Rained Off by Michael Fitzgerald – The Milk House A fatal accident leaves a quiet man with plenty to think about in the short story "Rained Off" by Michael Fitzgerald.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

An Irish man has to decide how an unfortunate incidence is going to shape him, in the short story "Rained Off" by Michael Fitzgerald.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/rained-off-b...

Fields and Streams by Sara Fleming – The Milk House Sarah Fleming finds a moment of piece away from the responsibilities she has suddenly been tasked with, in her excerpt "Field and Streams."

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

After tasked with a serious responsibility, @sarafleming.bsky.social takes a moment to rest and reflect, in her excerpt "Fields and Streams."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/fields-and-s...

American Testament by Michael Lundy – The Milk House A community comes together to take care of one of its biggest problems, in Michael Lundy's short story "American Testament."

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

Rural community resilience takes on a new meaning, in the short story "American Testament" by Michael Lundy.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/american-tes...

I'm proud of what Samantha Rogers, Alma Antón, Madelyn Pendry and I put together. There are some amazing rural voices in this collection.

If you want to support #TheMilkHouse and get to read some memorable writing, get your copy here:

www.themilkhouse.org/product/2026...

Winter on the Farm: A Memoir by Tom Milburn – The Milk House Tom Milburn reflects on the season and his childhood growing up in snow in his essay "Winter on the Farm: A Memoir."

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A childhood in snow is pondered in Tom Milburn's essay "Winter on the Farm: A Memoir."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/winter-on-th...

Pour Three Fingers and Grab me a Beer by Dan Tamblyn – The Milk House In "Pour Me Three Fingers and Grab me a Beer" by Dan Tamblyn, a father and son make the most of the time they have left together.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A father and son's final moments together recounts their familial past, in Dan Tamblyn's short story "Pour Three Fingers and Grab Me a Beer."

www.themilkhouse.org/pour-three-f...

In Long Exhale and Other Poetry by Nancy Huxtable Mohr – The Milk House "Our farm in long exhale—heat beats harder / on these acres. Fickle rain. Dormant acres / of wild grass..." Nancy Huxtable Mohr.

In July, a rush to get dry harvest in the barn
before a summer storm, our family of girls
pirouetted from housework to hay wagons...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "In Long Exhale and Other Poetry" by Nancy Huxtable Mohr.

www.themilkhouse.org/in-long-exha...

Nameless by Daniel Heila – The Milk House Young boys are forced to confront serious matters sooner than they expected, in the short story "Nameless" by Daniel Heila.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

Two young boys are forced to reckon with adult matters, in the short story "Nameless" by Daniel Heila.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/nameless-by-...

Made in Milk and Other Poems by James Walton – The Milk House "The cattle have grazed through the wait / anxious at the gate getting noisy..." Enjoy three poems by James Walton.

"The cattle have grazed through the wait
anxious at the gate getting noisy..."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: Made in Milk and Other Poems by James Walton.

Read them here: www.themilkhouse.org/made-in-milk...

Rats in the Corncrib By Brian Reisinger – The Milk House They sure didn’t need her there—Beulah knew that without being told. Hunched over the steering wheel of her Buick, peering through the haze as the wipers whisked the snow from her windshield, she coul...

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A farming family contends with a changing world, in Brian Reisinger's short story "Rats in the Corncrib."

Read it here:

www.themilkhouse.org/rats-in-the-...

The results of the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest are in.

Who has won the grand prize and title of overall Best in Rural Writing, presented by #TheMilkHouse and @dailyyonder.bsky.social?

www.themilkhouse.org/2025-best-in...

On Killing by Andrew Sharp – The Milk House Andrew Sharp approaches death on both the conceptual and practical level, trying to negotiate its necessity in modern life.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

Andrew Sharp (@asharpwriter.bsky.social) teases apart a delicate but universal issue, in his essay "On killing."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/on-killing-b...

A Good Visit Home by Dan Tamblyn – The Milk House A return to the past brings back some unresolved business, in Dan Tamblyn's short story "A Good Visit Home."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: a man returns to where he grew up with unsettled business on his mind.

Enjoy "A Good Visit Home" by @dantamblyn.bsky.social.

www.themilkhouse.org/a-good-visit...

His mostly bald head bobbled as he talked
and the halting words waited like the holes
to be threaded...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Baling Hay with Glen" by Joseph Powell.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/baling-hay-w...

Bug by John Whittier Treat – The Milk House An annual camping trip causes one brother to start thinking about what lies ahead of them, in "Bug" by John Whittier Treat.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

a hunting trip for brothers turns into a comment on mortality, in the short story "Bug" by John Whittier Treat.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/bug-by-john-...

Grieving Horses by Julie H. Fonte – The Milk House "The last thing I expected / turning into the gravel drive / were four red manes bowing / over a split rail fence..." Julia H. Fonte

Drawn to their sad songs
rolling across the yard like leaves,
I lingered in soft eyes, gazes
never wavering from his window...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Grieving Horses" by Julie H. Fonte.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/grieving-hor...

Dead Owl and Other Poems by J. R. Solonche – The Milk House Yet there it was, / transferred to my palm like one of those / crazy decalcomanias she adorns herself with..."Dead Owl and Other Poems"

"Yet there it was,
transferred to my palm like one of those
crazy decalcomanias she adorns herself with..."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Dead Owl and Other Poems" by J.R. Solonche.

Read them here: www.themilkhouse.org/dead-owl-and...

The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green – The Milk House "What he feels, he acts upon; / What determines truth describes consequence...." The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green.

What he feels, he acts upon;
What determines truth describes consequence....

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "The Sugars of Existence by Benjamin Green.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-sugars-o...

Flystrike by Pearl Benjamin – The Milk House A young woman is forced into action on a farm. Enjoy "Flystrike" by Pearl Benjamin, shortlisted in the 2024 Best in Rural Writing contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: A young woman has some tough choices on a farm left in her care.

Read "Flystrike" by Pearl Benjamin, #shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

www.themilkhouse.org/flystrike-by...

Education by Sidney Lea – The Milk House "Old times, but not so old that as darkness slunk in / the man had to hold his metal lantern..." Education by Sydney Lea

"I’ve been here for decades among all sorts of hardwoods,
eight evergreen species, innumerable shrubs,
not on the Main. But in truth, I was born in the suburbs..."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: the poem "Education" by Sydney Lea.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/education-by...

Agata and the Mice by Peyton Ellas – The Milk House A woman looks for a new start in "Agata and the Mice" by Peyton Ellas, shortlisted in the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A character might have found an opening for a new life in "Agata and the Mice" by Peyton Ellas, shortlisted in the 2024 #BestinRuralWriting Contest.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/agata-and-th...

The Escapee’s Lover by Dennis McFadden – The Milk House An old man gets another taste of life, as well as insight into someone else's, in Dennis McFadden's short story "The Escapee's Lover."

This week on #TheMilkHouse: An old man gets a chance at another adventure, in Dennis McFadden's short story "The Escapee's Lover."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-escapees...

Johnny’s Coming! by Gwylym Ford – The Milk House One never knows what will dig up the past, in Gwylym Ford's story "Johnny's Coming!," shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: An old eccentric in a small town holds secrets that no one guessed.

Enjoy "Johnny's Coming!" by Gwyl Weatherford.

www.themilkhouse.org/johnnys-comi...

The Seventh Whistler by Jonathan Humble – The Milk House "The landscape changed, the game unfurled, / a post-impressionistic dance..." read "The Seventh Whistler" by Jonathan Humble.

The landscape changed, the game unfurled,
a post-impressionistic dance,
as bird and hare and hound performed
in blurring April ambience...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "The Seventh Whistler" by @northernjim.bsky.social)

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/the-seventh-...

A Body In Motion by Elizabeth Rosen – The Milk House In the short story "A Body in Motion" by Elizabeth Rosen, a teenager has the hard choice of when to hang on and when to let go.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

A teenage boy has to learn when to hold on and when to let go, in Elizabeth Rosen's #shortstory "A Body in Motion."

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/a-body-in-mo...

Side of the Road by Simon A. Smith – The Milk House In Simon A. Smith's short story "Side of the Road," a stray dog helps a man find the answers he needs in his marriage.

This week on #TheMilkHouse: a chance encounter with an usual ally helps a man reconsider what's in front of him.

Read the short story "Side of the Road" by Simon A. Smith: www.themilkhouse.org/side-of-the-...

Haying seasons by Bill Conlogue – The Milk House Read the essay "Haying Seasons" by Bill Conlogue, shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest by judge Dr. Chea Parton.

On #TheMilkHouse: Bill Conlogue considers his father's life through the fieldwork he did, in his essay "Haying Seasons," shortlisted for the 2024 #BestinRuralWriting contest.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/haying-seaso...

Cloud of Locusts by Michael Loyd Gray – The Milk House The fragility of making a life as a farmer is felt by everyone in the family, in Michael Loyd Gray's short story "Cloud of Locusts."

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

In the short story "Cloud of Locusts" by Michael Loyd Gray, one character faces the fragility of being a farmer in the modern world.

Read "Cloud of Locusts" here.

www.themilkhouse.org/cloud-of-loc...

Oyster World by Cayla Garman – The Milk House "...hoping I could grow your mind / past the limits of our watershed,..." Oyster World by Cayla Garman

You massacred those oysters
when we were girls,
wrenched them from the river mud...

This week on #TheMilkHouse: "Oyster World" by Cayla Garman.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/oyster-world...

What We've Lost by Bill Smoot – The Milk House The past and the presence collapse in an all-too-familiar experience faced by those from a farm. Read "What We've Lost" by Bill Smoot.

This week on #TheMilkHouse:

The past and the present collapse in Bill Smoot's moving story "What We've Lost," sharing an experience faced by many who grew up on a farm.

Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/what-weve-lo...