• The sun hangs low above layered mountain ranges, casting golden light across rolling hills and forested slopes. Dark evergreen trees fill the foreground, while distant peaks fade into hazy layers beneath a warm yellow sky. homestead TEXT: The Sun and Us, Shamik Banerjee, Poetry

    The Sun and Us

    Our homestead, as if risen from its grave, invites the newborn sun; its brightest beams perk up the nest-hugged birds with resounding trills…

  • A delicate butterfly with soft yellow and cream wings spreads wide against a simple, neutral background, its wings dusted with tiny dark speckles that feel fragile and precise. The image feels quiet and observant, like pausing to notice the small, intricate details of something easily overlooked. bug in my juice TEXT: The Bug, Jackie Chou, Poetry

    The Bug

    There’s a bug in my juice
    this morning
    rippling the sweet surface
    of peach liquid…

  • A stylized illustration of a mother holding her baby while a younger childer hands her flowers. The background is solid red with a pattern of pink hearts throughout. Angel so sweet Text: We Celebrate Mother, Mary Derringer, Poetry

    We Celebrate Mother

    Mothers are a precious gift
    Sent to us from up above.
    They nurture us, take care of us,
    And give us all their love!

  • A lone polar bear stands with its head lowered among charred debris while flames and thick smoke rise behind it, casting an orange glow across the ruined landscape. The scene feels heavy and unsettling, like a stark reminder of loss and the fragile balance between nature and destruction. Habitat TEXT: Pretension, Sreeleekha Chatterjee, Poetry

    Pretension

    Threatened habitats resulting from burgeoning human population. What happens when trees are felled, and forest spaces are cleared?

  • A textured concrete ground is scattered with colorful confetti in various shapes, including small stars and circles, spread unevenly across the surface. The MockingOwl Roost owl logo appears in the bottom right corner. sombrero TEXT: After the Parade, Before the Loneliness, Poetry, Joshua Walker

    After the Parade, Before the Loneliness

    Later, I ate leftover tacos in silence,
    stared at the sombrero you left
    like a joke we forgot to laugh at.

Quarterly & Special Issues

  • Poetry Special 2022 cover
  • Introspection issue cover
  • Sleeper of R'Lyeh cover
  • cover image of the MockingOwl Roost, Volume 1, Issue 4: Community
  • giant elephant in forest with a man standing in front of the elephant
🦉 Submissions next open from June 1 to August 31 2024
April 25, 2026
A CD case displaying the album I Trawl the Megahertz by Paddy McAloon sits centered against a deep maroon background. The cover features minimalist curved lines in red, blue, and black across a white field. Text above reads “The Painful Comforts of Loneliness: A Review of Paddy McAloon’s I Trawl the Megahertz,” with “Album Review” along the side and the MockingOwl Roost owl logo in the bottom right corner. I Trawl the Megahertz TEXT: The Painful Comforts of Loneliness: A Review of Paddy McAloon’s I Trawl the Megahertz, Emma Diehl
Published by Emma Diehl at April 25, 2026
Categories

The Painful Comforts of Loneliness: A Review of Paddy McAloon’s I Trawl The Megahertz

This work soothes the heart as both a lullaby and an ode to the lonely, but its comfort also carries a clear warning: If we spend our lives living in the fantasies in our head, we will lose the lives we were meant to live.
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April 9, 2026
A packed theatre audience rises to its feet in a glowing auditorium, facing a brightly lit stage as applause fills the room. The atmosphere feels electric and celebratory. Ain’t Too Proud TEXT: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, A Review of the West End Musical, Theatre Review, Perri Dodgson
Published by Perri Dodgson at April 9, 2026
Categories

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations — A Review of the West End Musical

Well deserving of all its awarded accolades, Ain’t Too Proud is a masterpiece of entertainment. It takes you to the highs and the lows of the music industry in the sixties...
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