Latest Stories
Most recently published stories on Vocal.
maybe we get married one day, but who knows?
Sometimes I think about you the way I think about distant cities I’ve never been to. The way I think about Birmingham, or London, or Switzerland — places that exist somewhere far away in the world yet somehow live quietly inside my imagination. Places I’ve never walked through, never breathed the air of, never watched the sunset over. And still, they carry a strange pull inside me. A kind of longing that feels both foolish and inevitable, like a quiet ache you can’t quite explain.
By imtiazalam25 days ago in Confessions
The Weight of Envelope
My brother, Mateo, used to say that hope was the heaviest thing a person could carry. He wasn’t being poetic. He was a carpenter, and for him, weight was a literal thing, the heft of a two-by-four, the drag of a toolbox across a job site. But the day he got the thin envelope from the Canadian government, the one with the maple leaf watermark, he stood in our kitchen and held it like it was made of lead.
By Jordan Belford25 days ago in 01
Black Shuck. Honorable Mention in What the Myth Gets Wrong Challenge.
Every man fears the fire, and yet every man carries fire into his home. Every woman learns to keep the flames tame, so that she might cook and warm her babes, and every woman knows the scorch of a sudden flare and the burn of a thrown ember. Every child learns to draw near, but not to touch. Even dogs know how close they can go, how far to stay away. Only the cat sleeps without fear of the flames.
By Hannah Moore25 days ago in Fiction
The Safety Bell
Pity hung from the funeralgoers' faces. They were something out of a nightmarish painting; not sure what to do with their mouths, some pinching them closed, others looked like they were caught mid scream. Most of the women had watering eyes that they tried to avert from meeting Albert’s. For some reason, it made him feel ashamed.
By Nikki Torino Wagner25 days ago in Fiction
The Bloody Red Queen
Mary 1st of England—often remembered by the nickname “Bloody Mary”—was one of the most controversial monarchs in English history. Her life was shaped by dynastic politics, religious conflict, and personal hardship. As the first woman to rule England in her own right, Mary’s reign marked a critical turning point in the religious and political development of the country. Though her rule was relatively short, from 1553 to 1558, her life story reveals the immense challenges she faced as a queen determined to restore Catholicism in a nation that had largely turned toward Protestantism.
By Dragon Matthew Wood - Hillman25 days ago in History
What to Know About Spanish Book Translation in 2026
Maria took two years to write her first novel. When a Spanish-language publisher came calling, she faced an unforeseen hurdle: finding someone with the ability to translate her book without losing its voice. Three translators later, she learned that spanish book translation consists of so much more than converting English words into equivalents in Spanish.
By Hillshire Media25 days ago in Writers
Why So Many Artists Feel Helpless Right Now
For decades, the dream of becoming an artist followed a relatively clear path. Musicians wrote songs, played local shows, and hoped to eventually be discovered by a record label that would invest in developing their talent.
By Navigating the World25 days ago in Beat
