The Milk House

On Killing by Andrew Sharp – The Milk House Andrew Sharp approaches death on both the conceptual and practical level, trying to negotiate its necessity in modern life.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

Andrew Sharp (@asharpwriter.bsky.social) teases apart a delicate but universal issue, in his essay "On killing."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/on-killing-b...

Announcement!

We can now share which entries @jamesgwriter.bsky.social has selected as Best Essay and Best Short Story in the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest.

Visit themilkhouse.org to read or listen to both entries and lend your vote for the overall prize of $500!

A Good Visit Home by Dan Tamblyn – The Milk House A return to the past brings back some unresolved business, in Dan Tamblyn's short story "A Good Visit Home."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: a man returns to where he grew up with unsettled business on his mind.

Enjoy "A Good Visit Home" by @dantamblyn.bsky.social.

www.themilkhouse.org/a-good-visit...

His mostly bald head bobbled as he talked
and the halting words waited like the holes
to be threaded...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Baling Hay with Glen" by Joseph Powell.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/baling-hay-w...

Bug by John Whittier Treat – The Milk House An annual camping trip causes one brother to start thinking about what lies ahead of them, in "Bug" by John Whittier Treat.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

a hunting trip for brothers turns into a comment on mortality, in the short story "Bug" by John Whittier Treat.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/bug-by-john-...

Every so many years I stumble onto a poetry collection that makes me excited about the possibilities of language again.

#ThisMuchVery by @hiramlarew.bsky.social has surprising turns, a unique voice, and is a celebration without a hint of sentimentality.

Highly recommended.

Cover Reveal Alert!

The Milk House is delighted to unveil the cover of its latest project – the 2026 Best in Rural Writing Anthology.

Coming this winter!

2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest: Shortlist – The Milk House The 2025 Best in Rural Writing Shortlist includes five essays and five short stories by writers from around the world.

The shortlists for the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest is live!

Congrats to the 10 shortlisted authors selected by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social. He had tough choices to make!

And thanks to everyone who submitted. You deserve credit for lifting the rural voice.

www.themilkhouse.org/2025-best-in...

Announcement:

Tuesday, October 15th (tomorrow) the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest shortlist, as chosen by judge @jamesgwriter.bsky.social, will be announced on The Milk House website at 1pm GMT/ 8am EST.

Stop by for the results!

Your Fall Reading List for a Better Food Future Covering everything from soil to supper, these 26 inspiring books on food, farming, and climate are must-reads this fall.

It's great to see that #BarnGothic, my upcoming memoir about the dairy industry (November 13th), is listed in @foodtank.bsky.social's Fall Recommended Reads!

foodtank.com/news/2025/10...

Grieving Horses by Julie H. Fonte – The Milk House "The last thing I expected / turning into the gravel drive / were four red manes bowing / over a split rail fence..." Julia H. Fonte

Drawn to their sad songs
rolling across the yard like leaves,
I lingered in soft eyes, gazes
never wavering from his window...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Grieving Horses" by Julie H. Fonte.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/grieving-hor...

Reading more submissions this evening for the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest.
Found another few pieces that I just love! 🤩
@themilkhouse.bsky.social
#Judging #Fiction #NonFiction

Reading submissions.
First one I picked up was AWESOME!
#Reading

Dead Owl and Other Poems by J. R. Solonche – The Milk House Yet there it was, / transferred to my palm like one of those / crazy decalcomanias she adorns herself with..."Dead Owl and Other Poems"

"Yet there it was,
transferred to my palm like one of those
crazy decalcomanias she adorns herself with..."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Dead Owl and Other Poems" by J.R. Solonche.

Read them here: www.themilkhouse.org/dead-owl-and...

The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green – The Milk House "What he feels, he acts upon; / What determines truth describes consequence...." The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green.

What he feels, he acts upon;
What determines truth describes consequence....

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-sugars-o...

The 2025 #BestinRuralWriting Contest is now closed. Thanks for another incredible turnout of submissions.

Good luck to all who have entered! The shortlist announcement is expected for late October/early November.

Flystrike by Pearl Benjamin – The Milk House A young woman is forced into action on a farm. Enjoy "Flystrike" by Pearl Benjamin, shortlisted in the 2024 Best in Rural Writing contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: A young woman has some tough choices on a farm left in her care.

Read "Flystrike" by Pearl Benjamin, #shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

www.themilkhouse.org/flystrike-by...

Less than a week to go!

The deadline for the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest is Monday, September 15th (midnight GMT).

Get your entries in! Judge @jamesgwriter.bsky.social is looking forward to them!

themilkhouse.org/contest

Education by Sidney Lea – The Milk House "Old times, but not so old that as darkness slunk in / the man had to hold his metal lantern..." Education by Sydney Lea

"I’ve been here for decades among all sorts of hardwoods,
eight evergreen species, innumerable shrubs,
not on the Main. But in truth, I was born in the suburbs..."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: the poem "Education" by Sydney Lea.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/education-by...

Agata and the Mice by Peyton Ellas – The Milk House A woman looks for a new start in "Agata and the Mice" by Peyton Ellas, shortlisted in the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A character might have found an opening for a new life in "Agata and the Mice" by Peyton Ellas, shortlisted in the 2024 #BestinRuralWriting Contest.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/agata-and-th...

Rural Lit Book Club: This is Happiness by Niall Williams – The Milk House Some discussion questions to consider for the Rural Literature Book Club on This is Happiness by Niall Williams.

The #RuralLitBookClub is meeting online this Sunday, August 10th, 6pm GMT/1pm EST to discuss #ThisIsHappiness by Niall Williams.

Come along for a fun chat!

www.themilkhouse.org/rural-lit-bo...

The Escapee’s Lover by Dennis McFadden – The Milk House An old man gets another taste of life, as well as insight into someone else's, in Dennis McFadden's short story "The Escapee's Lover."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: An old man gets a chance at another adventure, in Dennis McFadden's short story "The Escapee's Lover."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-escapees...

Submissions Sought for 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest | Agriland It is always particularly exciting to see writing from farmers and those from rural environments...

A big thanks to @agriland.bsky.social for featuring a story on the 2025 #BestinRuralWriting contest, co-sponsored with @dailyyonder.bsky.social!

Agriland is a great news source for those in rural Ireland, and we're grateful they've given us coverage.

www.agriland.ie/farming-news...

Best in Rural Writing Contest Shows the Value of Rural Stories The 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest is accepting submissions until Sept. 15, 2025, offering an important platform for rural writers.

Thanks to @dailyyonder for sharing a piece on why the #BestinRuralWriting Contest matters and what's at stake when stories about rural life aren't told.

Get your entries in by September 15th for judge @jamesgwriter.bsky.social.

dailyyonder.com/best-in-rura...

Johnny’s Coming! by Gwylym Ford – The Milk House One never knows what will dig up the past, in Gwylym Ford's story "Johnny's Coming!," shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: An old eccentric in a small town holds secrets that no one guessed.

Enjoy "Johnny's Coming!" by Gwyl Weatherford.

www.themilkhouse.org/johnnys-comi...

Two months left to enter the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest!

In partnership with @dailyyonder.bsky.social and judged by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social, the #writingcontest is accepting fiction and nonfiction under 7,000 words.

Deadline: September 15th

To enter: themilkhouse.org/contest

The Seventh Whistler by Jonathan Humble – The Milk House "The landscape changed, the game unfurled, / a post-impressionistic dance..." read "The Seventh Whistler" by Jonathan Humble.

The landscape changed, the game unfurled,
a post-impressionistic dance,
as bird and hare and hound performed
in blurring April ambience...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "The Seventh Whistler" by @northernjim.bsky.social)

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-seventh-...

A Body In Motion by Elizabeth Rosen – The Milk House In the short story "A Body in Motion" by Elizabeth Rosen, a teenager has the hard choice of when to hang on and when to let go.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A teenage boy has to learn when to hold on and when to let go, in Elizabeth Rosen's #shortstory "A Body in Motion."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/a-body-in-mo...

The Milk House is excited to announce the 3rd annual #BestinRuralWriting Contest, judged by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social.

Fiction and nonfiction.

Deadline: Sept 15th, 2025.

Prize pool: $700.

Finalists published in the 2026 Best in Rural Writing print anthology.

To enter: themilkhouse.org/contest

Side of the Road by Simon A. Smith – The Milk House In Simon A. Smith's short story "Side of the Road," a stray dog helps a man find the answers he needs in his marriage.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: a chance encounter with an usual ally helps a man reconsider what's in front of him.

Read the short story "Side of the Road" by Simon A. Smith: www.themilkhouse.org/side-of-the-...