academyoftheheartandmind Fiction, Poetry

Helix Moon

By Priscilla Duran-Luciano It bleedsthick red dropletshiding in the foldsof my ear.It hurts.I don’t knowwhat hurts —my ear,my helix,my cartilage moon,my heart.my heart…who knows.I carry them,the bleeding moon,my sore heart.They meltinto onesingle helix,and the moonkeeps turning in my ear,its tides pullingthe last crimson tears out of meinto the dark. Priscilla Duran-Luciano is a Dominican-born poet … Continue reading Helix Moon

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements

2026 General and Special Contest Submission Guidelines

Hey all! Before we begin detailing the exact details for our 2026 submission guidelines, here are some updates to those who submitted in 2025: We have decided that those who submitted to our 2025 Contests Pool and did not win may submit these submissions to our 2026 General Pool for consideration We will be holing … Continue reading 2026 General and Special Contest Submission Guidelines

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

November “The Thursdays” Contest: Gold Winner: “We Gather Together” by Clarence Heller

Only now, as what I treasure about Thanksgivingis no longer possible,only now do I realize that the important aspect of celebratingthis holiday has always been changing,year after year, decade after decade.As a child, it was to have playtime with my cousins.Then as a teenager in love, it was to spend time with mysweetheart and her … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Gold Winner: “We Gather Together” by Clarence Heller

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, non-fiction

November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse

Dontcha just hate when Thanksgiving is latebecause Friday the First means the calendar’s cursedbut you’re so hurly-burly you start a week earlythen sit at the table and wait, wait, wait, wait! Ken Gosse usually writes short, rhymed verse using whimsy and humor with traditional meters. First published in First Literary Review–East in November 2016, his … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Silver Winner: “The Long November” by Ken Gosse

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Essays, non-fiction

November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish

The camp fire dies down, and so does the conversation. The darkness blacks out the imperfections of the dusty Californian chaparral. Under the Big Tree, four slumped silhouettes sit, dissolving the week’s worries with cold brews. “Woof, woof, woof!” cry chops the stillness, urgency increasing with every bark.  “Where’s that dog’s owner?” Maura’s logic becomes … Continue reading November “The Thursdays” Contest: Bronze Winner: “Pets” by Oleg Daugovish

academyoftheheartandmind Fiction, Poetry

Five Fall Colors Haiku

By Jim Bates Sumac leaves changingShades of orange and burgundyColors of pure joy.Gunmetal grey skyBlazing red maples stand proudFall’s splendorous show.Autumn wind blowingGolden leaves racing madlyTrees becoming bare.Along the lakeshoreTrees fiery orange and redAutumnal delight.Man with cameraBlue aster and honeybeeCaptured for all time. Jim lives in a small-town twenty miles west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His … Continue reading Five Fall Colors Haiku