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issue twenty-three

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A close-up of white flowers blooming on branches, with a blurred building in the background, featuring the text 'the good life review' and details about the publication.
Untitled by Siying (Rella) Wang
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Issue #23 ~ Spring 2026

Release Date: April 10, 2026

Poetry

Forget the Moon by Svetlana Litvinchuk
A Treachery of Trees by I Echo
Ode to the Guest Star by Kenton K. Yee
Bath & Aria by JC Talamantez
barnacle of hope by Steve Minnich

Short Creative Nonfiction

A Baby Named Freedom by Annie Rachele Lanzillotto
A North American in the Darién by Dylan Streb
Outgoing Tides by Olivia London

Flash Creative Nonfiction

Speaking in Tongues by Ayoung Kim
Blessings, Mormons, and Olive Oil by Ginger Tolman

Flash Fiction

As If Nothing Is Burning by Wasima Khan
First Ice by Mary Ellen Gabriel
Girls Like Me by Christy Hartman
The Evening Train by Christopher R.A. Adams

Short Fiction

Crooked by R.K.B.
Until It Ends by Shayna Brown

Spoken

The American Experiment by Angela Meredith

Artwork and Photography by:

Siying (Rella) Wang, Cynthia Yatchman, David Capps, Antonio Garcia III, Tendai Rinos Mwanaka, and Ayush Pradhan

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Micro Monday

Features brief fiction, cnf, and poetry. It’s like a shot of literary adrenaline to jump start your week.

Image credit: Michael Yuan

This week’s feature…

TGLR Spotlight…

Author Q&A with Matt Mason

I hope what they take is just a minute in someone else’s perspective. That’s what poetry is about for me and that’s why I really believe if there was more poetry in our daily lives we’d have a more connecting us to one another. I read poetry not just for enjoyment but to also get to take a few steps in another’s shoes and see a world that’s different from the one my own experiences bring me. 

Keep reading
by Shyla Shehan
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For all the news, interviews, book reviews, and Micro Monday features visit The Buzz
Welcome sign for Nebraska, featuring the phrase 'the good life' and a depiction of a mountain, with 'Home of Arbor Day' below.
TGLR News & Announcements…

February 2026: Fashionably Late but Coming In Red Hot
December 2025: Pajama Pants Are the New Black
November 2025: Wedged Together We Are Tumbling Toward The End
October 2025: Golden Hours and Hot Whisky Sours
Oct. 17, 2025: Introducing Issue #21 ~ Autumn 2025!
September 2025: As Summer Slips Into Autumn
2025 Honeybee Prize Results and Issue #20 ~ Summer 2025 Release
May 2025 (Inaugural Substack): Today Is A Good Day To Start
April 9, 2025: Introducing Issue #19 ~ Spring 2025
Jan. 29, 2025: Issue #18 ~ Winter 2025 “Best Of” Edition

More news and announcements here!
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TGLR nominates for Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, and the Pen/DAU Short Story Award.
This year’s prize noms plus lists of past nominations are available here!
Bonus Plan: A delicious history of HoneyBee Prize winners is available here!

from the archives:

Tbilisi by Sara Maria Hasbun

Tbilisi | Sara Maria Hasbun The morning I arrived back in Tbilisi, I messaged my old trainer, who met me just inside the door to Urban Garden. He rested his…

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Palimpsest by Jake Bienvenue

Palimpsest | Jake Bienvenue Palimpsest: A Horror Idyll If you write over something enough, it turns black. Example: Condense this paragraph into one line. When you reach the margin, instead…

read more
For more good stuff from all our issues
visit the archive

Submissions:

We are currently open for all genres.We nominate for Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best Small Fictions, and more! Plus…We are a paying market! $60 per piece published in a seasonal issue, $25 per piece published in Micro Monday, and $25 for cover art.

The Good Life Review is seeking previously uncurated work by writers from all walks of life. Please read submission guidelines and when you’re ready, head over to Submittable to submit your work.

IMAGE: “Impressions of Waking Cranes” by Kim McNealy Sosin

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The Good Life Review is a 501C3 nonprofit literary journal made with ♥ from Omaha, Nebraska. We are committed to exploring the overlooked and are taking active steps toward a more diverse and equitable publishing platform.
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