Mslexia

17/06/2026

We're thrilled to have bestselling author Lucy Rose in the Salon for her workshop, Writing Weird Girl Fiction on 29 June, 5:30-7pm via Zoom.

Come explore what weird girl fiction is, why it's having a moment, if it will endure and how to write it. Filled with practical tips on engaging with your inner strangeness and mapping out your weird girl fiction story, as well as discussion on why this space in fiction has so much magnetism, this workshop is perfect for people who love subversive fiction and unsavoury women.

Visit the Salon to register https://mslexia.co.uk/salon/

15/06/2026

'In a world where we seemingly have all the answers at our fingertips, people still search for the strange, uncanny, and unexplainable to find meaning – not only in their lives, but also in their fiction.'

In her column, Faces in the Floorboards, bestselling author, Lucy Rose explores how to find the surreal in the everyday and how to apply it to your writing.

https://mslexia.co.uk/magazine/latest-issue/

11/06/2026

10/06/2026

'We need to stay true to our own definition of success, whatever that is. Then whether our writing is published or not, performed or not, read by 30,000 strangers or just 30 friends whose opinion we value – we'll still have produced something we can be proud of.'

Debbie T advocates for passion projects in her latest Elevenses newsletter and talks to award winning novelist and poet Sophie Hannah about her murder mystery musicals ✍️

Want a burst of writerly wisdom, treats, and literary news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter 💌

https://mslexia.co.uk/contact/newsletter/

08/06/2026

Today is the final day to send us your submissions for our 'gold' themed Showcase ⏰

Send stories of up to 2,200 words and poems up to 40 lines. You may send up to four poems and/or up to two stories on any one theme. We pay for every piece we publish

Deadline: 11:59pm, 8 June 2026

For all the details or to submit: https://mslexia.co.uk/submit-your-work/

04/06/2026

'The commercial mainstream increasingly follows where the independents lead. That the sector which generates this literary distinctiveness is simultaneously operating on negative margins is a systemic failure.'

Maxine Davies takes a deep dive into the state of the UK's independent publishing sector in her Issue 110 Agenda.

With a perfect storm of rising costs, funding cuts and structural disadvantages, she asks what it will take to save this vital sector.

https://mslexia.co.uk/magazine/latest-issue/

03/06/2026

I am super excited to share that my Substack essay “Why P.L.Travers Resisted Walt Disney’s Vision of Mary Poppins” is featured in Issue 110 of Mslexia. Many thanks to Mslexia for including it!

02/06/2026

We're delighted to announce that Joanna Lowry has won the Mslexia Women's Poetry Pamphlet Competition 2025 for her debut pamphlet The Man Whose Brain Turned to Glass. The winning pamphlet will be co-published by Bloodaxe Books & Mslexia in September.

'In poem after poem, Lowry works her images and references with great confidence and clarity: sometimes quietly mysterious, sometimes sparkling; varied but deeply connected.' – Imtiaz Dharker, Judge for the 2025 Competition

An interview with Joanna Lowry and a poem from the pamphlet feature in the June-August issue of Mslexia. For a link to the article online, see:
https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?articleid=1621

01/06/2026

Congratulations to our 2025 Novel Competition winner, Louise Watts for her novel The Little Book! 🥳

What did the judges have to say about the winning novel?

‘a propulsive page-turning read – the prose style is spare and lyrical and the perspective feels fresh and exciting’ Bernardine Evaristo, Novelist

‘an intense and effecting novel written with a real emotional weight and an undeniable flair for character and voice’ Olivia Maidment, Agent

‘a confident coming-of-age tale – I love how the various texts are woven into the narrative’ Lucy Popescu, Critic

You can read an excerpt from the novel and how Louise did it here:

https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/meet-the-winners/the-little-book-by-louise-watts/

Let’s also hear it for our brilliant, highly commended novels:

Otherling by Gilli Fryzer
The Brontes and Other Brutes by Jane Dotchin
Ogre Dancer Bird by Nykki Irvin

Many thanks to our judges and congratulations to our prizewinning and highly commended authors! 🤩

The Little Book by Louise Watts - Meet the Winners - Competitions : Mslexia, a magazine for women's writing and women who write.

01/06/2026

Congratulations to Joanna Lowry, winner of our 2025 Poetry Pamphlet Competition for her pamphlet, The Man Whose Brain Turned to Glass.

Judge Imtiaz Dharker says, ‘It was a special pleasure to find something I did not know I was looking for but recognised immediately. Each of the poems in Joanna Lowry’s The Man Whose Brain Turned to Glass feels like a prized discovery.’

Her prizewinning pamphlet, The Man Whose Brain Turned to Glass, will be published by Bloodaxe Books in September.

Let's also hear it for the highly commended pamphlets:

Arguments for Chosen Namings by Lillian Akampurira Aujo
A Life in Brief Men by Alison Tanik
Within the Woods by Catherine Wilson Garry
The Funambulist’s Right-Hand Man and Other Stories by Louise Ordish
Unyoke by Nicky Kippax

Read a poem from the winning pamphlet and find out how Joanna Lowry did it here:

https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/meet-the-winners/the-man-whose-brain-turned-to-glass-by-joanna-lowry/

The Man Whose Brain Turned to Glass by Joanna Lowry - Meet the Winners - Competitions : Mslexia, a magazine for women's writing and women who write.