Varsha Venkatesh

What Stays Behind | MattKendrick.co.uk

SECOND PLACE in the Welkin Writing Prize 2026, "What Stays Behind" by Muntasir Salman. A powerhouse of a micro with so much buried inside its one hundred words:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

Brain already mush, but me give it a try, I think.

I can never run a comp because this was freaking impossible. I flipped a coin for a couple I’m not gonna lie 😆

“Because ojha exorcise, poke her with hot needle, but Gopa-Devi quiet, no cry. Because no one should look at her.”

I love the use of language here and the way it conveys a sense of place and pathos.

I’ve always wanted to write a forwards-backwards story like this but never quite managed it. This one does it so well.

“Eventually, the modifier slipped into parentheses—Tom (cat) stopped eating regularly, Tom (man) started scratching himself, Tom (cat) spent too long in the bathroom—before it was dropped altogether”

This story by @emilyrinkema.bsky.social is so clever!

“Running too fast & standing too close. Friendly masks & white candy vans”
This piece by @onmytangent.bsky.social is so inventive.

That Day | MattKendrick.co.uk

Today's shortlisted story is "That Day" by Shofiqure Rahman. A powerful exploration of refugee life:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

weak beans | MattKendrick.co.uk

Today's shortlisted story is "weak beans" by
Barnaby Wick. A piece which effectively covers so much narrative in such such an original tone of voice:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

Me already feeling a bit blue… and picked the wrong time to read this 😭 Anyway, this is a very poignant tale by Jo Withers. You might cry, be warned.

My book review of “Mother Karma” by Sumitra Singam
@pleomorphic2.bsky.social
is up @thehooghlyreview.bsky.social
Published by @publishedbyjake.bsky.social

thehooghlyreview.com/category/asa...

John | MattKendrick.co.uk

Today's shortlisted story is "John" by
Petra Marteleur. A wonderful slice of weird and whimsical:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

“how I tried to shed my innermost parts, coiled heavy and shameful”

Vivid and powerful writing by @cake-girl.bsky.social in this amazing piece

“Real drifted toward curious, and curious pressed its forehead to the window…” oh, I couldn’t predict where this was going at all. What a fantastic story.

On the longest night of the darkest year | MattKendrick.co.uk

Today's shortlisted story is "On the longest night of the darkest year" by @melissafitz.bsky.social. Such an atmospheric piece:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

Things My Brother Explains With Absolute Authority | MattKendrick.co.uk

Today's shortlisted story is "Things My Brother Explains With Absolute Authority" by J.M.C. Kane. Such a deep and philosophical piece.

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...

Late to this fantastic story by @tacilim.bsky.social. Probably for the best cuz I’m a little upset about the fate of Sugar ball 😔

I confess I had to look up if there was a third Hemsworth brother (sorry, Luke), but commiserations to the good man. This is a great story that made me smile. Now why can’t I hallucinate a semi-hot celeb to fix my existential crises?

Congratulations!

Eeek! I’ve got a drabble up on Rat Bag Lit. This story started out as CNF in the @offtopicpublishing.bsky.social Writers conference and evolved from there.

Please join us in congratulating our Best Small Fictions 2026 nominees: @saipradhan.bsky.social, @francinewitte.bsky.social, @laurabesley.bsky.social @writesofkathryn.bsky.social and @happilander.bsky.social 😍

Read their stories here: literarynamjooning.wixsite.com/litnam/proje...

#namjooning

Welkin News | MattKendrick.co.uk A writing prize open to all forms of narrative prose, be that flash fiction, short-short, vignette, haibun, hermit crab, prose poem or work that sits outside such labels.

DRUM ROLL!!!! 🥁🥁🥁

It gives me great pleasure to announce the SPARKLING longlist for the Welkin Writing Prize 2026.

Congratulations to all the writers on this list. And commiserations to everyone else. The standard was incredibly high:

www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-prize...

Congratulations! And you’ve always got bidnis being anywhere you want… I did the same as you (not my fault — gastroenteritis) and got close, I think. There is something to be said for last minute entries… 🤔

Congratulations, Jenny!

Congratulations!

Blue flyer announcing Emily Rinkema as the new Assistant Editor. Author headshot and bio included.

🚨BIG NEWS!!!!🚨

We are so beyond excited and honored to announce that the wonderful and talented @emilyrinkema.bsky.social is joining the Flash Frog family! 🐸💙

Starting the year from the bottom of the slope I like to think I’m quite a positive person, and the start of the year, for me, usually feels like it amplifies that sense of positivity through its inherent newness, the multiple possibilities lying ...

I've been in a funk recently, really worried about the weeks / months ahead; so today, I sent out a newsletter that felt quite vulnerable, & the way the writing community have jumped to my support has as always far exceeded anything I deserve ❤️❤️❤️

prattlefogandgravelrap.substack.com/p/starting-t...

Prattlefog & Gravelrap | Matt Kendrick | Substack A monthly article series about the elements of short fiction: ideas for rocket-boosting your writing craft, reading recommendations, and other writing-related ramblings. Click to read Prattlefog & Gra...

Friends, if you have the means to, please do support @mattkendrick.bsky.social by using his (amazing) editing, mentoring or teaching skills or by tipping his kofi. He’s a gem, and he needs our support at the moment prattlefogandgravelrap.substack.com?utm_campaign...

Me too. I love when I stumble ass-backwards into something and it turns out well.

Accidentally “Pollocked” a painting trying to revive my dried up Posca markers 🤣