mostly through the minor revisions and copy edits to my memoir Work, getting a fresh reissue early this summer

My Truck Desk by Bud Smith October 29, 2025 – “Now that I had my Truck Desk, that vehicle was my very own rolling cubicle.”

This is just lovely. Like an ode to anyone who walks with a sketchbook or notebook wherever they go. www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/10... by @budsmith.bsky.social

Natural Selectors (short story)

Here is a new short story called, Natural Selectors. In it, a man looks back at his parent's generation and recounts the atrocities of the gang they had in their youth.
nicetrybudsmith.substack.com/p/natural-se...

thank you so much! that's very kind of you to write to me about it. I hope it's been a great winter for you, happy new years

Here is an essay I wrote for @parisreview.bsky.social about building a desk for a pickup truck
t.co/3Pf4Nl1WrN

ESSAY: Summer’s Over It’s raining and the cars driving by our apartment sound like waves again. I’m on the couch, writing on a little yellow cart that doubles as a rolling coffee table. She’s on the other side of the pink...

I wrote an essay called “Summer’s Over” for Zona Motel. Topics covered: art making, impending demolition, an innocent mistake

open.substack.com/pub/zonamote...

Sergiu Ciochina

Just remembered a dream I had last night where I was in a recording studio w/Tom Petty. He was dead, a skeleton, but up & about & sounding great on guitar. He was recording “You Don’t Know How It Feels” & wanted me to sing the vocals. I explained that was bad idea & eventually he came around. Whew!

It’s in the print issue or behind the paywall at this link — but, hit me up in a DM if I can help you read it other ways ❤️

Have a new story called “Skyhawks“ in the fall issue of the Paris Review. t.co/LFMR359iCc

Vlad Mag #6 (Part Two): “Bummer Summer,” edited by Brian Alan Ellis, is OUT NOW on the website! New work by @eyerarat.bsky.social (@filthyloot.bsky.social), @malsmart.bsky.social (@maudlinhouse.bsky.social), @budsmith.bsky.social, @formermissnj.bsky.social and others 🦩

Sitting here listening to Bat Out of Hell, as always.

Join us on Friday, 7/11, to celebrate the release of our latest issue, “Player Haters.” We’ll be at the Francis Kite Club on the LES for an evening of drinks, dancing, and good sportsmanship. Featuring DJs Jamison Lung and Paula Martinez.

I’ve got a new short story up at Joyland today. This one is called “Shades” t.co/9FXFxW2ApU

How do you build a writing group? Who knows. A great place to start looking is your local reading series. Go to that. Talk to the organizers. Read the work of your 'neighbors' --zines, or online magazines, or anything. See who lives around you. Find your people. Make something cool w/ a few of them

I meet people all the time, bummed because they only make art sporadically. I say that's great. Who cares about volume? Just make one thing you love this year. One thing. But then again, if you baked in deadlines, face-to-face meetups, fun, constructive arguments ... the thing usually glows gold

Other night I met a person in publishing, who misses the writing workshop group they had in grad school. Haven't written much since then. I said, Well you can change that, find 3 gifted people, w/ same goals (a novel/story collection) and be the leader, drive the thing, do it, meet in person monthly

saw a young dog walk by with the face of Skeletor

FENCE subscription is here:

fenceportal.org/subscribe/

INQUE Editions — Issue 3

you can pick up the UK magazine, INQUE here: www.inquemag.com/issue-3/

Oh and I forgot, I've got a new story called "Our Father" in a UK magazine ... the story is about a son who disappointed his father by not becoming a surgeon but then the terminally ill father keeps dying, resurrecting, dying, resurrecting, and so the son decides to cut him open to see what's wrong

I've got some new short stories--the most recent issue of FENCE has one called "Nightsky", tomorrow I'll share a link to one coming out in Joyland called "Shades." This fall I've got one coming into print again at The Paris Review

Changing Lanes | Dave Denison How long can bowling endure the vulture capitalists buying up alleys around the country?

How bout a little #sports chat on here? Where are the BlueSky bowlers? #bowling #tenpins
thebaffler.com/salvos/chang...

just got this in the mail and it's 🔥🔥🔥🔥

It is Disney canon that Huey, Dewey, and Louie moved in with Donald Duck after killing their biological father by putting fireworks under his chair and lighting them while he was sitting in it.

🦌🏎️🗡️💋

Chipper | Bud Smith He’d seen her do incredible things to dull people.

I have a new short story in The Baffler, called “Chipper” thebaffler.com/stories/chip...

AFTER PASSAIC - Farewell Transmission By Bud Smith Last night I broke a rib kicking a balloon. I went flying like Home Alone, Marv and Harry, landed on my side and damn it hurt. Sometime around sunset the following day I was at Miriam’s 8...

Here’s a new short story called “After Passaic” @farewelltransmiss.bsky.social
farewelltransmission.net/2025/04/afte...

Chipper | Bud Smith He’d seen her do incredible things to dull people.

I have a new short story in The Baffler, called “Chipper” thebaffler.com/stories/chip...

Never let your enemies give you a ride to the mall on the handlebars of their bike