WELL READ Magazine's Best of 2023 Volume Two

In January of 2023, WELL READ Magazine began accepting submissions for prose, poetry, and visual art. I received a wonderful mix of fiction, flash fiction, non-fiction, and poetry along with some amazing artwork. Some of the pieces will make you laugh and some will pull at your heartstrings—there are a few pieces that might make you cry or get your blood boiling. There are no prompts or themes for the submissions so I never know what I’m getting into until I dive in. Every single one is a surprise and a treasure.

I was honored to publish them in WELL READ and share them with our readers online, as well as with some great book-loving, reader-filled sites on social media. But I wanted to do more. By creating these anthologies, readers can hold the collections in their hands, make notes in the margins, smell the pages, and underline their favorite lines. I decided to split the submissions into two anthologies, Volume One—January through June—and Volume Two—July through December—for two different reasons. The first reason is because I wanted the book to be the perfect size for readers to carry with them to appointments, restaurants, and while traveling—wherever a good book comes in handy when readers need some company. The second reason is that it gave me a chance to feature two authors’ work that was published in 2023 on the covers.

In WELL READ Magazine’s Best of 2023 Volume Two, you’ll find forty-three submissions written by a fantastic mix of award-winning authors and poets plus new ones to the scene. Three submissions in this volume were nominated for a Pushcart Prize: A Bleeding Heart by Ann Hite, A Few Hours in the Life of a Five-Year-Old Pool Player by Francine Rodriguez, and There Were Red Flags by Mike Turner. The cover art for Volume Two is by artist, DeWitt Lobrano, who had several pieces published in November’s issue. Enjoy!

Contributors: Ann Hite, Malcolm Glass, Dawn Major, John M. Williams, Mandy Haynes, Francine Rodriguez, Mike Turner, Mickey Dubrow, William Walsh, Robb Grindstaff, Deborah Zenha Adams, Mark Braught, B. A. Brittingham, Ramey Channell, Eileen Coe, Marion Cohen, Lorraine Cregar, John Grey, J. B. Hogan, Yana Kane, Philip Kobylarz, Diane Lefer, Will Maguire, David Malone, Ashley Tunnell, Tania Nyman, Jacob Parker, LaVern Spencer McCarthy, K. G. Munro, Angela Patera, Micheal Spake, George Pallas, Marisa Keller, Ken Gosse, and Orlando DeVito