ALT The cover of Monarch 2026. A photo of a person lying on their back in a field of tall grass with their left arm covering their face. Text reads Monarch 2026, a queer literary awards anthology published by fifth wheel press.

ALT Awardees. Michael Agunbiade, Maddox Emory Arnold, J. L. Bermúdez, C. Ray Borck, Finnian Burnett, Connor, a.d., Gion Davis, Erin Dorney, Dante Fuoco, Ranudi Gunawardena, Katy Haas, Annalisa Hansford, K.M. Hanslik, KT Herr, Jennessa Hester, Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey, Jules Kennedy, Ani King, Kyrico, Tara Labovich, Olivia Lehman, Jackson D. Moorman, Chi Pham, William Roberds-King, Cristina Sanchez, Steven Sanchez, January Santoso, Elena Sichrovsky, Mark Spero, Ashley Steineger, Liam Strong, Gordon Taylor, Holly Lyn Walrath, Cela Xié.

ALT Finalists. Hayden Berry, Alex Bortell, Isabella Boyd, Jordan Byrum, J. J. Carey, James Diaz, Emily Franklin, Isaiah Gardner, Michael Getty, Finnley Greet, Kimberly Hall, Calvin Jones, E.G.N. Lafleur, Angel Leal, Parker Logan, Abby E. Murray, Karol Olesiak, Bleah Patterson, Rowan Procter, Eli V. Rahm, Luke Rudman, Mk Smith Despres, Meghan Sterling, Liam Strong, Wendy Vardaman, Alicia Wright, Steven C Wright.

ALT dogleech books all titles now available to order internationally via LULU print on demand link to each book on our website! dogleechbooks.carrd.co

ALT it's lit: a literary magazine submissions workshop led by nat raum. $10-30 sliding scale. oct 29 @ 7PM EST. register at natraum.com/workshops.

ALT about the workshop: This is an informative workshop designed to break down the process of submitting to literary magazines. Hear expertise from the instructor and their network, learn about new magazines, and gain insight into the editorial process. This workshop is genreless—writers and artists working in any genre or medium are invited to join.

ALT about your instructor: nat raum’s writing and artwork has been published by beestung, Poet Lore, Split Lip Magazine, and more. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing with a focus in Poetry, and have served as an adjunct faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art and The University of Baltimore. They’re the author of 22 books of poetry, all of which were proudly published independently.

ALT Can't make it? You can donate a smaller amount for just the slide deck. Select “i’m just here for the prompts” on the registration form. register at natraum.com/workshops

ALT title card post overlayed on a background of a person sitting as someone else gouges out their eyes. the title is Mutually Assured Destruction by tommy wyatt blake. it is published by Ethel Zine in 2025.

ALT “The short, incisive, and often surreal poems of this text crackle with blake's characteristic subjectivity. Animated by the joy of synaesthesia and possible/alternate realities, MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION is a delight to read, and will have everyone from the poetry-curious to seasoned readers furiously annotating every page and dreaming of blake's otherworldly visions.” —mk zariel, trans poet and anarchist

ALT quote from the poem "#8: PORTALPERSON": "compressed time as haunting as conveyer belt stuck in itself as motionless as voidgender as in spiraling, mechanical breathing as prolonged exposure to dreams as prophetic mirror, not a sword" first published by Fevers of the Mind

ALT ASSUME, ASSUME (ASS-ÚM-AY) / on how to take meds in the psych ward MORTAL LIGHT HIGHSKY DIALECT DICED & SHARP SLANGED TO A JOKE: "GOODNIGHT!" STARE IN MORNING EXERTION AND LAUGH LIKE YOU MEAN IT. THE MOON GIFTED WITH ALL-TIME BRIGHTNESS SEES WITH ITS MANY EYES, CRATERBENT. ITS DREAMS MASTICATE IN YOUR MOUTH. YOU MUST SWALLOW.