Okay Donkey Magazine

@okaydonkeymag

A literary magazine for the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird. 🫏 Est. May 2018. Re-designed site!: okaydonkeymag.com Newsletter: okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com Bookshop:

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Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 10d

Are you a little odd? And are you hoping to read poetry for a lit mag? Then look no further, because we want YOU to read poetry for Okay Donkey! Apply now at forms.gle/ZZ8wJB6ptBtW... Form open through August 31st.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 10d

OKD is open for free subs until we reach our cap! Learn more about us and submit your best poetry or flash fiction: buff.ly/chQ4jpz Okay Donkey is always open for tip jar ($2.50) or expedited ($4.00) subs! Your contribution helps us pay our contributors and cover other mag-related expenses.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 12d

“Spry, how the afternoon light lands on a vase of flowers. A-glow, as in someone sliding a magic carpet into the DMs of memory.” “Ode to Serotonin” by Cynthia Atkins @catkinspoet.bsky.social new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/07/31/o...

The background of this image is defined by pastel pink, blue, and sea green. The sea green elements are translucent, almost reminiscent of amoeba or bacteria under a microscope. On the right side of the image are pink flowers, at the top of which are four dancing women with hands raised and clasped together. And, of course, Sad Jack is at the very top of that pyramid, hands holding him up high.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 16d

The other half of OKD’s socials team is Social Media Manager Dani Kuntz @danikuntz.com! About OKD, Dani says, “It's great to be a part of a literary magazine that takes the work seriously but not necessarily itself as an ‘institution.’” Read her full interview at buff.ly/xNjHAVz

TEXT: q&a with Dani Kuntz, Social Media Manager

IMAGE: A blue-purple background with a high-contrast image of mountains (or waves?) and some trees sitting at the left side. There are a couple of flower drawings laid over the sky. A circled, pink-tinted picture of Dani is in the center, with a decorative square frame around it. Below Dani's picture is Sad Jack wearing a black fedora with a light purple feather in the brim.

TEXT: What would you like to do (for socials) that's rarely been done?

"Overall, just be cooky and fun. It's great to be a part of a literary magazine that takes the work seriously but not necessarily itself as an 'institution.' [...] We are all writers, and our involvement in the community extends beyond Okay Donkey. So we bring a lot of passion and earnestness to our communication, which is a dream to be a part of."

IMAGE: A holographic type of background with several pastel colors and a floating pink ribbon. Dani's quote is in the center on top of a dark pink bumpy oval, which is outlined in a lighter pink.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 19d

“Gonna have to choke it, I guess, he said. No telling how long the bastards can hold their breath. Thumb into the trachea, son. Come on now.” “Taxidermy” by Nelson Taylor, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/07/24/t...

The two colors used in this image are deep purple and red. Three red scorpions can be seen in the background, cross-faded with a swirly, oily purple backdrop. In the foreground is a pair of a hands, where Sad Jack is perched atop one of them, wearing an old-timey nurse's hat, boat-shaped with a red brim and a white medical cross in the center of the brim.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 23d

We’re finally revealing the wizard behind the curtain…our Social Media Associate, Cassey Abella! For OKD’s social media presence, she “envision[s] Sad Jack subconsciously permeating everyone’s minds [...] TLDR: WORLD DOMINATION.” Read Cassey’s interview at okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/bid-farewe...

TEXT: q&a with Cassey Abella
Social Media Associate

IMAGE: background is a pink-tinted, high contrast image of a seaside town with a populated beach and mountains in the horizon. Sad Jack is in the bottom-middle of the image wearing a pink cowboy hat with stars on it. He is underneath a picture of Cassey which is framed with blue and yellow.

TEXT:
What's your vision for Okay Donkey's social media presence?
"[...] I envision Sad Jack subconsciously permeating everyone's minds such that they wonder what his next move is and what Okay Donkey will publish next. TLDR: WORLD DOMINATION."

IMAGE: background is pink with some lighter pink stars and swirls. Cassey's quote lay atop a blue spiky oval, thickly outlined in yellow.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· 26d

“[...] I tell her sometimes people don’t understand they are standing in the middle of a miracle until all that’s left of it is an afterthought.” “Case of Missing Animals” by Sarp Sozdinler, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/07/17/c...

This image is defined by contrast: blue and orange are the colors used here. Most of the elements of the image are blue, including the "MISSING: SAD JACK" poster in the center of the image. However, the image of Sad Jack on the poster is orange-tinted, and he is facing about 1/4 away from the front. There's a light-blue line twisting & scribbled above Sad Jack, which almost gives the impression of lightning.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 13

OKD and its contributors were fêted in the Wigleaf Top 50 2026 for “On Your 60th Birthday, Resembling Our Mother, Dead at 61” by Patricia Q. Bidar and “Fireflies” by Rina Olsen. Several pieces also made the longlist— see the full list in our newsletter at okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/bid-farewe...

This image lists the names of the awardees and longlisted nominees: Patricia Q. Bidar, Rina Olsen, Rachel Lastra, Mackenzie McGee, and Melissa Rudick.

The background of the image is a purple-tinted printed photo that appears to have once been folded (evident by the fold lines). The photo is of the moon, huge in the sky, and a mountainous landscape for the skyline. There is a stretched and highly-contrasted image of Sad Jack on the landscape, and on his back lay a woman with her feet kicked straight up, and she is on the phone as if gossiping. Another Sad Jack balances on the bottom of her feet and holds in his front hooves a green star trophy for an award.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 10

“Days and nights melted together. I remember it rained, and I stood outside under a tree, catching runoff from leaves in my mouth.” “Winter’s Tales,” two micros by Kathryn Kulpa @writesofkathryn.bsky.social new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/07/10/w...

This image shows two yellow pop-art style arms reaching out and colliding with an open mouth of the same style. Inside the mouth are four acid-green leaves. Sad Jack rests in a separate, upturned hand on the left side.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 8

OKD contributor T.J. Martinson (Jan. 2026) has a thrilling new novel out with Counterpoint Press! You can check out T.J.’s book, “Blood River Witch,” at bookshop.org/p/books/bloo...

This image features the "Blood River Witch" book cover, which displays a dark, slim, bare tree in the foreground and a green field with hills in the background. The sky in the background is a top-down gradient from red, to pale yellow, to pale blue. Sad Jack is present with a witch hat on.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 6

This month’s newsletter features Lead Fiction Reader Ellie Amos on outwitting writer's block, and we (Dani & Cassey, socials team) answer some interview questions! Plus, other members of the OKD community have some exciting news to share… Read the full newsletter at buff.ly/gBgcxWk

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 3

“[...] The red taillights make fingertips. Blinking, they both turn left, then dark.” “Planet” by Kary Wayson, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/07/03/p...

A teal-tinted Sad Jack rides on top of a light blue, retro (1950s) car in Earth's orbit, with a blue-tinted, pop-art human finger pointing directly at the tail lights of the car and emitting a red light. There's a woman hanging her head and arm out of the passenger-side window, smiling. The Sad Jack riding on top of the car has something like a mask on his face, which is a cross between a green, Blender model of a face and an old MP3 player with six little speakers for ears, 3 on each side of the face. The screen of the MP3 player is the forehead of the face, and it contains a pixelized version of Sad Jack.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jul 1

A top-down view of a green, plastic shopping basket with a magazine inside, its cover reading "OKAY DONKEY, FREE SUBS, limited time!" with "poetry" and "flash" appearing in green and blue spiky bubbles (respectively). A small Sad Jack appears on the cover on top of the 'time' in "limited time!" The background is an array of fresh produce, indicating we are in a grocery store or farmer's market. Two front hooves in grayscale (presumably Sad Jack's) hold the top of the shopping basket.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 26

“Have you tried to drop a rock? YES. A rope? YES. Do you personally know anyone who has fallen in? She refused to answer. “ “The Void is Right There” by Yasmine Yu, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/06/26/t...

Our view in this image is from the bottom of a well, the light of the sky above which we see in the center through the opening of the well. A hot pink question mark overlays the opening. A drawing of a person is on the lefthand side, which is casting and pulling on steel wire from the opposite side of the image. Two rocks are actively falling down the well, with Sad Jack standing on one of them.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 19

“Unfortunately, we are sorry that despite consideration, Adoptee, you were not chosen.” “H̶o̶w̶ a̶n̶ Adoptee R̶e̶a̶d̶s̶ L̶i̶t̶e̶r̶a̶r̶y̶ Rejection L̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶s̶:̶ a l̶o̶s̶t̶ a̶n̶d̶ found poem” by Danna Schmidt, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/06/19/a...

The image consists of upside down, ripped up scraps of typewritten letters in the background. The foreground has five child silhouettes made of light blue paper, and one adult silhouette made of dark blue paper. Sad Jack, who is orange-hued, smiles upon them.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 15

At Okay Donkey, we don’t want anything written by AI, LLM, etc. If you submit we trust this means you did not use AI as part of the creation of your piece at any stage. Thanks to everyone out there who writes solely from their heart and mind!

Text reads: "POL!CY UPDATE" and "NO AI!"

The background of the image is made up of various textures and color swatches. The foreground consists of the aforementioned text against a blue background, which is a sign held up by a pink-hued Sad Jack with human arms. A pink-hued image of a child sits at the end of the "NO AI!" proclamation on the sign.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 12

“Sometimes I think my dad could be the Zodiac killer. But I doubt it. Maybe he just likes to polish his knives and play the daily jumble.” Four Stories by Tim Frank, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/06/12/f...

Neon green and purple are the defining colors of this image. There are two green circles and two ovals that each have a purple hued image on top of them--collage style--highlighted by soft shadows underneath each one. From left to right: A man sits with legs crossed reading a newspaper; a kitchen knife whose blade is replaced with an oblong (maybe banana) leaf; a side-view of a person standing on their tip toes, arms raised as if about to perform a cartwheel; and the front half of Sad Jack.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 8

Want the MFA workshop experience without the cost and the crying? With OKD Fiction Editor Steve Chang, LMC writing workshops are collaborative conversations so you get the roundtable feedback that matters to you! Spots are limited to 4 writers in each cohort, so enroll now at buff.ly/VZDX2VG

Text reads: "join exclusive writing workshops" and "Lit Match Collective"

The font is outlined. It is curly and shaky and uses hearts and stars to decorate the tops of some letters. Dreamgirl-esque.

Two Sad Jacks face each other on either side of the image with three little spirals in the middle. In the top half of the image is a field of pink grass and a single bare tree on a hill.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 5

“violence. one time i shot a metaphor just to watch it bleed out on my lawn” “Nine American Sentences” by Julia Ross @tachment.bsky.social new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/06/05/n...

A deep red and bright green are the prominent colors in this image. With a red spindly flower in the background, Sad Jack stands on a green leaf in the foreground and faces the other side of the image where pieces of the leaf break off and disperse.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 4

What harm is there in sending in your work for free? Exactly. Submit at buff.ly/chQ4jpz

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 2

This month’s newsletter features “How I turn a weird idea into flash fiction” by OKD Fiction Reader Andre'a Victorian. News includes the many achievements of our staff and readers! Read the full newsletter at okaydonkeymag.beehiiv.com/p/turn-your-...

The background of this image consists of an open, pink-toned mouth with pointed canine teeth. A ripple in dark blue water makes up the inside of the mouth. There are a variety of gems on the teeth, from a star, moon, flower, and heart to Sad Jack himself.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· Jun 1

This image depicts a cloud "stairway to Heaven" in a blue sky with the sun shining at the top of the stairs. A pair of hands holds a small Sad Jack in its palms, and a large, god-like dot-shadow of a donkey towers over the palms in the sky.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 29

“He was all cut up and it was like looking at a piece of exotic fruit, trying to identify something familiar.” “Cooter” by Rebekah Morgan, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/05/29/c...

A giant watermelon is nestled by surrounding mountains. The watermelon's red insides are pouring out into the river below, which is also red. Centered at the water(melon)fall is a suited man with sliced star fruit for a head. Sad Jack is next to him.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 25

Another OKD contributor, Lisa Richter @lisarichter.bsky.social (August 2021) has a poetry collection out with University of Alberta Press! You can check out Lisa’s book, “Sublunary,” at bookshop.org/p/books/subl...

Sad Jack's head is overlaid with an image of a bright green eye with pink skin.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 22

“He says don’t fear the things you see, says surviving is about / looking deep...“ “Jack Nicholson Complains To Me About Nurse Ratched in a Dream” by Ambrielle Butler, @AJButlerWriting.bsky.social new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/05/22/j...

Nurse Ratched sits in an armchair. Sad "Jack" is next to her with his head replaced by Jack Nicholson as the Joker.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 18

OKD contributor Lavina Blossom (March 2025) has a chapbook of poems and art out with Bamboo Dart Press! You can check out Lavina’s chap, “Here to Be Remade,” at www.bamboodartpress.com/store/lavina...

Sad Jack wears a sheriff's hat atop a mountain range.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 15

“I’ve heard the young one and its mother [...] But the sonar carries more than shapes. Today, the whole resounding space of the sea is raw with grief.” “Protocol for Sonar” by Ellen Wiese, new flash fiction out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/05/15/p...

This image includes an electric hand mixer tinted blue sending down pink lightning from its whisks. The lightning is transforming (or giving life to?) Sad Jack and his foal who have both been turned into red-tinted fish. The background is an image of an ocean wave.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 13

OKD is happy to announce that our very own Fiction Reader, Samantha Borek, is now our Newsletter Editor! Read her full message to the community in the second image (or alt-text) below.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 11

Congratulations to Okay Donkey’s Best New Poets nominees! 🥳 Chrissy Stegman for “Breaking News: Barbie Eats Trump During Baltimore Pride Fest,” March 2025. (okaydonkeymag.com/2025/03/14/b...) Maxwell Minckler for “Hot-Desking,” September 2025. (okaydonkeymag.com/2025/09/26/h...)

Along with the information in the caption, this image includes a donkey-pegasus made of iron wearing a birthday hat.

Okay Donkey Magazine@okaydonkeymag· May 8

“There is an office where they keep sounds no one was present to hear, the tree falling, the glass crazing…” “The Office of Nobody There” by Jeffrey-Michael Kane, new poetry out today at OKD: okaydonkeymag.com/2026/05/08/t...