Literary Mixtape Volume 25
- kirstimackenzie
- 30 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Side A:
Side B:
November 15, 2025
I bought a personal planner for 2026. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. I'm a person who is deeply nerdy about making plans, about setting goals. I haven't done that for some time.
As of this volume, M7 has put out five volumes in 2025, in a very (very) scattershot approach. Come 2026, we're ("WE" for REAL this TIME) going to put out mixtapes on a quarterly basis—January, April, July, October.
I'm a person who, by nature, likes structure and routine. My last few years shot any routine or structure I had to hell, and I've been kind of hanging on for the ride ever since. Time for a return to form.
I'm really, really happy to say that I've got some help in that department. I'd love to introduce you to Amy E. Casey, M7 contributor and new friend. She's going to be handling social media for M7, so that our little publication can hopefully grow, and so our artists can get more love and support they deserve. I severely underestimated how much bandwidth I had to tackle, reading, editing, and social promotion for the mag, and this will be a very welcome change.
Amy contributed to our last issue, so allow me to reintroduce her:
Amy E. Casey is the author of the novel The Sturgeon's Heart (2022). Her short fiction and poetry have been published by Horns & Rattles Press, Lit Angels, Marrow Magazine, Club Plum, NonBinary Review, and Split Rock Review, among others. She lives and works on the cold freshwater shores of Lake Michigan. Follow her process on Instagram at @amy_e_casey or Bluesky @amy-e-casey, and the web at amyecasey.com
I know the mag will only be better for Amy's presence, and I'm so excited to have her help.
I also find myself craving structure, routine, and discipline on a personal level. I know deep down that on the other side of discipline is freedom, is mastery of self. Self discipline, for me, has always equalled self-respect, and self-love. I am a person who craves balance in all things, and I haven't had much for a few years now. So I'm going to run a little experiment—see how much my life can change when I shift my habits and routines. See how much I can change, both as a writer, and a human being.
Maybe M7 will change for the better, with it. It means the world to have someone else on the masthead, someone who believes in the project as much (or more!) than I do. I hope I can do right by her, and as always, by our writers.
Speaking of, here's Volume 25.
Introducing longtime friend and first time M7 contributor Scott Laudati with "Common Knowledge", a heartfelt ode to a childhood hero. Scott's one of my very favourite writers around, and I'm so thrilled to bring the ache and tender heart of his poetry to anyone not yet familiar with his work.
Man of many pseudonyms Marco Visciolaccio meditates on disappointing your mother while traversing the Yalu River, bordering China and North Korea in "You Are My Sunshine."
Tex Gresham and KKUURRTT were such a welcome surprise in my inbox with "You're Still the One". They're the dynamic duo of indie lit and I'd forgive them just about anything—including the little joke trick they pull with the song title (a first, and only, in M7 history. You'll see a different (proper!) song on the M7 master playlist). While you're in there, make sure to pick up POP!, their joint novel being released with Rejection Letters Press this month.
Romy Rhoads Ewing returns to M7 with "Nothing Better". Romy's poetry only winks at her navel, forever a gentle gaze inward without going cross-eyed or taking herself too seriously. "Nothing Better" is something of a self portrait, and I'm glad to give it a home on M7.
I'm gonna admit it: I didn't quite know what to make of Isaac Offski's "Natural Disasters" when it landed in my inbox, but it is unhinged in all the right ways, the kind of welcome challenge that forces you to sit up straight and re-read lines over and over. It's not that deep. Don't look too close. But it is a hell of a lot of fun to read, and I'm glad Isaac sent it my way.
Jennifer Lai's "Leave a Light On" is pure, unfiltered nostalgia and childhood best-friend coded eighties glory. It's a little love song to an old friend with a deeply heartbreaking ending, and its quiet, winking light rounds out this Volume reminding us to hug our loved ones a little closer.
Wherever this finds you, I hope you get a little bit of balance in your life. I hope you push yourself to be your best, and to ask for help where you need it. If you are stubborn (like I am!) I hope the universe delivers that help in the form of a friend.
Welcome, Amy, to M7—I'm so happy to have you here, for as long as you want to be.
xo,
Kirsti