Announcement

Our Best of the Net

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THIS YEAR’S NOMINATIONS

THE HARDEST PART of selecting nominees for compilations like Best of the Net is choosing between many excellent works all of which we love or we wouldn’t have accepted and published them to begin with. Instead of “the best” of our site over a one-year period, maybe it’s better to call them the best examples of what we like and hope to offer readers on a consistent basis. Here, then, are our eight nominees for fiction and poetry for the 2026 Best of the Net anthology, chosen from our New Pop Lit and Fast Pop Lit sites.

FICTION

“The Memorial” by Brent King. Published on 10/4/2024.

An excellent story, filled with compassion and humanity.

“Ghost in the Machine” by Andie Weber. Published on 5/23/2025.

Well-written, imaginative, timely and topical.

POETRY

Poetry is a more indefinable art, with appeal to the senses and the intellect but also the subconscious. Here are our six choices.

“Facial Recognition” by John Zedolik. Published on 7/12/2024 (third of four poems).

“Man Shouts” by James Croal Jackson. Published on 8/8/2024.

“To the Editor” by Nancy Byrne Iannucci. Published on 9/20/2024.

“unprocessed thoughts” by Bach Le. Published on 10/8/2024.

“There Where the Weather” by Christopher Landrum. Published on 11/5/2024.

“On the Killing of Brian Thompson and the Coronation of Luigi Mangione” by Bud Sturguess. Published on 6/19/2025.

Reactions? Disagreements? Thoughts? Feel free to respond!

All About “The Loud Boys”

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NOW AVAILABLE at both Amazon’s Kindle Store and at Kobo—

–the new hyper-pop multidimensional novella, The Loud Boys.

Cast of Characters:

VAN HECKLER

Dark web podcaster and volatile leader of the most notorious gang of right-wing extremists ever seen.

DARA DEFIANT

Beautiful-but-inscrutable news reporter and Substack writer carrying a dark secret.

ABIGAIL SHRUB

In-your-face woke attack dog.

FAKE FACE

The city’s richest and most renowned business speculator doubling as a mobster.

JEREMY SMITH

Flamboyant #2 Loud Boy.

RASHEEN HOLLERAN

Manager of a homeless shelter in The Forgotten Zone.

TERRY THE HOOD

Ambitious hired killer.

HOWELL

New publisher of a failing newspaper.

THE THREE HERMITS

A rap group.

MUGGS

The most dangerous Loud Boy.

***

HOW will these personalities clash and conflict in the most beaten-down American city of them all?

FIND OUT!

The Loud Boys. Dystopia now. This isn’t fantasy– it’s today’s reality.

“The Coming AI Assault”

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–is already here. In September of last year I presented a fairly detailed analysis of how AI chatbots were beginning to affect the world of literature, in an article at the Lit Mag News Substack, here. Since then, the amount of money behind AI, and the number of tech companies and tech hustlers seeking to grab control of publishing– and thereby define literature with their twisted creations– have increased. The hustlers are moving quickly– they have to, because of the money behind them, which needs to be justified.

I’ll be discussing this more in a series of upcoming posts at this blog– revived and utilized because of the speed at which events are moving. Stay tuned to this pop-lit station.

-KW

The Anti-A.I. Journal

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THE A.I. DESTROYER


ANTITHESIS OF ARTIFICIALITY

Yes, the robot-busting publication expressive of human authenticity is already here. We anticipated the A.I. assault and the response needed– which is, affirmation of the skill, craft, intelligence, and good humor of human beings.

Put together by hand, produced in limited quantities, with emphasis on art and style, FUN POP POETRY SPECIAL EDITION is guaranteed to be Robot Free. All poems within were written by actual human beings.

Our zeens, as we call them, mark a return to the DIY authenticity of print zines, but taken to the next level of quality. The idea behind a zeen or zine is that you can hold it in your hand. With its tangible reality it’s something you can definitely NOT experience online. NOT processed by a dystopian megaconglomerate at far remove from individual artistry. With all of Walter Benjamin’s aura about it. NOT merely seen on a screen.

ZEENS are a step toward what we call post-A.I. culture: emphasis on real-world actuality. Like impressionist art– or punk rock– we seek to give people the “shock of the real.”

Here is your opportunity to fight the insanity. To rebel against the takeover of the culture and our minds by a handful of superplutocratic hyper-billionaire technological geeks. Help put ChatGPT and its like into the trashcan of history!

Order your authentic copy of Fun Pop Poetry SE at our POP SHOP today.

A Happiness Assault!

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WITH CHRISTMAS and the other holidays upon us, we plan to finish the year with a campaign of pure happiness. Well needed when everyone seems stressed out and beaten down from the craziness of the world around us.

Our antidote to the harshness of the world comes in the form of a simple print publication: a Special Edition of our latest zeen, Fun Pop Poetry. Amazing words and colors to brighten up anyone’s day– from artists Monica Morgan and Alexandria Root, and poets Blixa Bel Grande, Scott Cannon, Emerson Dameron, Wred Fright, Courtenay Schembri Gray, Craig Kurtz, Christopher Landrum, Dan Nielsen, John D. Robinson, Joe Santi aka Tarzana Joe, Chrissi Sepe, Ellsworth B. Smith, Richard Stevenson, and S.F. Wright.

That’s a lot of talent in one slim and artsy poetry booklet!

Order your smile at our POP SHOP— red cover or yellow. Do it for yourself, (or purchase two and give one as a gift).

What Is the Literary Future?

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THOUGHTS ON NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH


WHERE are we all of us– editors, writers, readers– headed as a literary community? An artistic community?

These are questions that will be addressed during our one-hour appearance at the Trenton Veterans Memorial Library, 2790 Westfield Road in Trenton, Michigan, for National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. New Pop Lit editors Karl Wenclas and Kathleen M. Crane will be prepared to discuss all things literary.

THIS COMING SATURDAY, November 19, beginning at 2 pm.

All are welcome.

(You can register in advance at 734-676-9777.)

Thanks!

Our First Contest Winner

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WE’RE HAPPY to announce the winner of our first contest, Tom Ray, for the story “What He Thought Was Right.”

The original Announcement.

The winner:

The prize ($$$) is on its way to Mr. Ray.

The winning story will be published some time during the month of April. We’ll briefly discuss then why it’s an excellent story which incorporates multidimensional viewpoints. OR: You’ll be able to read the story and see for yourself!

REMINDER: This is just the first of several contests with monetary prizes. Soon: one involving our Open Mic feature.

DON’T MISS ANY OF IT!

The Board

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NEW POP LIT ANNOUNCES ADVISORY BOARD

DO WE have all the answers? Not at all! As we move forward, we’ve decided to enlist observers for advice and input, laying the groundwork for improvement and growth. Therefore: an Advisory Board.

We start with five individuals who’ve all been published at our site or/and our publications and are supportive of what we’re doing. They represent a range of ages, writing styles, thought patterns, experiences and viewpoints. The idea is to have this project looked at three-dimensionally, while maintaining an overall positive vibe, which is critical for the success of any endeavor– especially one as ambitious as ours.

(We intend to add more names to the Advisory Board, as this project moves ahead.)

The five are:

NICK GALLUP: Accomplished short story writer. Among his several feature stories for us was “Just Another Silly Love Song.”

CHRISTOPHER LANDRUM: Literary historian, essayist, and theorist. His feature story for us was “The Age of Insomnia.”

TOM PREISLER: Talented musician and poet. Tom’s poetry feature for us was “Love Poetry/Prose from Tom Preisler.”

CHRISSI SEPE: Novelist, story writer, and memoirist. Chrissi has written for our zeens ZEENITH and Literary Fan Magazine. Her online story feature for NPL was “We Love to Watch Zee Cockroaches.”

FRANK D. WALSH: Long-time Philadelphia poetry icon. Frank’s poem “Spectre of the Rose” was excerpted in Extreme Zeen #1, and also here at our site.

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(Again, we’ll be adding a few more names– more input, more viewpoints on what we’re doing.)