*Oct 2, 2025. Promoting one’s writing in this era feels kinda like standing on a chair at a funeral and asking, “Does everyone think I’m pretty?” With that in mind, I’ve had 26 stories, poems, and essays accepted in the past 27 weeks. Lots more new work coming out in fall and winter, too. Feels good, in light of still more surgery and medical hurdles. I’m still adding recently published work here and when–if?–I’m done paying the deluge of medical copays, I hope to finally hire a professional web designer. Ongoing medical expenses are the only reason that hasn’t happened yet. Anyway, it’s a perilous time in history and I hope you and yours are safe and well. All good wishes, Litsa*
—-Temple in a City, Issue 3, December 7, 2025. My micro fiction story “Oedipus Sings Smooth Jazz” has been getting great feedback online–I think a lot of us have dated some version of this guy–so that’s been a bit of a giggle:
—-Pictura Journal, Issue 4, December 2025. Delighted that my poem “Sweet Murder” is in such fine company:
https://picturajournal.com/issue-five/poetry-issue-five/litsa-dremousis/
—-On November 18, 2025, I learned that my story “Slipping Through the Membrane” had been nominated for Best Small Fictions 2026 by Flare Lit Mag. Until now, my awards and accolades had been for memoir, essays, and music writing, so this is particularly gratifying. Yay! I posted the story when it first came out in June, but here it is again:
https://flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/slipping-through-the-membrane-by-litsa-dremousis/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOkgfVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFNRGVRTVdOdmNUbDdiNmJCc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkOgNLSVIB6lF3UfbqXCYja9Up2mbLP_mY61seRr2urpLRZLSS1ushuY7ZxJ_aem_5FjoA-37kDswaIN9YjYkew
—-My poems “Dinosaurs”, “Casino”, and “Disabled with Dog”, The Write Launch, November 2025. “Casino” came easily but also somehow felt like shaving off a layer of skin:
https://thewritelaunch.com/2025/11/dinosaurs-casino-and-disabled-with-dog/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOez0lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeJGfrKW7tE79WR0034Ejd8TnlmK54oX6jkUcXztIOPbooQCMEbIa1isLcmmg_aem_vHnWeh59uooNcdc-kd73eA
—-My poem “Eulogy for My Grief Therapist”–the title is deliberately tongue-in-cheek–is in the November 2025 issue of The Quasar Review. I love their journal, but their site is wonky AF. Here are the links:
https://2084literary.wixsite.com/the-quasar-review/editions
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/737079a730.html#page/2
—-101 Words, October 23, 2025. My story “Stella Tells Me” is based on a real person but the fun thing about fiction is, if you do it right, no one gets sued. Wheeeee!
https://101words.org/stella-tells-me/
—-Last Girls’ Club, Issue 19, Fall 2025. Pleased my short story “Deborah’s Done” found a home among such great company. $18 for the print issue and $9 for the .PDF:
https://www.lastgirlsclub.com
—-Soul Poetry, Prose, and Arts Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 3, Summer 2025. My poems “No Cash” and “I’m Disabled”–the titles are deliberately on the nose–are on pages 56 and 57. Got to be honest here and didn’t have to make everything squishy and palatable and, paradoxically, that feels good. The Soul Poetry doesn’t allow you to hyperlink to your poems but the HeyZine incarnation does–dealer’s choice!
https://soulpoetry7.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/soul-poetry-volume-1-issue-3-summer-2025-3.pdf
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/1f4c5b907f.html#page/56
—-Nail Polish Stories, “Crimson Glide, July 2025. NPS has such a goofy conceit–25 word stories based on the name of a nail polish–but it’s been around forever both b/c it’s fun and b/c it yields some nifty little stories. (You can only hyperlink to a month, not a specific story. Alas.)
—-101 Words (pretty self-explanatory), “This Is the End”, July 24, 2025. Most of this happened verbatim–I won’t say which part I made up–and I’m enjoying the reaction to the whole piece.
—-Shine Poetry Quarterly’s International Poetry Series, my two poems “Battlescarred Galactica” and, well, I’m not going to repeat the other title here (no, it’s not obscene, nothing like that), July 21, 2025.
https://samanthaterrell.weebly.com/shine-poetry-series/july-21-litsa-dremousis
—-Short Beasts, my micro flash fiction story “Mario’s New Name”, July 16, 2025. Love to all the invertebrates!
https://www.shortbeasts.com/micro-flash-fiction/marios-new-name/
—-Bright Flash Literary Review, my short story “Like the Bird”, July 2025. Immodestly, one of my favorites to date.
https://brightflash1000.com/2025/07/03/like-the-bird/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLbkpNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETEwaXJ1ZzhJVkRnVzlYV0JmAR5kPPqVZSOO7xVN24iETpDk_Yo0AHw65ElgVYPrgn9Hp455HGz7HP-k4UkKFg_aem_Fjbqdl7-DA2cM7bWyhRz6g
—-Abundance Literary Magazine, my prose poem “Can You Accept”, Issue 1, July 2025. A meditation on my grandmothers, whose suffering was incalculable. Pages 53 through 55.
https://online.fliphtml5.com/FunInTheZine/dbiz/#p=53
—-Flare Lit Mag, Issue 3, “Slipping Through the Membrane”, June 27, 2025. So many great stories, poems, and drawings from other disabled artists in this issue and I’m proud my short story “Slipping Through the Membrane” is featured among theirs. Part of a larger upcoming work.
https://flaremagazinecom.wordpress.com/slipping-through-the-membrane-by-litsa-dremousis/
—-10×10 Flash, Issue 29, “The Bartender”, June 22, 2025. I’m thrilled I got a story wherein the protagonist has Myalgic Encephalomyelitis accepted into a mainstream lit journal. 10×10’s layout mimics that of a print book, so you’ll have to use the arrows at the bottom of the pages to get to “The Bartender” on pages 6 through 8.
https://10x10flash.com/2025/06/22/10-by-10-flash-issue-29-now-available/
—-Short Beasts, “Before the Fire”, June 20, 2025. Short Beasts accepted two of my flash fiction stories–they feature a handful of authors in each quarterly issue–and “Before the Fire” is the first. I have no idea why it’s coming up as a block of text instead of a link, but I’m sure the earth won’t spin off its axis.
—-Flash Phantoms, “Torn Cartilage”, June 1, 2025. For fun (as such), I tried my hand at horror. Delighted that it landed w/ Flash Phantoms. Given the subject matter, it’s important to note that this one is 100% fiction.
https://www.flashphantoms.net/june-micro-fiction-horror?fbclid=IwY2xjawK4QqtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFuMzJ6WEFWZ2JmQmNITk83AR565uL1BfU5iCetll1qQgGDeZ-1LnWHasNl9n1gxZep-PorEM7SaCqSnrPo5A_aem_Aukxwy-6JsABLo2-sHXYFQ
—-Flash Fiction Magazine, “On the School Steps”, May 17, 2025. Loosely based on the tragic murder of a classmate 40 years ago. As Carrie Fisher wrote, “Nothing is ever really over. It’s just over there.”
https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2025/05/17/on-the-school-steps/#comment-77394
—-The Literary Underground, “Your Pale Gray Eyes”, May 10, 2025. The first poem I’ve ever submitted–I’ve always kept my poetry for myself–so it feels good to see it in print.
https://theliteraryunderground.org/blog/2025/05/10/your-pale-gray-eyes-by-litsa-dremousis/
—-PEM Pod, “Living with the Fluctuations of M.E. and Chronic Illness”, May 2025. One of the most insidious parts of post-infectious illness is the lack of predictability: your body can nosedive at anytime and without warning. How do you still lead a meaningful life? Also, much discussion of the full-scale attack on medical research in the U.S. On Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, also, here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITufM6CY7-M&t=1168s
—-50-Word Stories, “Percy’s Grave”, April 9, 2025. I’ve had three stories accepted in the past two and a half weeks–yay!
http://fiftywordstories.com/2025/04/09/litsa-dremousis-percys-grave/#comment-59640
—-PEM Pod, “M.E., Chronic Illness, and Toxic Religion and Spirituality”, March 2025. Everyone disabled eventually faces horribly distorted and weaponized religious beliefs. Hoo, boy, did we have some stories to share here. On Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, also, here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z42direXkuM&t=2050s
—-PEM Pod, “Navigating an Online Life Whilst Living with Chronic Illness”, February 2025. On Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, also, here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QGVaGpT8Vc&t=102s
—-PEM Pod, “Living with M.E. in a World of Change”, January 2025. My first episode as cohost! On Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, also, here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9GRzktRws&t=2404s
—-PEM Pod, “Living with Cancer and M.E.–a Discussion”, August 2024. I was one of two guests on this ep–this was before they asked me to cohost. People w/ M.E. have higher rates of cancer and this discussion digs particularly deep. On Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and, also, here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnTYrEeX2kM&t=103s
—-PEM Pod, “Litsa Dremousis: Author, Essayist, and Activist on Writing and Life with M.E.” My first episode as a guest (and the title is self-explanatory), December 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGiplyvKcKU&t=916s
—-Another Fucking Writing Podcast, Episode 10, April 3, 2023. Author Tyler Dempsey interviewed me re my book Altitude Sickness. We had a great rapport and almost nothing was off limits. Spotify, Apple–wherever you get your podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vGAlGmErYBiYU24TSORMY
—-Millions Missing Podcast, Episode 9, November 15, 2023. The unvarnished truth re what it’s like living with this hellish illness. This is my Molotov cocktail. Spotify, Apple–wherever you get your podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1adUN7Qd0Quli2KEGbrvTx
—-My twelfth and final Washington Post essay, “Please Help Out Those with a Disability or Chronic Illness. You’ll Also Help Yourself”, November 12, 2021. Proud that when WaPo was still good and sane–I resigned from their Contributor Network after Bezos killed the Harris endorsement and fuck him straight to hell–we called this illness by its proper name, “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis” and not by the dreaded misnomer “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/disability-help-chronic-illness-myalgic-encephalomyelitis/2021/11/12/c1d5541e-2d0d-11ec-baf4-d7a4e075eb90_story.html
—-My eleventh Washington Post essay, “My Hope Vs. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, a Chronic Neuroimmuno Illness”, ran on August 8, 2021. After 30 years w/ M.E., I was thrilled that the headline calls the illness by its proper name–writers don’t write the headline–and that so many persons with M.E. told me that they sent this piece to their loved ones or physicians:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/chronic-illness-covid-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-acceptance-hope/2021/08/06/ecbfddda-f099-11eb-bf80-e3877d9c5f06_story.html
—-My tenth Washington Post essay, “How the Able-bodied Can Do Better with Disabled Neighbors Like Me”, has generated much discussion online. I’m moved by the messages and tweets I’ve received from other disabled persons. April 3, 2021:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-the-able-bodied-can-do-better-with-disabled-neighbors-like-me/2021/04/02/49dd971a-8e6f-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html
—-My Washington Post essay, “I Always Advocate for Myself with Physicians. Some Make Mistakes–and Some of Those Mistakes are Serious”. How to speak up for yourself when your doctor gets it wrong. November 21, 2020:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/speak-up-to-your-doctor/2020/11/20/526264e4-1d4d-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html
—-My Washington Post essay, “Talking About My Cancer Either Drew People to Me or Repelled Them Far Away”. In which my beloved nephew understands what’s going on in a way that eludes many adults. July 5, 2020:
Talking About My Cancer Either Drew People to Me or Repelled Them Far Away
—-My essay “That’s Why the Lady Was on Stamps” is in the new anthology The Things We Don’t Say: Chronic Illness Truths, a wonderful collection from writers of all backgrounds. By chance, this was released at the start of the pandemic and has definitely found its audience:
Purchase The Things We Don’t Say: Chronic Illness Truths on Amazon
—-Seattle Metropolitan put together a recommended reading list from Washingtonian authors throughout the ages. Honored that my book Altitude Sickness is included alongside works from Octavia Butler, Raymond Carver, Tom Robbins, and more. June 1, 2020
A Big Seattle Reading List: An Alphabetized List of Books–Recent Releases, Stone-Cold Classics–from Washingtonians Past and Present
—-My Washington Post essay on how a phalanx of medical professionals repeatedly misdiagnosed what turned out to be Stage 3 thyroid cancer (my prognosis remains good, thank god). October 6, 2019:
Medical Staffers are Experts. But My Hospital Travails Show Why They Can Get It Dangerously Wrong
—-I was interviewed for two hours on KHUH FM’s Hollow Earth Radio show on July 12, 2020 along with fellow author Priscilla Long. Wonderful discussion of myriad topics, artsy and non-artsy:
KHUH FM’s Hollow Earth Radio, Litsa Dremousis and Priscilla Long
—–My Washington Post essay on the way disability and depression complicate and intensify each other. April 7, 2019:
—-So, this has aged well. Right before the advent of the Hellscape, aka Inauguration 2017, PEN America asked seven authors to share our thoughts. Nearly two years later, I stand by each word:
—-So much fun signing copies of Altitude Sickness at my publisher’s booth at Short Run Seattle 2018. Enjoyed meeting so many wonderful readers! Photos here:
Litsa Dremousis Official: Photos
—-King County Library System interviewed me for their new author podcast series, The Desk Set. We taped this back in June so I’d answer a few questions differently now, but overall, I’m quite pleased w/ the results:
King County Library Systems, Lived Experiences: Biography and Memoir, Litsa Dremousis
—-Pleased to be part of this Entropy Magazine interview series. On why those who look the other way ultimately enable abusers and why Pretendians cannot present a stolen identity as their own. Plus, funny stuff, too:
Books I Hate (and Also Some I Like) with Litsa Dremousis
—-My newest essay for the Washington Post is online and in print. My wry take on menopause. I want to destigmatize it. I also think it sucks:
The Weirdness of Menopause is More Than a Reminder of My Own Mortality
—-I’ve known for awhile, but the U of W has updated its site, so it’s official: I’m among the guest authors this year at Libraries Unbound, the fundraiser for the University of Washington’s Library Systems. *Amy Tan is the keynote speaker.* May 19! YAY!
—-Looks like we’ll have a fine turnout for tonight’s Cue the Blue fundraiser for Democratic House candidates! Yay! Saturday August 25 at Washington Hall! Doors open at 7pm! $20! I’m the keynote speaker and my goal is to invigorate, not pontificate. You’re salient adults and you know what’s at stake. The bar is open all evening, the candidates will be rousing (they know what’s at stake, too), and after all of us leave the stage, DJ Michelle Smith will kick off the dancing and we’ll wrap up at midnight. #BLUEWAVE #FIGHTLIKEHELL
Update: We had a full house! Photos and additional information on the candidates here:
—-For its 15th year anniversary, The Believer has redesigned its website and for the first time in its history, all its content is finally available online. Hooray! My interviews with Wanda Sykes, Demetri Martin, and more:
Believer Magazine Contributor Litsa Dremousis
—-Publishers Weekly asked me to write a guest column about coming forward as safely as possible in a TimesUp/MeToo situation in the publishing industry. (Please note that each of the pro-Alexie commenters uses a pseudonymous Facebook account. What a courageous–and tiny–lot):
Soapbox: Calling Out Sherman Alexie
—-Extremely proud to have an essay in “Not My President: The Anthology of Dissent” from Thoughtcrime Press, alongside work from Andrew Solomon, Amanda Palmer, Chiwan Choi, Gary Shteyngart, and other writers I admire so much.
You can order it from Powell’s Books, Inc. and support one of the nation’s finest independent bookstores, too:
Powells Books: Purchase ‘Not My President: The Anthology of Dissent’
Or you can order it from Amazon:
Amazon: Purchase ‘Not My President: The Anthology of Dissent’
—-My Washington Post interview with legendary character actress Jenifer Lewis in which we discuss her new memoir and her bipolar disorder:
Jenifer Lewis of ‘Black-ish’ Has Coped with Bipolar Disorder by Doing the Work
—-My essay for The Washington Post on disability and finally learning to ask for help:
The Washington Post: I Live with Disabling Illness. It Has Taught Me to Ask for Help
—-My New York Times Modern Love 13 Word Contest Winner:
Modern Love 13 Word Story Contest Winners
—-My essay for The Rumpus, “My Father’s Mansion”, about somehow loving my Trump-loving father:
—-My Washington Post essay about being disabled and still loving sex:
Yes, I’m Disabled. But I Still Love Sex
—-My essay for The Weeklings, “Paul Ryan is a Pre-Existing Condition”:
Worst Americans: Paul Ryan is a Pre-existing Condition
—-My Washington Post essay on vulnerability and dating with a disability:
Dating While Disabled: From Day One with Someone New I Feel Vulnerable
—-As I write this on February 23, 2020, I’m still recovering from the side effects of radiation. My mom recently returned home from the hospital–her prognosis is great, but she needed emergency surgery–and we just marked the one-year anniversary of my dad’s death three days ago. I turned in my newest Washington Post essay two weeks ago and am slowly but steadily returning to my usual writing schedule. I’m also importing older published work from my previous site The Slippery Fish to this page on litsadremousis.com. Eventually, I’ll upgrade everything and this is a preliminary step. It’ll be an ongoing project for awhile and for now, at least, I’m not adding work in any particular order. Diving in!:
—-Interviewing avant-indie rocker John Vanderslice for NPR, June 14, 2013:
NPR: Heartbreak Takes John Vanderslice to ‘Dagger Beach’
—-City Arts Magazine asked me to write this essay for their 2012 Holiday Issue after my reading at Lit Crawl Seattle was widely lauded. On my brother’s scabrous, Ivory Liquid-fueled prank that scarred my high school boyfriend and me:
City Arts Magazine: Ivory Christmas
—-Oh, how I wish singer-songwriter Annie Stela got the career she deserves. Reviewed her incredible 2007 Seattle show for Paste Magazine:
Annie Stela, Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA, Jan 29, 2007
—-One of my all-time favorite interviews! The legendary, reclusive soul/funk goddess Betty Davis for Esquire, May 31, 2007:
Esquire: The Soul Singer in the Shadows
—-A wry and hugely informative interview with a trusts and estates attorney on the importance of having a will, Esquire, March 8, 2007:
Esquire: Get in the Fucking Ground Already
—-Reviewing avant-indie rocker John Vanderslice’s 2006 Seattle show for Paste Magazine:
Paste Magazine: John Vanderslice, Neumo’s, Seattle, WA, 04/07/06
—-Such fond memories of this show! Reviewing Nada Surf’s 2005 Seattle gig for Paste Magazine:
Paste Magazine: Nada Surf, Say Hi to Your Mom, Neumo’s, Seattle, WA, Oct 20, 2005
—-The late Mary Kay LeTourneau and her underage-former-student-then-husband Villi Fualaau attempted to legitimize themselves after she was released from prison. I covered their “Hot for Teacher” night in Seattle for sexual anthropologist Susie Bright. Strange, sad, fascinating. May 26, 2009:
Susie Bright’s Journal: Mary Kay’s Night Out
—-It’s strange that a collection of 20 artists, scientists, and sundry individuals holding forth on what hope means to them for this Esquire feature includes a man outed during MeToo who now awaits trial for rape. But it was fun interviewing Amy Sedaris, Patton Oswalt, and others on what keeps them getting up each morning. July 30, 2007:
Esquire: How About a Little Hope?
—-One of my favorite short stories and one of the few that’s online and not in a print journal. For Hobart’s annual Baseball Issue, “Sandy Koufax 1964”, April 1, 2007:
—-I did not choose the title. Repeat: I DID NOT CHOOSE THE TITLE. In which I interviewed my now-deceased best friend for Esquire on the perils of mountain climbing. March 1, 2007
Esquire: When Idiots Go Climbing: Should We Be Obliged to Save Them?
—-I interviewed the great Wanda Sykes for The Believer and she remains both of one of my all-time favorite comedians and one of my all-time favorite interviewees. Also, she WANTED to talk about Bill Cosby on the record and called him “an asshole” and my editor cut it for being “too negative”. Dear god. September 1, 2006:
Wanda Sykes: The Believer Interview
—-I interviewed Demetri Martin a times over a two week period in Seattle for The Believer and a lot of the funniest stories–swapping tales about our respective Greek families–remains off-the-record because no one needs that kind of aggravation. So delightfully goofy, it feels like we were in a different universe. February 1, 2006:
Demetri Martin: The Believer Interview
—-It still makes me happy that I interviewed Death Cab for Cutie for Paste Magazine for the band’s first national cover story. Spent a day in the studio with them and, also, attended the premiere of their documentary. The best stories herein. August 16, 2005:
Paste Magazine: Death Cab for Cutie cover story The Hardest Working Band in Showbiz
—-Quick Paste Magazine review of the Nirvana documentary on the making of Nevermind. Total gut punch. July 6, 2005:
Paste Magazine: Nirvana Classic Albums Nevermind DVD
—-I interviewed John Roderick of the now-forgotten indie rock band The Long Winters for The Believer. But this interview is still entertaining and led to a number of other opportunities. June 1, 2005:
John Roderick of the Long Winters: The Believer Interview
—-I interviewed John Roderick again, this time for Paste Magazine. The record in question came out much, much later. A foreshadowing of sorts. June 1, 2005:
Paste Magazine: The Long Winters Seasons Changing
Litsa Dremousis 