Halfway Down the Stairs

04/02/2024

“I fell in love with a Forties movie star when I was about nine or ten and dreamt that he was my father.”
DANA ANDREWS DREAM SUITE, by Lev Raphael

I fell in love with a Forties movie star when I was about nine or ten and dreamt that he was my father. I was watching the classic film noir Laura where Dana Andrews plays a hard-boiled, …

21/01/2024

“At home I unleashed all the tears I had been storing, telling my mother that I would not go back to school until I had some new clothes. It was bad enough being a foreigner with a weird name and no grasp of slang. I could not change those facts, but I could change my wardrobe.”
SWEATSHIRT WEATHER, by Dar Chestin

The fleece-lined sweatshirt and its matching pants are a beautiful pale green color. A baby pink stripe hugs the wider white stripe that runs down both the sleeves and the legs. There is a small fl…

28/12/2023

“In deep winter, I found these
reasons to be glad—
the black-green pines, heaving,
arms laden with beauty,
their willful persistence,
hard and enduring as stars.”
IN DEEP WINTER, by Antonia Clark

In deep winter, I found these reasons to be glad—the black-green pines, heaving, arms laden with beauty, their willful persistence, hard and enduring as stars. And against the silvering sky, bare b…

17/12/2023

"Within minutes, lying on the ice, my body freezes stiff. Ice encrusts my beard, and my open eyes and lips freeze solid. The only reference I have is sound. I can see the Lake of Sleep on the moon’s surface, and Samuel Beckett acolyte I am, I imagine I laugh. Then blackness. Then yelling. Then oblivion."
BOREAS, by Eugene Jones Baldwin

I stood on the riverbank of the Mississippi River in the afternoon and watched eleven bald eagles rafting on ice floes. A lone Northern pelican swooped low above open water patches. It was January,…

11/12/2023

"She wears a silver dress that flows and flutters like the wind itself. Sometimes she is as tall as a man and others as small as a pinecone. Where she sets her foot, frost spreads beneath it, and where she passes by, snow follows."
WISHING ON A WINTER SPRITE, by Ariana G. Weberg

She is a delicate little creature with a narrow waist and a light step. Her skin is pale, never flushing with cold, glittering like frost, and her lips are almost blue. Her pixie-cut hair is white …

05/12/2023

"I will paint myself back into the landscape:
snow-caked pines and a whited-out pond

waving slender arches of rimed dried reeds
in the glittering glade."
NOSHAWDOWLAND, by Lucie Chou
(one of our 2023 Pushcart nominees)

I will paint myself back into the landscape:snow-caked pines and a whited-out pond waving slender arches of rimed dried reedsin the glittering glade. I am disappearing into the foreground as one of…

01/12/2023

We're open for submissions! Our next issue will be themed EPHEMERA. We're looking forward to seeing where this takes you - submit your , and in by February 1, 2024!

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/12/2023

It's WINTER in the northern hemisphere, and at halfwaydownthestairs.net! This is a truly beautiful issue. Thanks go out to all our authors and editors!

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

19/11/2023

We are thrilled to announce our Pushcart Prize nominations for the 2023 year!

From our March 2023 issue, Strange Bedfellows, we nominated:
OFFERING, by Nathan Erwin ( ) https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/03/01/offering-by-nathan-erwin/

NO QUESTIONS ASKED, by Patty Somlo ( ) https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/03/01/no-questions-asked-by-patty-somlo/

From our June 2023 issue, Resistance, we nominated:
CROW, by Harrison Hebb ( ) https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/06/01/crow-by-harrison-hebb/

From our September 2023 issue, Body & Soul, we nominated:
LOST AND FOUND, by Violet St. Clair ( ) https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/09/01/lost-and-found-by-violet-st-clair/

And from our forthcoming issue in December, themed Winter, we have nominated:
NOSHADOWLAND, by Lucie Chou ( )
and
THE GIRL WHO SPOKE BUTTERFLIES, by Maleah Dancer ( )

Congratulations to all the nominees!!

We wrapped thyme in olive leaves& burned Heracleum until no onewas left on the black sand beach.We dreamed that Appalachia endedexcept the two of us on this Greek island.When we heard the news …

05/11/2023

We've updated our theme calendar! Upcoming themes for 2024 include EPHEMERA, BEFORE & AFTER, and ON THE ROAD. Find out more here:

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/09/2023

BODY & SOUL is live! We hope it brings you great pleasure:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

29/07/2023

We are thrilled to announce our nominees for Sundress Publications' Best of the Net 2024! How about a round of applause for:

From CITIES, September 2022:
- Whenever I Come to Manhattan, I Remember, by Meghan Sterling https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/09/01/whenever-i-come-to-manhattan-i-remember-by-meghan-sterling/

From PORTRAIT, December 2022:
- Polaroid of a girl from Pennsylvania, by Stacey R. Forbes https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/polaroid-of-a-girl-from-pennsylvania-by-stacey-r-forbes/

- Acrylic Garden, by Lorrie Ness https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/acrylic-garden-by-lorrie-ness/

- Selfie with Lunar Landing, by Dawn Terpstra https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/selfie-with-lunar-landing-by-dawn-terpstra/

- The Neighbors, by Hanwen Zhang https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/the-neighbors-by-hanwen-zhang/

- The Gardener, by Kristi Ross https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/the-gardener-by-kristi-ross/

- Bats, by David Milley https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/12/01/bats-by-david-milley/

From STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, March 2023:
- Offering, by Nathan Erwin https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/03/01/offering-by-nathan-erwin/

- No Questions Asked, by Patty Somlo https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/03/01/no-questions-asked-by-patty-somlo/

From RESISTANCE, June 2023:
- Dying and Living, by Scott T. Hutchison https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/06/01/dying-and-living-by-scott-t-hutchison/

08/06/2023

We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new nonfiction editor, Ellen Herbert! Welcome, Ellen - we're thrilled you're joining the team. Read more about Ellen's story here: https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/editors/

We still have one vacancy in the nonfiction team (for now), so let us know if you are interested: https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2023/06/01/halfway-down-the-stairs-is-hiring/

Halfway Down the Stairs is a quarterly literary magazine established in 2005 to publish cutting-edge fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by talented writers. New issues are published every March, June…

05/06/2023

We're open for submissions! Our September issue will be themed BODY & SOUL. Where does this take you? Let us know:

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/06/2023

Great news: RESISTANCE is here. Wonderful new poetry, fiction and nonfiction, by talented writers - read it all here:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

26/04/2023

Would you like to join our team? One position has been filled, but one remains open. Get in touch now!

Halfway Down the Stairs (HDtS) is currently looking for new nonfiction editors. Duties will include reading and voting on submissions, sending acceptances and diplomatic rejections, and also editin…

03/03/2023

We're open now through May 1 for submissions for RESISTANCE. Submissions guidelines can be found here: https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/submissions/

Like many other zines, we've updated our guidelines on what should already be obvious - we only accept writing by humans. Of course, we appreciate that the fame, glory and honour associated with HDtS has an allure, but please don't try to use AI to trick us into making you a household name. We trust our authors and we're grateful that you trust us with your work, and we love publishing good writing by humans about human experiences.

Footnote: We cannot guarantee that being published in HDtS will make you a household name.

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/03/2023

And with many thanks to all who contributed, our March issue is live now! Please, acquaint yourselves with our STRANGE BEDFELLOWS:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

22/01/2023

Attention writers: We're looking for new nonfiction editors! These opportunities don't come around very often, so get in touch. More details here:

Halfway Down the Stairs (HDtS) is currently looking for new nonfiction editors. Duties will include reading and voting on submissions, sending acceptances and diplomatic rejections, and also editin…

01/12/2022

It's December, which means that PORTRAIT is now live! After receiving more submissions for this theme compared with any in our 17 year history, we're proud to present this beautiful thing:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

30/09/2022

Congratulations to our nominees for Best of the Net 2022! Of all the work we published between July 2021 and June 2022, these were some of our very favorites:

From SKELETONS, September 2021:
Requiem for a Young Boy, by Laura Tate https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/09/01/requiem-for-a-young-boy-by-laura-tate/
Communion, by Melissa McKinstry https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/09/01/communion-by-melissa-mckinstry/

From STORM, December 2021:
Storm Damage, by Diane Elayne Dees https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/12/01/storm-damage-by-diane-elayne-dees/
The Ocean Explains Herself, by Patricia Davis-Muffett https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/12/01/the-ocean-explains-herself-by-patricia-davis-muffett/

From FRONTIERS, March 2022:
The Green Shoes, by Eric Weintraub https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/03/01/the-green-shoes-by-eric-weintraub/
Snail, by Sara McAulay https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/03/01/snail-by-sara-mcaulay/
The Tangled History of My Beard, by Lev Raphael https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/03/01/the-tangled-history-of-my-beard-by-lev-raphael/
Air & Space, by Erica A. Fletcher https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/03/01/air-space-by-erica-a-fletcher/

From OPEN & SHUT, June 2022:
Prawns, by Lynne Burnett https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/06/01/prawns-by-lynne-burnett/
The Unexplained, by R. H. Alexander https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2022/06/01/the-unexplained-by-r-h-alexander/

All, and others, can be found at: https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

01/09/2022

CITIES is live now! Readable and enjoyable at:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

18/06/2022

If you haven't heard already, we're open for submissions on the theme CITIES. Submissions will close on August 1. Guidelines can be found here: https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/submissions/

01/06/2022

Happy to announce we're live with OPEN & SHUT! Thank you to all our wonderful authors:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

02/03/2022

We're open for submissions - our next theme will be OPEN AND SHUT. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2022. We look forward to hearing from you!

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/03/2022

FRONTIERS is live now! We can't wait to hear where it takes you.

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

18/12/2021

We've updated our theme calendar, out to March 2023! If you'd like to submit in future, check it out at the link:

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

10/12/2021

We're open for submissions! FRONTIERS will be published on March 1, 2022, and we're accepting your submissions until February 1.

Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. New issues are published quarterly (March, June, September, and December), and each issue is themed. We p…

01/12/2021

It's December, which means... STORM is live now! Visit us at Halfway Down the Stairs:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction

23/11/2021

A big congratulations to all our Pushcart Prize nominees for 2021! They are:
👉Laura Grace Weldon, for her poem "Last Errand" (March 2021)
https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/03/01/last-errand-by-laura-grace-weldon/
👉Ria Parody Erlich, for her story "The Goodman Girls (September 2021)
https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/09/01/the-goodman-girls-by-ria-parody-erlich/
👉Laura Tate, for her poem "Requiem for a Young Boy" (September 2021)
https://halfwaydownthestairs.net/2021/09/01/requiem-for-a-young-boy-by-laura-tate/
👉Diane Elayne Dees, for her nonfiction "Storm Damage" (upcoming: December 2021)
👉Mary Beth Hines, for her story "Whiteout" (upcoming: December 2021)
👉Ellen Lager, for her poem "Circle High, Shelter Within the Eye" (upcoming: December 2021)

Read these and more wonderful work here:

Quarterly poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction