Literary Mixtape Volume 22
- kirstimackenzie
- May 25
- 2 min read
Side A:
Side B:
May 25, 2025
Off the top—apologies for the sparse publishing! I'm not keeping the pace I've promised for a couple of reasons.
First is that our volume of submissions is low relative to other mags—this is a niche publication, so it can take weeks for submissions to pile up. I'm happy to wait for the right pieces to come along, and sometimes that means waiting a little longer to compile a mixtape.
Second is that I'm not as great with promotion as I could be (mea culpa!) I am not super active on M7 social and I rely on folks to remember we're around for their weird little musically inspired piece.
I started M7 at a really, really difficult time in my life, because I am a bit of a workaholic and throw myself into projects when I am dealing (or not dealing) with tough stuff. The original pace I tried to keep (publishing daily!) was insane and I've adjusted to weekly, then to monthly, now to—well, whatever pace this is.
I've made my peace with it. I will stick around as long as the project is fun and sustainable, even if that means we are not on a schedule. I am finding lately that deadlines are often meant to be blown. Healing is not linear, and often doesn't follow a schedule. I don't plan on holding myself to a schedule for M7, either. Like yours truly, I'm just going to let it grow at its own pace.
Time for Volume 22!
David P. Miller's "The Art of Dying" is an exercise in detail, a kitchen table setting zooming in and in again (with a surprise shower stall in the kitchen?)
"Linoleum" is an ode to burgeoning teenage rebellion set to a messy, screaming soundtrack—all the ways a song can transcend time and pull us back from our 30s to being 13 again.
Arya Vishin's "Praying" grapples quietly with the aftermath of a devastating event—of trying, and failing, to find meaning in trauma.
"Horseshoe Crab" weaves a delicate underwater scene, gazing up at the light-dappled surface while the ocean drifts by around the narrator.
Isobel Bradshaw's "Biblical Love" examines the ways in which religion roots itself in us in five acts.
"Big Girls Don't Cry" relives an embarrassing and deeply funny break up story, letting it morph from pain into private joke over years.
I have more hope than I've had in a while, pals. In my little corner of the world, the trees are going from bud to bloom, and I've got a smile on my face. I wish you the same.
xo,
Kirsti
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