The First Line

21/03/2025

The spring issue of The First Line is now available. You can get a copy by joining one of our Patreon tiers or head over to our Patreon shop (www.patreon.com/c/bluecubiclepress/shop) to purchase a PDF. It's also available on Kindle (www.amazon.com/dp/B0F233WRG1). If you would like a print copy, visit www.thefirstline.com

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29/01/2025

Hi, everybody - Just a friendly reminder that you have four days left to send in your spring submissions.
David

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17/01/2025

I made a joke about Texas winters a few weeks ago. Then the snow came, and the newly printed winter issues of The First Line got lost somewhere between Pennsylvania and Forth Worth.

We received the issues yesterday and have been working hard to get them back in the mail before the next storm barrels through.

We apologize for the wait (the theme for this month's replay of TFL on Tape over at Patreon), and we want to remind you that you have a little over two weeks to get your submissions in for the spring issue.

Write on!
David

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27/12/2024

Hi, everybody - We've just released the winter issues of The First Line and The Last Line. You can purchase both PDFs for one low price or order the print versions from our website.

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04/12/2024

Hi, everybody -

Our friends at Groundwork Poetry Anthology Project have extended their deadline to December 15 for accepting poems for their anthology Groundwork: Poems on Working Life in the Climate Crisis.

They are looking for poems about what it’s like to do your job (paid or unpaid) in our age of climate change and uncertainty.

There’s no fee to submit, and they offer a $60 honorarium if your poem is selected. You can send up to three poems.

Note: The October 31 submission deadline has passed, but we will continue accepting submissions at [email protected] until December 15. How is the changing climate affecting your work? Has your workplace or schedule been altered by environmental change? Do events like extreme heat, floo...

26/11/2024

We visited the Dallas Zine Fest about a week ago . . .

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08/11/2024

Hi, everybody! We released the 2025 first lines:

Spring:
Jayce recognized the man right away but couldn't remember his name.
Due date: February 1, 2025

Summer:
No one really knows why restoration stopped on the abandoned St. Julian hotel, where commoners and kings once came to relax in luxury.
Due date: May 1, 2025

Fall:
Her truck took the sharp turns of the mountain road with ease.
Due date: August 1, 2025

Winter:
When anyone in town needed help, they contacted Rocky Germain.
Due date: November 1, 2025

And we’re excited to announce Kevin Brown as our Southern Festival of Books 2025 First/Last Line Contest winner. His sentence will be used in the winter 2025 issue of The Last Line:

I called back a week later and told them we were good to go.

Write on!
Robin and David

Remember, all stories must start with the appropriate first line, and you cannot change it in any way unless otherwise indicated.

26/10/2024

Setting up at the Southern Festival of Books. If you're in Nashville, drop by booth 94 and say hi!

22/10/2024

We ❤️ Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C.

https://www.facebook.com/politicsandprose/

15/10/2024

Hi, everybody!

We just released (dropped?) a new episode of TFL on Tape. David reads Bobby Rollins's story, "The Curator." Bobby's story appeared in the Summer 2023 issue and begins with the first line: Thomas hadn't expected to be alive when the town's time capsule was opened.

Give a listen here:

20/09/2024

Hi, everybody - The fall issue is at the printer, but you can order an electronic version now.

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18/09/2024

Hi, everybody - We're excited to announce that we're heading to Nashville next month to attend the Southern Festival of Books.

We finally got around to writing about the conference we attended this summer in Austin, and you can read about it at the link below.

Don't forget: Submissions to The Last Line are due in a couple of weeks.

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12/09/2024

Hi, everybody – This is just a friendly reminder that submissions for The Last Line are due in a couple of weeks:

I didn't want to admit it, but Lee was usually right.
Due date: October 1, 2024

30/07/2024

Hi, everybody!
Just a friendly reminder . . . There are only a few days left to submit your story or poem for the fall issue. We’re excited to read about your Alices.

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05/06/2024

Happy Wednesday!

To celebrate the recent release of Workers Write! Further Tales from the Cubicle, we’re replaying episode 42 of TFL on Tape: “The Cube Life.” The story was written by Sean Sweeney and read by Tim Montoya as part of the Sculpted Word radio show out of Barnard College in 2003.

https://www.thefirstline.com/tfltape.htm

And we’ve released a new call for submissions for the next issue of Workers Write!, which is Tales from the Cleaners. You can read more about that here:

https://www.workerswritejournal.com/

David

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27/05/2024

We attended the Dallas Is Lit! Book Fair last weekend, and you can read about it here:

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17/05/2024

Hey, North Texas -
It's supposed to be hot tomorrow, which should be perfect for Dallas Is Lit! We'll be at the Book & Author Fair. Come on out an say hi!

Dallas Is Lit Returns May 13-19, 2024 Day Hour Minute Second Dallas Is Lit Event Lineup Looking For The Raffle? Click Here! Monday, May 13th Hear Me, See Me Multilingual…

07/05/2024

In the beginning, there were subscriptions, and the subscriptions were good. Then came Amazon Newsstand, and the subscriptions were great.

Last year, Amazon decided to shutter its newsstand, leaving small publications like ours in a bind.

And now Small Press Distribution is dead.

So, we’re trying out Patreon.

Why Patreon? Patreon is a chance to keep our journals running. It offers reliable income that helps us plan for increased costs, such as printing and postage. But it’s not just about paying the bills. Twenty-five years ago, TFL was one of the first literary journals to pay writers. Sure, it was symbolic (five dollars a story), but we promised ourselves we would pay more as we grew. Over the years, we were fortunate to be able to raise our payments; however, we’ve been stuck on semi-pro rates for far too long. By building back our subscriber base, we can start paying more for your words.

For more information:

https://www.patreon.com/BlueCubiclePress

Thanks, as always, for your support.

home of The First Line and Workers Write! literary journals