Lost Balloon

A heads up for those who want to submit to @lostballoon.bsky.social -- we've tweaked our submission guidelines. We're now accepting stories 750 words or less (used to be 1000). We'll be open the first week of April -- get your stories ready!

We have a great new piece today from Tessa McHattie! Check out “Opening a Door.” lost-balloon.com/2026/03/04/o...

In case you missed it!

"Felix is eight years old, and I have no idea how to keep him safe in this world. When a child’s gravity inverts the family has two choices..."

So much truth in this inventive piece.

"The growing moonbounce of his walk, his arms slightly levitating off the dinner table when we ate together."

Love love love this surreal and yet all too real piece by @iamchrisscott.bsky.social

This story is so sweet and heartbreaking. Wonderful stuff

Chris is a very special writer. I’ve been following him for years, starting when Twitter was fun. My late friend Macy (bossybritches on Twitter) and I would send each other screenshots of his tweets, crying with laughter and marveling at how his brain works. I really miss those days

Such a lovely piece, Chris!

A new sentimental flash from me at the amazing @lostballoon.bsky.social

"I watch Felix crawl across the ceiling, over the metal brackets keeping his bed suspended and secure, and onto the mattress. It’s heavily reinforced, but I still worry I didn’t do it right. I worry about everything." Read this amazing story by Chris!

Yeah they're right I did love it.

Felix on the Ceiling by Chris Scott When I shuffle into his bedroom, Felix is sitting cross-legged on the ceiling, upside down, already in his PJ’s, his shaggy blonde hair dangling from his head. I stop in my tracks, lean against the…

‘I’m still on the waiting list for netting while they prioritize schools, daycare centers, playgrounds.’

Love this gentle, inventive piece from @iamchrisscott.bsky.social in @lostballoon.bsky.social 🎈

lost-balloon.com/2026/02/25/f...

Felix on the Ceiling by Chris Scott When I shuffle into his bedroom, Felix is sitting cross-legged on the ceiling, upside down, already in his PJ’s, his shaggy blonde hair dangling from his head. I stop in my tracks, lean against the…

You are going to love today’s new piece by @iamchrisscott.bsky.social! Check out “Felix on the Ceiling.” lost-balloon.com/2026/02/25/f...

In case you missed it!

Love this piece so much! ♥️

I’ve admired @lostballoon.bsky.social for a long time, so I’m especially honored that they gave a home to this piece about the bewildering experience of going to a camp for high-school-age writers weeks after my second laparoscopy for endometriosis. TW: chronic pain, suicidal ideation

Go read this right now. This woman is a pure shit-fire wordsmith.

my will alone was strong enough. I was certain.

At Young Writers Camp Six Weeks After My Second Laparoscopy by Emma Bolden Eighteen and sunstruck and sweating, my body was a wave that crashed and crashed. On the way to the picnic, I peeled a secret path away from the others to stand alone by the lake and consider my in…

We have a great new piece today by @emmabolden.bsky.social! Check out “At Young Writers Camp Six Weeks After My Second Laparoscopy.” lost-balloon.com/2026/02/18/a...

In case you missed it!

"I never learned to shake off my shaking, so I fainted instead and sat wordlessly in the doctor’s office less than a week into my new job"

Love the repeating anaphora in this piece from @stutisrivastava.bsky.social; and the rich exploration of narrator and family and everything else

Such a tender piece about family

Rewind by Cole Beauchamp I have something to tell you, my husband says, but I’m not listening. I’m trying to shift the stone lodged in my mountain boot. Rain has slicked the narrow path covered in last year’s crushed leave…

"Rewind" - a story of what-ifs - masterfully spun by @nomad-sw18.bsky.social in @lostballoon.bsky.social. Go read! lost-balloon.com/2026/01/07/r...

Love this anecdote. Thank you for trusting us with your work!

Excited to share my new piece “Wintering” out today in Lost Balloon!

Sweet anecdote: I started writing this story while in college, about seventeen years ago. Recently, I rediscovered that first draft and decided to revise it to life!

Wintering by Divya Kernan My neighbor shouldn’t live on his own. Not once in the four weeks since I moved in, have I seen a soul enter his apartment—no friend, no family, no girl—and yet, the boy cannot be older than sevent…

You are going to love our new piece by @divyakernan.bsky.social! Check out “Wintering.” lost-balloon.com/2026/02/11/w...

Thank you for trusting us with your work! Good luck!

Congrats and good luck!

So excited to have my piece nominated for Best Small Fiction! Thank you to the team at @lostballoon.bsky.social for believing in my work!

Thrilled to be nominated and grateful to the @lostballoon.bsky.social team for all their care and work in creating this wonderful magazine.