Published Stories, Poems, & Articles

Wendy’s Published Stories

Mages, W. K. (2025). City girls. The Manifest Station. https://www.themanifeststation.net/2025/02/11/city-girls 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the February 17, 2025 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2025). Faculty assembly. 50-Word Stories. https://fiftywordstories.com/2025/11/03/wendy-mages-faculty-assembly

• This story was selected by 50-Word Stories as a "Story of the Week" https://fiftywordstories.com/2025/11/09/story-of-the-week-november-9 

Mages, W. K. (2025). My mother’s hands. Grief Dialogues. https://griefdialoguesstories.com/2025/04/25/my-mothers-hands 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the April 28, 2025 issue of Memoir Monday

Mages, W. K. (2025). The once-nubile starlet. 50-Word Stories. http://fiftywordstories.com/2025/01/03/wendy-k-mages-the-once-nubile-starlet 

Mages, W. K. (2025). Rain boots. Four Tulips. https://www.fourtulips.com/archives/rain-boots

Mages, W. K. (2025). Scents and sensibility. Bright Flash Literary Review. https://brightflash1000.com/2025/07/03/scents-and-sensibility 

Mages, W. K. (2025). Waves. Kelp Journal: The Wave. https://www.kelpjournal.com/post/essay-waves 

Mages, W. K. (2024). After the storm. WestWord. https://westword.substack.com/p/after-the-storm?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true 

• This story was shortlisted for the WestWord Micro Fiction Prize 2024 https://westword.substack.com/p/westword-micro-fiction-prize-winners 

Mages, W. K. (2024). At the stroke of midnight on the set of Swan Lake. Bright Flash Literary Review. https://brightflash1000.com/2024/11/03/at-the-stroke-of-midnight-on-the-set-of-swan-lake

Mages, W. K. (2024) Embracing strangers. Grief Dialogues. https://griefdialoguesstories.com/2024/10/28/embracing-strangers 

Mages, W. K. (2024). How to become a catastrophist in 6 easy steps. WestWord. https://westword.substack.com/p/how-to-become-a-catastrophist-in

• This story won 2nd place in the 2024 WestWord Hermit Crab Contest https://westword.substack.com/p/2024-hermit-crab-prize-winners 

Mages, W. K. (2024). Our morning ritual. Quibble. https://www.quibblelit.com/our-morning-ritual-by-wendy-mages 

Mages, W. K. (2024). Our morning ritual. Quibble Quarterly, 2, 69. https://www.quibblelit.com/shop/p/cwarfq7u78o24m923ehaf0q8tg1wjn 

Mages, W. K. (2024). Parkway promenade. Bright Flash Literary Review. https://brightflash1000.com/2024/06/05/parkway-promenade 

Mages, W. K. (2024). Pitch (not) perfect: My quixotic journey in the world of music. The AutoEthnographer, 4(2). https://theautoethnographer.com/pitch-not-perfect-my-quixotic-journey-in-the-world-of-music 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the May 20, 2024 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2024). The question remains. Dreamers Creative Writing, 16. https://www.dreamerswriting.com/wendy-mages

• This story was awarded honorable mention in the 2023 Dreamers Flash Contest.

Mages, W. K. (2024). So sings the washing machine. Prime Number Magazine, 251. https://www.press53.com/issue-251-pnm-flash-fiction-prize#Mages251

• This story was awarded 3rd place in the Prime Number Magazine Flash Fiction Prize.

Mages, W. K. (2024). A 21st century fairy tale for city girls. In B. A. Mullin (Ed.), 42 stories anthology presents: Book of 42² (p. 23). 

Mages, W. K. (2024). Wise words. Kelp Journal: The Wave. https://www.kelpjournal.com/post/essay-wise-words 

Mages, W. K. (2023). Before the last snow melts. 3cents Magazine, (5). https://www.3centsmagazine.com/article/before-the-last-snow-melts

• This story was selected for inclusion in the January 9, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2023). City girls. In J. Howard & C. Mayer (Eds.), Potato Soup Journal: Best of 2022 (pp. 262-264). Potato Soup Press. https://amzn.to/3JrAlgA 

Mages, W. K. (2023). A dozen potatoes. On the Premises: Mini-Contest #57. https://onthepremises.com/minis/mini_57/

• This story was awarded honorable mention.

Mages, W. K. (2023). Geneses: Traces and tribulations. 50-Word Stories. http://fiftywordstories.com/2023/03/09/wendy-k-mages-geneses-traces-and-tribulations

Mages, W. K. (2023). The guitar player. Bright Flash Literary Review. https://brightflash1000.com/2023/08/03/the-guitar-player 

Mages, W. K. (2023). Hair and social standards: Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? The AutoEthnographer, 3(2) https://theautoethnographer.com/is-beauty-truly-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-hair-and-societal-standards/

• This story was selected for inclusion in the June 5, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday!

Mages, W. K. (2023). Heart troubles. Caustic Frolic. https://causticfrolic.org/current-nonfiction/heart-troubles 

Mages, W. K. (2023). The high diving board. Paper Dragon. https://drexelpaperdragon.com/the-high-diving-board 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the July 24, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2023). Hornets’ treat & trick. 50-Word Stories. http://fiftywordstories.com/2023/10/03/wendy-k-mages-hornets-treat-trick 

Mages, W. K. (2023). My mother’s hands. In T. Campbell (Ed.) Jarnal Volume 3: Transitions, pp. 30-34. Mason Jar Press. http://masonjarpress.com/chapbooks-1/jarnal-volume-3-transitions 

Mages, W. K. (2023). No pedal boats. Dorothy Parker’s Ashes. https://www.dorothyparkersashes.com/father/no-pedal-boats 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the September 25, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday!

Mages, W. K. (2023). Of love & longing. Bright Flash Literary Review. https://brightflash1000.com/2023/12/05/of-love-longing/ 

Mages, W. K. (2023). Pennies from heaven. Jenny. https://www.jennymag.org/spring-23-issue/pennies-from-heaven 

Mages, W. K. (2023). Portrait of a family: Swans carry on. Sea to Sky Review. https://www.seatoskyreview.ca/january-2023-life-issue/portrait-of-a-family-swans-carry-on 

• This story was selected for inclusion in the January 30, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2023). The question remains. Dreamers Creative Writing, (16), 6. https://www.dreamerswriting.com/wendy-mages/

• This story was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2023 Dreamers Flash Contest 

Mages, W. K. (2023). Redheaded angel. Magpie Zine. https://www.magpiezine.com/words/redheaded-angel?rq=wendy%20mages  

Mages, W. K. (2023). There’s no place like home. LIGHT: Leaders Igniting Generational Healing & Transformation, 1, 74-75. https://light4ph.org/product/light-issue-1-how-might-we-recreate-public-health-as-art-letters-stories-and-poetry 

• This story placed in the "Top 5" in its category in the 2022 LIGHT (Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation) contest for works addressing a public health issue.

Mages, W. K. (2023). A unicorn in winter. 50-Word Stories. https://fiftywordstories.com/2023/12/04/wendy-k-mages-a-unicorn-in-winter

Mages, W. K. (2023). Vivian. Quibble. https://www.quibblelit.com/vivian-by-wendy-k-mages

• This story was selected for inclusion in the May 14, 2023 issue of Memoir Monday.

Mages, W. K. (2022). City girls. Potato Soup Journal.

W. K. Mages. (2022). Dirty words. Funny Pearls. https://funnypearls.com/2022/11/dirty-words-mages/

• This story was selected for inclusion in the November 28, 2022 issue of Memoir Monday. 

Mages, W. K. (2022) Embracing strangers. Antithesis Journal. https://antithesis-journal.squarespace.com/blog/2022/9/6/embracing-strangers

• This story was selected for inclusion in the October 10, 2022 edition of Memoir Monday. 

Mages, W. K. (2022). Framily. Hearth & Coffin. https://www.hearthandcoffin.com/post/framily

Mages, W. K. (2022). Hatchling. Potato Soup Journal.

Mages, W. K. (2022). Memory of treasured worlds. New Croton Review, Summer 2022, 34. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=ealuEAAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PA33

Mages, W. K. (2022). Mirror, mirror. Quibble. https://www.quibblelit.com/mirror-mirror-by-wendy-k-mages 

• This story was nominated for a Pushcart Prize

Mages, W. K. (2022). Pollinators. Route 7 Review. https://www.r7review.com/post/pollinators 

Mages, W. K. (2022). Ridiculous rituals: Reasons, rules, and a rationale. Young Ravens Literary Review, https://youngravensliteraryreviewarchive.substack.com/p/young-ravens-literary-review-issue-fa6

Mages, W. K. (2022). Salad dazed. In T. Green (Ed.), Our pandemic: Personal experiences of COVID-19. (p. 11). The Writer’s Workout. https://www.writersworkout.net/our-pandemic

Mages, W. K. (2022). The spitfire. Star 82 Review. https://www.star82review.com/10.3/mages-spitfire.html 

Mages, W. K. (2022). The stray. Five Minutes. https://www.fiveminutelit.com/five-minutes/the-stray

Mages, W. K. (2022). A toad of a man. Harpy Hybrid Review. http://www.harpyhybridreview.org/hybrid_works/a-toad-of-a-man

Mages, W. K. (2022). Victor the Koala. Funny Pearls. https://funnypearls.com/2022/07/koala-w-mages/

Mages, W. K. (2022). With time. Potato Soup Journal.

Mages, W. K. (2019). Lima beans: An epiphany. Journal of Stories in Science. Retrieved from https://storiesinscience.org/2019/06/05/lima-beans-an-epiphany/ 

Wendy’s Published Poems

Mages, W. K. (2025). Avian echelons: Birds of a feather and the maintenance of social stratifications. In The bestiary and us: A new book of beasts. Penumbra Online. https://www.penumbraonline.com/fall-2025 

Mages, W. K. (2025). like vintage merlot. Dreamers Creative Writing. https://dreamerswriting.com/2025-haiku-contest-the-winners 

• Awarded Honorable Mention in the 2025 Haiku Contest

Mages, W. K. (2024). A triptych of acrostic email messages to an aspiring poet on the submission of a single poem entitled “Invaluable.” Witcraft. https://witcraft.org/2024/11/10/a-triptych-of-acrostic-email-messages-to-an-aspiring-poet-on-the-submission-of-a-single-poem-entitled-invaluable1

Mages, W. K. (2023). Intuit. Young Ravens Literary Review. https://youngravensliteraryreviewarchive.substack.com/p/young-ravens-literary-review-issue-e89

Mages, W. K. (2023). Morning blooms. San Antonio Review. https://doi.org/10.21428/9b43cd98.c0739f7c

Mages, W. K. (2023). Nimbus hidden. San Antonio Review. https://doi.org/10.21428/9b43cd98.c0739f7c  

Mages, W. K. (2023). Pristine. San Antonio Review. https://doi.org/10.21428/9b43cd98.c0739f7c  

Mages, W. K. (2023). Springtime in New England. San Antonio Review. https://doi.org/10.21428/9b43cd98.c0739f7c  

Mages, W. K. (2023). Sunward. San Antonio Review. https://doi.org/10.21428/9b43cd98.c0739f7c 

Mages, W. K. (2023). The tortoise. In Collected winning poems from The Poetry Society of Virginia: Prize winning poems 2023 celebrating a century of distinguished poets (p. 89). Poetry Society of Virginia. ISBN:‎ 978-1667897684.

• Awarded 2nd place in the Handy Andy Prize for limericks.

Mages, W. K.  (2021). Triptych: Ethical quandaries in personal storytelling for teaching and research. Scenario Journal, 15(2), 63-66. https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.15.2.4

Mages, W. (2021). A tale of 2020. In Manfred Scewe (Ed). 81 Sprüche zur enthärtung unserer welt: On the softening of our world 81 sayings. (p. 140).  Schibri-Verlag. https://www.ucc.ie/en/scenario/scenariobooks/series/

Wendy’s Articles About Storytelling

Mages, W. K.  (2021). Storytelling content, contexts, and controversies: A conscionable calculus. Scenario Journal, 15(2), 67-70. https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.15.2.5

Mages, W. K.  (2020). Perseverance, performance, and pedagogy in the pandemic: The power of storytelling in face-to-face and virtual learning environments.  R & E Source: Open Online Journal for Research and Education. https://journal.ph-noe.ac.at/index.php/resource/article/view/958/849

Interviews

Interview with Wendy K. Mages. (2022). Young Ravens Review. https://youngravensliteraryreviewarchive.substack.com/p/young-ravens-literary-review-issue-fa6