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-2-edited-by-tara-campbell 

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. http://potatosoupjournal.com/city-girls-by-wendy-k-mages/

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. http://potatosoupjournal.com/hatchling-by-wendy-k-mages/

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, http://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org/yr16-wendy-k-mages.html

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. http://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. http://potatosoupjournal.com/with-time-by-wendy-k-mages/ 

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. (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://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org/yr18-wendy-k-mages.html

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. http://www.youngravensliteraryreview.org/interview-with-wendy-k-mages.html