slept.

"Margot was tired. Her dreams had been keeping her awake for weeks. It was fascinating what her brain could conjure up while she slept."

=> Read "Folie A Deux" by Jennifer Kapler - October Fiction Contest Honourable Mention.

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Fiction #Supernatural #Dreams

“The Crossing” – by Cecilia Maddison Laila averted her eyes from the baby’s face and made no attempt to adjust her loose embrace.

"Laila averted her eyes from the baby’s face and made no attempt to adjust her loose embrace."

=> Read "The Crossing" by Cecilia Maddison - Winner of October's Off Topic Contest.

Honourable Mentions:
"Folie a Deux" by Jennifer Kapler
"Superhero" by N. E. Rule
"The Mountain." by Donnalyn Rainey

“Code” – by Kalinda Michele Link As soon as she emphasized that last word, I was scared. Now implied urgency. Now meant danger. Now meant there was something really wrong.

"As soon as she emphasized that last word, I was scared. Now implied urgency. Now meant danger. Now meant there was something really wrong."

=> Read "Code" by Kalinda Michele Link - September CNF Contest Honourable Mention

“We’ll be Fine” – by Heather Maat Panic filled my chest.  Don’t let it be bad, don’t let it be bad, I said to myself as I closed in on the patio. 

"Panic filled my chest. Don't let it be bad, don't let it be bad, I said to myself as I closed in on the patio."

=>Read "We'll be Fine" by Heather Maat - September CNF Honourable Mention.

“Kissed by a Fish” – by Shirley Hay Of all the things I fear, making a spectacle of myself ranks very high on that list.

"Of all the things I fear, making a spectacle of myself ranks very high on that list."

=>Read " Kissed by a Fish" by Shirley Hay - September CNF Contest Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Travel #creativenonfiction

“How to Make a Legacy.” – by Andrew Shaughnessy We tried to make baguettes on the flour-dusted kitchen counter

"We tried to make baguettes on the flour-dusted kitchen counter"

=> Read "How to Make a Legacy" by Andrew Shaughnessy - August Poetry Contest Honourable Mention!

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Poetry

2026 Writing Retreat Leipzig, Germany – March 15-21 – includes a visit to the Leipzig Book Fair! Maybe you’ve been writing for years. Maybe you’ve never had the courage or the opportunity to set…

Can't get enough writing time?

Come to our retreat! We'll visit Germany's 2nd biggest book fair. Write by the lake + in one of Europe's oldest coffee houses! ✍️😀

offtopicpublishing.com/retreat

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritingRetreat #Leipzig #Europe #History #Germany #Coffee #WritingTime

2026 Writing Retreat Leipzig, Germany – March 15-21 – includes a visit to the Leipzig Book Fair! Maybe you’ve been writing for years. Maybe you’ve never had the courage or the opportunity to set…

Very excited to see you at the Off Topic Writing Retreat in March!

www.offtopicpublishing.com/retreat

I DID A THING! I bought plane tickets to Germany. I’ve never been - I’m going by myself but I’ll end up in Leipzig for a writing retreat. Thank you @offtopicpublishing.bsky.social for hosting something so cool.

“How to Make a Body Stay” – by Kath Healing Take the kettle off before it screams.

"With your finger, draw a circle - let it fail.
Call that failure a door."

=>Read "How to Make a Body Stay" by Kath Healing - August Poetry Contest Honourable Mention.

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Poetry

Calendar 2026 – featuring “CAPtions” Art by Sarah Balsley For a limited time, order our 2026 calendar, featuring original artwork by Sarah Balsley. We are doing a single print run. Once it's sold out, it's sold out for good! From the artist: "Fungi is alien and odd, yet our very breath depends on its quiet action. This collection is a cheeky way to connect the activities humans engage in, to their Fungi allies."

Calendar 2026 – featuring “CAPtions” Art by Sarah Balsley

For a limited time, order our 2026 calendar, featuring original artwork by Sarah Balsley. We are doing a single print run. Once it's sold out, it's sold out for good! From the artist: "Fungi is alien and odd, yet our very breath depends on…

"the weathered wanderer extols the waves breaking..."

Read "EMPTY CANVAS" by Mark Hoffe - winner of August's Off Topic Poetry Contest.

Honourable Mentions:
- "How to Make a Body Stay" by Kath Healing
- "How to Make a Legacy"…

https://offtopicpublishing.com/2025/08/31/empty-canvas-by-mark-hoffe/

“And on the Seventh Day He Rested” – by Lisa Pollock Personally, I thought He was pushing it, trying too hard with the “Creator of all things” bit. It was a bit much—over the top, I might say.

"Personally, I thought He was pushing it, trying too hard with the “Creator of all things” bit. It was a bit much—over the top, I might say."

=> Read "On the Seventh Day He Rested" by Lisa Pollock - July Fiction Contest Honourable Mention.

“Once You Open It, You’ll Change” – by Lisa Zeltzer My fingers pinch the crisp envelope corners until it stings, and I drop the emotional trigger like I’ve accidentally caught a wasp.

"My fingers pinch the crisp envelope corners until it stings, and I drop the emotional trigger like I’ve accidentally caught a wasp."

=> Read "Once You Open It, You'll Change" by Lisa Zeltzer - July Fiction Contest Honourable Mention

“The Envelope” – by Laurel Howe It shouldn’t have, but that’s what that little envelope did. It drew her in. It drew her out. Out of her own life and into a world of what ifs.

"It shouldn’t have, but that’s what that little envelope did. It drew her in. It drew her out. Out of her own life and into a world of what ifs."

=> Read " The Envelope" by Laurel Howe - July Off Topic Fiction Contest Honourable Mention

“Out in the Open” – by Alison McBain “It was a lovely funeral,” Brit told the husband. Her eyes avoided the drink in the man’s hand—his third or fourth since they’d come back to the house.

“It was a lovely funeral,” Brit told the husband. Her eyes avoided the drink in the man’s hand—his third or fourth since they’d come back to the house.

-> Read "Out in the Open" by Alison McBain - August Fiction Honourable Mention

#OffTopicContest #CanLit #Fiction #ShortStory

Add-On! Writing Retreat 2nd Guest in Same Room Join our writing treat in Leipzig, Germany, March 15-21, 2026. This ticket is for a second person in a room you've booked here. The total cost for two people sharing a room is $2100 CAD. Details here: If you would like to pay via a payment plan or Interac etransfer, please contact Marion Lougheed via this form.

Add-On! Writing Retreat 2nd Guest in Same Room

Join our writing treat in Leipzig, Germany, March 15-21, 2026. This ticket is for a second person in a room you've booked here. The total cost for two people sharing a room is $2100 CAD. Details here: If you would like to pay via a payment plan or…