All posts by Phil Slattery

Publisher, Rural Fiction Magazine; publisher, The Chamber Magazine; founder, the Farmington Writers Circle. I have written short stories and poetry for many years. In my careers as a Naval officer and in the federal government, I have written thousands of documents of many types. I am currently working on a second edition for my poetry collection and a few novels.
Announcements, blog, submissions

Global Call for Rural Fiction Writers

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Share Your Rural Tales with the World!

Embrace the Beauty of Rural Life

Rural Fiction Magazine is on a mission to showcase the rich tapestry of rural experiences from around the globe. Whether you’re penning heartwarming tales, poignant poems, or insightful reviews on rural fiction books, we want your voice! Our open-minded approach means we welcome all genres—be it romance, horror, or magical realism—as long as it connects to rural life. Your story matters!

A Worldwide Platform for Diverse Voices

With contributors from 46* countries and counting, RFM celebrates the universal human experience. By submitting your work, you join a vibrant community that transcends borders. Share your unique perspective and connect with readers who appreciate the beauty and complexity of rural narratives.

RFM wants to develop talent, measuring it in a fair and equitable way to find hidden and disadvantaged talent in a world where not everybody has an equal chance to exhibit their abilities. RFM does not discriminate against anyone. The only personal criterium for publication is talent in use of English and in developing outstanding stories. Because RFM embraces the global community, RFM embraces differences, whether those are race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. RFM wants to see diversity in writing from around the world, from all time zones. RFM respects everyone’s voice and strives to create a culture in which people from all cultures, races, and backgrounds feel encouraged to express their ideas and perspectives. You can help our contributors gain exposure by sharing their works widely and also by back linking to them and to RFM’s homepage.

Fast Publication for Your Creative Work

No waiting indefinitely to see your words in print! At RFM, we pride ourselves on our efficiency—most submissions are published within weeks of acceptance. Get ready to inspire others and gain well-deserved exposure in English-speaking markets including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Your Voice Matters – Take Action Today!

Ready to share your story? Visit our submissions page for detailed guidelines and join us in celebrating rural fiction’s diverse tapestry. Remember: while there’s no monetary compensation beyond publication credit and exposure, your writing will resonate with an audience eager for authentic voices like yours.

For more information on what RFM is accepting and on the submissions guidelines, please go to our submissions page. To submit stories or poems use publisher@ruralfictionmagazine.com.

Spread the Word!

Please share this announcement far and wide to help us discover exceptional talent from every corner of the world!

Financial donations through either our GoFundMe or Buy Me a Coffee accounts will help expand our global reach by paying for advertising, more advanced WordPress plans, and expansion into more extensive Content Delivery Networks.

*These nations include Canada, United Kingdom, India, Austria, Taiwan, Australia, Thailand, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Poland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Greece, Singapore, South Korea, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Nigeria, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Romania, South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh, Italy, Palestinian Territories, Guatemala, Switzerland, Nepal, Portugal, Barbados, Kenya, Malta, Hungary, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey, Oman, Brazil, Estonia, and Pakistan.

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blog, Poetry

“You Were the Storm” Poem by Bindi Lavelle

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You were the storm
Crashing on the coast
Breaking stones with your waves
You were the storm
With strength unknown
Direction uncertain
But with determined purpose,
Seeking land
Rushing, hurtling to the sand
Wet impact
The path traced in force
You are the amber sky
Whispering promises to the wind
Chasing the warm sea air
Into the embrace
Of the starlit ocean.

Bindi Lavelle is a proud Wakka-Wakka woman, based in Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia,where she lives with her partner and cats. Bindi is an editor for ibecomethebeast.com and is a lover of all things strange and unusual. Her works have appeared in Black Petals, Dark
Passions Magazine and The Chamber. Bindi’s collection “Menace” is available on Amazon.

If you would like to be part of the Rural Fiction Magazine family, follow this link to the submissions guidelines. 

Please share this post to give it maximum distribution. Exposure is our contributors’ only compensation. Don’t forget to back link to this.

Financial donations through either our GoFundMe or Buy Me a Coffee accounts will help expand our global reach by paying for advertising, more advanced WordPress plans, and expansion into more extensive Content Delivery Networks.

Image generated by AI

Announcements, blog, submissions

Global Call for Rural Fiction Writers

Leave a comment

Share Your Rural Tales with the World!

Embrace the Beauty of Rural Life

Rural Fiction Magazine is on a mission to showcase the rich tapestry of rural experiences from around the globe. Whether you’re penning heartwarming tales, poignant poems, or insightful reviews on rural fiction books, we want your voice! Our open-minded approach means we welcome all genres—be it romance, horror, or magical realism—as long as it connects to rural life. Your story matters!

A Worldwide Platform for Diverse Voices

With contributors from 46* countries and counting, RFM celebrates the universal human experience. By submitting your work, you join a vibrant community that transcends borders. Share your unique perspective and connect with readers who appreciate the beauty and complexity of rural narratives.

RFM wants to develop talent, measuring it in a fair and equitable way to find hidden and disadvantaged talent in a world where not everybody has an equal chance to exhibit their abilities. RFM does not discriminate against anyone. The only personal criterium for publication is talent in use of English and in developing outstanding stories. Because RFM embraces the global community, RFM embraces differences, whether those are race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. RFM wants to see diversity in writing from around the world, from all time zones. RFM respects everyone’s voice and strives to create a culture in which people from all cultures, races, and backgrounds feel encouraged to express their ideas and perspectives. You can help our contributors gain exposure by sharing their works widely and also by back linking to them and to RFM’s homepage.

Fast Publication for Your Creative Work

No waiting indefinitely to see your words in print! At RFM, we pride ourselves on our efficiency—most submissions are published within weeks of acceptance. Get ready to inspire others and gain well-deserved exposure in English-speaking markets including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Your Voice Matters – Take Action Today!

Ready to share your story? Visit our submissions page for detailed guidelines and join us in celebrating rural fiction’s diverse tapestry. Remember: while there’s no monetary compensation beyond publication credit and exposure, your writing will resonate with an audience eager for authentic voices like yours.

For more information on what RFM is accepting and on the submissions guidelines, please go to our submissions page. To submit stories or poems use publisher@ruralfictionmagazine.com.

Spread the Word!

Please share this announcement far and wide to help us discover exceptional talent from every corner of the world!

Financial donations through either our GoFundMe or Buy Me a Coffee accounts will help expand our global reach by paying for advertising, more advanced WordPress plans, and expansion into more extensive Content Delivery Networks.

*These nations include Canada, United Kingdom, India, Austria, Taiwan, Australia, Thailand, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Poland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Greece, Singapore, South Korea, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Nigeria, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Romania, South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh, Italy, Palestinian Territories, Guatemala, Switzerland, Nepal, Portugal, Barbados, Kenya, Malta, Hungary, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey, Oman, Brazil, Estonia, and Pakistan.

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blog, Fiction, flash fiction

“Put the Pig Back in the Barn!” Flash Fiction by Dan Fraleigh

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As children we can often recall that pinnacle moment when the power between the child and the parent shifted. For some of us, it has never happened, but for those who can recall that place and time it is often revered as life changing. 

My mother’s father, Lorne Brennan, was a tortured man. He decided to trade in his lucrative career on the CP railway to acquire a small gentleman’s farm in Caradoc Township. The end result was questionable at best. What the hell was he thinking?! 

Fast forward… My mom, Mary Jo, was the 12th and last child…her mother, Ethel, was a stoic farmer’s wife…there was never a lack of food or love ..perhaps more for some than others; but every family has it’s unique dynamics.

Mary Jo was brought into the world on February 12th, 1934…it was a bitter cold morning with snow dusting the inside of the master bedroom window sills where her elder sister, Loretta, was the acting mid wife. Ethel was 42 years old and this birthing experience was not new to her, but in fairness..thankfully, it was her last. The delivery was unremarkable and Mary Jo, nicknamed MJ, was wrapped in a blanket and trotted down to the kitchen and tucked neatly into the warming oven. Ethel informed her second oldest daughter, Loretta, (already a mother herself) that she would tidy herself up and be down shortly to nurse the newborn. My mom would recall years later that her mother’s philosophy was that if MJ didn’t survive and had passed on in the warming oven Ethel would have been sad but in her next breath would have said: “we will bury her later, there are chores to be done.”

MJ’s  life was fair but difficult. She felt her mother loved her but her memory of her father is conflicted. “I was one more mouth to feed and girls were helpful, but in his mind, boys were the true asset of a troubled and aging farmer who required their manly toil on the land.”

At the tender age of nine MJ was seasoned to her father’s hot Irish temper. She recalled her dining room error when she inadvertently reached for a piece of pie before her elder brothers had had an opportunity to have a second piece…a house rule. In a split second Lorne pushed back from the table and grabbed MJ by the shoulder. On the wall in a very conspicuous location he reached for the family hickory switch. With the skill of Zorro, Lorne switched my mother’s legs until blood filled her shoes. Everyone was frozen in fear. Even her elder brothers, who were larger than life, remained firm in their chairs. A memory MJ remembers with puzzlement.

The next day her older sister (by 4 years) Elyse lent her younger sister her treasured nylons to wear to school so the evidence of her whipping would be hidden from her fellow classmates. It took weeks for the scars to mend but the emotional wound would never heal. MJ was determined that her father would never bring physical harm to her again. She was prepared to take an “eye for an eye” and she felt Lorne knew his rage was unjustified and reprehensible….but the reoccurring question was…where was her mother in all this chaos? A question that has never been answered…MJ does recall that her father never raised a hand to her mother and that her father’s rage was channeled for the most part at her and her elder sister Jean who she recalls Lorne saying: “She is not welcome here anymore.”

It was mid afternoon in late August of 1945 and MJ was home alone with her father. He was busy in the barn while she was tidying up the kitchen and washing garden vegetables for her mother who was away that sunny summer day visiting neighbours with sister Elyse. 

MJ could hear a loud commotion from the barnyard and raced out to see what was going on…to her dismay, her father was wielding a large mallet and threatening a stubborn hog that was being difficult to load on the trailer. Maybe the pig new that it was a fateful trip…Mary Jo ran between the frightened animal and Lorne..eyes locked, she firmly told him to put the pig back in the barn and if he bludgeoned the helpless creature it would be his last act of rage…MJ gave him the ultimatum..”put the hammer down, put the pig back in the barn, take it to the butcher another day!” Lorne complied without speaking a word – the sword had been drawn and for the very first time she saw fear in her father’s eyes.

Mary Jo recalls that in her heart she was prepared to kill her father that afternoon rather than see him torture the stubborn pig. And from the tender age of eleven the scales of power had shifted and their relationship would change forever. Lorne had met his match in this feisty young girl…..and her life as she knew it would never be the same. 

Dan Fraleigh resides in London, Ontario Canada. He is a real estate agent by day and at night and enjoys writing poems and stories. His writing has appeared in Literary Yard as well as Istanbul Masticadores.

If you would like to be part of the Rural Fiction Magazine family, follow this link to the submissions guidelines. 

Please share this post to give it maximum distribution. Exposure is our contributors’ only compensation. Don’t forget to back link to this.

Financial donations through either our GoFundMe or Buy Me a Coffee accounts will help expand our global reach by paying for advertising, more advanced WordPress plans, and expansion into more extensive Content Delivery Networks.

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Announcements, blog, submissions

Seeking Submissions from Around the World

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Rural Fiction Magazine (RFM) would like to publish more writers from around the world, regardless of your country of origin. So far, RFM has readers and contributors from 46* nations.

RFM wants to develop talent, measuring it in a fair and equitable way to find hidden and disadvantaged talent in a world where not everybody has an equal chance to exhibit their abilities. RFM does not discriminate against anyone. The only personal criterium for publication is talent in use of English and in developing outstanding stories. Because RFM embraces the global community, RFM embraces differences, whether those are race, age, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. RFM wants to see diversity in writing from around the world, from all time zones. RFM respects everyone’s voice and strives to create a culture in which people from all cultures, races, and backgrounds feel encouraged to express their ideas and perspectives. You can help our contributors gain exposure by sharing their works widely and also by back linking to them and to RFM’s homepage.

RFM is seeking short stories, poems, reviews and press releases, on rural fiction books that reflect the beauty, tranquility, joys, anguish, sorrows, humor, tragedy, comedy, and drama of rural life. RFM believes that all stories are about people and that genre is secondary. Therefore, RFM is open to almost all genres such as mainstream, literary, romance, horror, western, mystery, thriller, historical, realist, coming of age (Bildungsroman for those who speak German), science fiction, magical realism, dystopian, etc, so long as they are connected to rural life and culture anywhere in the world.

Your work must be in English. It can a translation from your native language, but it must be in English, which is spoken around the globe and gives the work and author substantial worldwide exposure.

For more information on what RFM is accepting and on the submissions guidelines, please go to our submissions page. To submit stories or poems use publisher@ruralfictionmagazine.com.

Please note that there is no pay for this other than a publication credit and exposure to the English-speaking markets. However, all rights remain with the author.

Currently, RFM is publishing material within a few weeks of acceptance, though this may vary depending on the number of submissions.

Please share this announcement to give it maximum exposure.

Financial donations through either our GoFundMe or Buy Me a Coffee accounts will help expand our global reach by paying for advertising, more advanced WordPress plans, and expansion into more extensive Content Delivery Networks.

*These nations include Canada, United Kingdom, India, Austria, Taiwan, Australia, Thailand, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Poland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Greece, Singapore, South Korea, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Nigeria, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Romania, South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh, Italy, Palestinian Territories, Guatemala, Switzerland, Nepal, Portugal, Barbados, Kenya, Malta, Hungary, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey, Oman, Brazil, Estonia, and Pakistan.