A short dialogue published in Final Girl Bulletin Board. Photo by Javier Amador – Dad, I’ve hit a roadblock. I need an idea for a project about the first years of the web. – The aughts were the best time ever. Online, we weren’t sure what was fiction or fact, if events were true or […]
An experimental work of mystery fiction, published in the 19th Issue of Sheffield University’s Route 57. Photo by Greg Rosenke Unknown Caller M6 delays between junctions 17 and 18 after bridge collision Karakoram Peak Final discounts on camping gear Log in to see your special offers From Alex Are you checking those figures from Q4? […]
A short story published in the Green Issue of Here Comes Everyone, Photo by Karl Anderson Dressed in a wide-brimmed hat, poncho and loose pants, I kept watch on my feet, arms and legs, as insects were everywhere — flying, nesting, jumping, crawling, buzzing, spinning, nibbling and cutting. I doused every inch of my skin […]
Can a regenerative farm succeed in Romania? A feature published in Scena9 in Romanian and in English At the edge of a village in Dâmbovița county, I leave a 4×4 parked on a strip of land, and walk into a field, fringed by wild grass and tall trees. Lines of parsnip, lettuce and cabbage open […]
I worked for over a month as a volunteer trying to help Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest, and this is what I discovered, published in Scena9 I am talking with a friend of mine. She volunteers in a transit camp in Bucharest’s main railway station, Gara de Nord, for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian attack. I […]
How, where and with what justification could Russia launch an attack? A feature published in Scena9 In 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin published a rambling essay on the Kremlin’s website called ‘On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians’. As a work of historical analysis it is questionable, but as a historical document, it is […]
Ukraine’s capital is a memorial not only to the sacrifice of the oppressed against greater odds, but also to willpower, dynamism and revival. A short comment piece published in Scena9 Kyiv has always been a flashpoint between clashing states, cultures and ideologies. After each tide of destruction, the residents barely have enough time to mourn […]
A short story published in Bandit Fiction online and in a podcast Whenever my cousin Mark was standing next to someone in public, at the bus stop, in a queue at the post office or supermarket, or in the pub, he would turn to them, and start talking, as if they were old friends. Mark’s […]
Welcome to the Romanian region that expects its residents to live and work abroad. A feature written with Vlad Odobescu, and published in DoR in Romania and Internazionale in Italy In the center of the northeastern Romanian city of Botoșani is a 1980s housing block, next to an awning for the country’s most popular beer, […]
A 50 word story, published on Fiftywordstories The rules are easy. Don’t hit people, or shout at them. If they say you’re too close, you’re too close. If they say don’t touch, you mustn’t touch. When I grew up, people didn’t follow the rules. Didn’t follow them with me. That’s my excuse. I know it’s […]
Michael Bird Writer & Journalist 