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issue twenty-two

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Cover image for The Good Life Review, featuring a vibrant orange sunset with silhouettes of flying cranes, and the text "thegoodlife review" alongside the issue information.
“Impressions of Waking Cranes” by Kim McNealy Sosin
Artwork
Announcement

Issue #22 ~ Winter 2026 ~ “Best Of” Edition

Release Date: January 8th, 2026

Featuring some of our best pieces from the past two years, plus bonus new work from Matt Mason, Jake Bienvenue, Frank Gaughan, and the Nebraska Writers Collective 2025 Kate Sommer Memorial Poetry Prize winner, Rebecca Oliver!

Poetry

Eight Beautiful Things by Matt Mason
d’Arc by Rebecca Oliver
True Apothecary by Ellie Gold Laabs
ephemera 31 by Chris Lisieski
How to Hear God While Making Thanksgiving Dinner  by Charlene Pierce
Mosaic by Muiz Ọpẹ́yẹmí Àjàyí
They Put the Graffiti On by Matthew James Babcock
what to make of autism by Tim Raymond
Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O LORD? by Yin Cheng
The Year I Carried You by Sara Shea
Autobiography of a Violin by Cassie Burkhardt

Short Fiction

Palimpsest by Jake Bienvenue
The Grieving Scar by Frank Gaughan
Tbilisi by Sara Maria Hasbun
Mall Goddess by Marilee Dahlman
When Mr. Boppo Joined the Cohort by Sharon Lee Snow 

Flash Fiction

Razia, Razia by Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar
The Next Empty Cup by Myna Chang
While Making Out the Lineup for Tomorrow’s 12U Softball Championship Game by Jim Parisi
The Summer He Left by Alison Ozawa Sanders

Micro Fiction

Return by Adesiyan Oluwapelumi
Drunk Husband Crashes Yard Sale by Alice Kinerk  
Closure by David Obuchowski  
A Haunted House at the End of the World by Autumn Bettinger
Once I Lived in Heaven by Mea Cohen

Short Creative NonFiction

The Laundry Hangs at Noon by Ginger Tolman
Rearview Mirror by Brad Snyder

Flash Creative NonFiction

My Mother, the Story-Weaver by Kiana Govoni
The Crush of Dusk by Michaela Evanow
I Am a Body Lying in the Grass by Allison Hughes
the doctor says i must milk her body by Camila Cal Mello 
I Conjure My Great-Grandmother In a Dream; She Gives Me a Lesson on Revision by Alayna Powell

Micro Creative NonFiction

Alary Things by Hilary Fair
Boyfriend Jeans by Heidi Bell
Detroit Salt by Linda Drach
i use google more than i care to admit by Jessica Hudson
Dungeons and Dragons is by Ryan Stiehl 

A young man wearing a T-shirt and a headband makes a 'shh' gesture, standing in a restaurant with a colorful menu in the background.
Cover of The Good Life Review Issue #22 featuring a winter theme and a collection of artwork and poetry highlights.
A woman smiling outdoors, wearing a straw hat and glasses, against a backdrop of traditional architecture.
Portrait of a smiling young man wearing a blue traditional outfit, standing outdoors in front of a building.
A portrait of a woman with glasses resting her chin on her hand, looking thoughtfully at the camera.
Portrait of a man wearing a plaid shirt, standing in front of a yellow light source.
A portrait of a person with short hair, wearing a black sleeveless top, resting their chin on their hand with a thoughtful expression, set against a black background.
A black and white portrait of a bald man standing by a river, with trees in the background.
A person wearing glasses and a pink beanie holds two cats, one tabby and one white, while looking at them. The person is wearing a t-shirt that reads, 'IT IS TOO LOUD.'
Black and white photograph of a woman smiling while holding a child on her back, both appearing joyful.
A smiling woman wearing a black cap poses in a car selfie with a fluffy dog beside her.
A professional portrait of a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a dark blazer and smiling at the camera against a dark background.
A woman smiling in a colorful patterned top, standing in a garden with green grass in the background.
A portrait of a woman with medium-length brown hair, wearing a white embroidered top and earrings, smiling outdoors.
A headshot of a woman with long, light hair, wearing a black top, smiling at the camera.
A portrait of a person with short dark hair and glasses, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.
A black and white portrait of a smiling woman with long hair, wearing a denim jacket, standing outdoors in front of foliage.
A portrait of a young man with short hair, wearing a black turtleneck sweater, standing against a backdrop of green leaves.
Cover image for The Good Life Review Issue #22, featuring a winter theme with artistic elements.
A woman with long hair sitting near a window, wearing a lace top and a skirt, gazing upwards with a serene expression.
Portrait of a young woman standing in a forest during winter, wearing a dark coat and a checked scarf, with trees and fallen leaves in the background.
A person wearing glasses and a white jacket poses in front of a backdrop with logos and awards.
A smiling man wearing glasses and a light-colored shirt, seated in front of a bookshelf filled with books and a globe.
A woman with long, wavy hair, wearing a colorful, patterned top, smiles while standing in a field of flowers.
A woman with red hair and braids stands outside, wearing a gray shirt, with trees and a house in the background.
Self-portrait of a young woman with curly hair, wearing a light sweater and standing against a textured wall.
A smiling person with curly hair and pink highlights sitting in a car.
A person with short hair, wearing earrings, stands in a well-lit setting with a soft smile.
Artwork and Photography:
A watercolor illustration of a bee in shades of orange and yellow against a black background.

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…

House Party by Dory Rousos Moore

When her new boyfriend’s black Grand Am swerves into our complex, she jumps up, her drink spilling over the edge. The way she falls in love is with a whoosh, like she’s being sucked into a vacuum, and the way I fall in love is by pretending not to…

Keep reading

TGLR Spotlight…

Author Q&A with Jake Bienvenue

Nothing I’ve published is even remotely like this. It’s mostly been straightforward realism. But I think with “Palimpsest” I got more comfortable with weirdness, with just saying shit I think is striking or funny, and not worrying about how it’s going to cohere. It’s a trust thing, I think…

Keep reading
by Shyla Shehan
Artwork featuring a creative design representing natural hues.

Exclusive interviews with our contributors…

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…

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 New Poets, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, and the Pen/DAU Short StoryAward.
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:

Summer Elegy II by Todd Robinson

Summer Elegy II | Todd Robinson Nebraska’s bare branchespaw at skies full of pointless blue, mercurial daymoon.Powerless like me or my disabled wifewobbling our broken palace in cashmere and bracken. She…

read more

Bend by Jim Peterson

Bend | Jim Peterson   I found you walking beside a horsewithout halter or lead.  It shadowed you,sometimes resting its enormous headon your shoulder.  I’d been alonefor a long time. …

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 New Poets, 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: Cover Art “Early Rising” by Amuri Morris

Artwork featuring a golden bee on a black circular background.
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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