Latest Stories
Most recently published stories on Vocal.
Author's Notes: The Fairytale of Cinderella
Take an ancient story, add a queer foundation, characters that really want to make their marriage work, Rogers and Hammerstein, Into the Woods (just for flavour), a bit of soulmate magic, and, perhaps, you will find a true Happy Ever After.
By Dionearia Red18 days ago in Writers
The Paris Bed Diary. Honorable Mention in Craft Over Catharsis Challenge.
June 14th, 2017 She got her first full-time job and first stable health insurance plan at 21. Even the ability to go to a doctor when she is coughing up phlegm is not something that was given to her. She had to earn it on her own.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA18 days ago in Fiction
The Online Side Hustle That Changed Everything
At 23, Ryan felt trapped. Every morning, he woke up before sunrise, squeezed into a crowded bus, and headed to a job that paid his bills... but drained his soul. The work wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t inspiring either. His paycheck disappeared the moment it arrived: rent, food, utilities, and a small loan he couldn’t seem to shake. By the end of each month, his bank balance hovered dangerously close to zero.
By MIGrowth18 days ago in Motivation
Author's Notes: The Fairytale of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is an old fairytale whose protostory can be dated back to Ancient Greece, and it has always been my favourite fairytale. I grew up with the Disney version, and the beauty of it - the rich colours, the fantastical yet very real and grounded designs, the cleverness of Belle and a Beast who grows to match her... all these things have always resonated with me. As I grew and learned different variations, I realised how changeable and adaptable fairytales are, especially in queer terms. The Beast is a creature transformed, a creature trying to find 'his' humanity again; the Beauty is Other, different, odd. Apart. They are a queer couple even when they are not. This new version mixes several traditional versions with a female Beast, a wise and clever heroine, and a few Disney references because, well, why not?
By Dionearia Red18 days ago in Writers
The Lesions of Devotion . Top Story - February 2026.
Every day I set myself down on the freshly cut lawn and strip myself bare. I take my guitar and finger the frets and pick at the strings, listening for dissonance. My life is dissonance. I twist the tuning pegs until each string sounds bright. Then I kneel, calves pointing behind me, kneecaps facing forward. All exposed to the breeze. I close my eyes and play the melody.
By Paul Stewart18 days ago in Fiction
Un-more
**Un-More** I want to share a concept that has genuinely changed my life: the Un More Theory. It’s not a professional method or a clinical model — just something I’ve developed through real experience as a 40 year old mum of a two year old, living with medicated anxiety and learning how to rebuild my energy, confidence, and balance.
By Carolyn Sternes18 days ago in Motivation
