Welcome, one and all, to the August 2026 issue of Defenestration! School’s starting up again, the temperatures are still in the 80s or higher, and the only safe foods to eat in the United States are pretzels and candy corn. Things might seem grim, but at least funny things are still funny, and it’s not yet illegal to laugh. So let’s enjoy the next few months together, shall we?
This month we have six short stories and four poems to share with you all, filled with gladiators and lawyers and possessed drinkware and, just to lighten things up a bit, some very expert dancing from an unexpected source. Honestly, the titles of this month’s pieces are so evocative that I don’t want to spoil anything. Just start reading and don’t stop until your eyes start to feel funny.
This is the part where I’d normally tell you about how we’re open to submissions, but you know what? We’re taking a little break. Eileen suggested an inbox vacation, and since I never argue with Eileen, I agreed. So we’re taking a monthlong break away from the inbox and won’t begin our next reading period until September 20th. We’ll still look at any nonfiction, fake nonfiction, and visuals you want to send us, but our eyes need a rest from all the traditional fiction and poetry. Keep an eye on our submissions page and on our official social media presence at Bluesky; once the inbox is open again to short stories and poetry, you’ll first hear about it in those two spots!
Honestly, if this works we may end up adjusting our reading periods for good. We’ve been getting a lot more submissions lately, and this could help manage the mental load. But we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, start writing something amazing. We’d love to see it in September!
Short Stories:
Kathleen Bryson, “Fangirls of the Ancient World”
Robert Garnham, “Henry VIII is Dancing”
Janessa Muletpati, “Prophecy from a Wellspring of Anxiety, Recited by Coffee Mug”
M.D. Rose, “The Trench Coat”
Neil Weiner, “The Greatest Narcissist Who Ever Was”
J. Scott Boyd, “You Went to Canada for Garth”
Poetry:
Axe Cornwell, “The Tallest, Drunkest Pope”
Andrew Urquhart, “Doorbell Blues”
Mark Day, “Pizza delivery”
K.R. Rose, “Wisdom courtesy of our mother”
Downloadable Copy:
Defenestration, August 2026