Top Stories

New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.

Becoming British in Seven Simple Steps
Before you can become British, you are required to follow the instructions on this page. You are free to fill in the full 127-page form at your leisure, your discretion, or within 1 calendar day, whichever is the sooner.
By Ian Vinceabout 20 hours ago in Fiction
Sleezy!
Sorry for breaking down on Christmas I was only embracing my divine right To express myself when the sun slept Now I must seek consent to breathe
By Chloe Gilholy4 days ago in Poets
Blame It on Your Heart
I write a few poems, but not as many as some folks on Vocal. Most of my poems have to do with love. Either the desire for it, the tragedy of when it doesn’t work, or dealing with feelings of love. I am a big softie at heart, I guess!
By Calvin Londona day ago in FYI
The Family Murrin
In Newfoundland in Quidi Vidi, St. John’s, About 1771 a baby was born, To who, I don’t know, I can’t quite distinguish,
By Nania day ago in Poets
"My Bed or Yours?". Content Warning.
⚡ "No one is going to understand why we did this together." "That's the beauty of it. Fuck 'em. Let 'em guess." "Just like we leave it a mystery how we met at that cemetery?"
By Lightning Bolt ⚡6 days ago in Fiction
Ludacris and Nelly draw backlash over bookings at MAGA-coded music festival
Ludacris and Nelly headlining a mostly right-wing event is good for them. It’s also great for the genre of hip hop. The two rap veterans have showcased their talents on other stages. Why can’t they perform for mostly MAGA folks and grab that bag?
By Skyler Saundersa day ago in Beat
"Hear Me Out"
"Hear me out, what if we ran away together?" "Where do you want to go?" "Anywhere but here. We could move to a new city or to Canada, or we could disappear from society to live in the middle of the woods. Maybe a combination of two of those things would be good. What do you say?"
By Kay Husnick8 days ago in Fiction
Straight from the Fire Horse's Mouth
Of course, 2026 equals blazing forward, says the horse, but beware: know when to rein it in! On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Wood Snake passes the baton to Fire Horse.
By Marilyn Glover2 days ago in Poets
The Dryads are Calling
They say the forest by Phoenix River sings. Perhaps it is just the wind howling through the leaves, or a particular birdsong. But Percy Fisher knows better; he knows what lies in those woods, and he knows that the forest sings of his demise.
By Leigh Hooper2 days ago in Fiction
A Dart at Dusk
Seconds ago, the sullen sun set on the two of us… my exuberant furry companion and me. A fresh breeze embraces us, delivering welcome relief from the day’s oppressive heat. His typical stumbling and staggering along — apace with a sloth — has turned into trip-trapping, high-stepping, almost skipping along.
By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶2 days ago in Petlife
Broken Yesterdays
In these battered halls are sung the songs of broken yesterdays Visions of sweeter tomorrows knelt blithely in the pews Un-bittered by want and regret
By Ian Read5 days ago in Poets
Vocal Bonus Leaderboard: 01/14/2026
Welcome to our weekly Leaderboard update! We're delighted to highlight Vocal's most popular stories. Join us as we recognize this week's standout contributors and their remarkable achievements.
By Vocal Team2 days ago in Resources
he wanted me. Content Warning.
he wanted me to need him instead of being real and confident. he wanted me to question everything instead of be deliberate and make my dreams come true.
By ⸘jason alan‽3 days ago in Poets
Word of the Day: 静穏
Right now I am listening to a weird video with 3 orange cats and the numbers 333 on the screen. They are sort of neon and glowing.
By Kayla McIntosh8 days ago in Confessions
Self Reliance. Content Warning.
I crawled across the sanguine soaked battlefield of life born legless languishing below the line of sight to all except the
By K.B. Silver 5 days ago in Poets
Like Rupi Like Pizza
I tried both. Only one of them gives me indigestion. “Hi, my name is Jess, and I don't hate Rupi Kaur's poetry. I mean, I don't like it...”
By Avocado Nunzella BSc (Psych) -- M.A.P 3 days ago in BookClub
Wild Card Weekend Recap: What Happens Now?
I think I figured out why I love Wild Card Weekend so much. It's because it's the first playoff anything of the calendar year. The NFL season starts in the fall, and once upon a time, the champion was crowned either on or slightly before New Year's. The evolution of the NFL schedule has resulted in the playoffs starting just into the New Year, and currently, the final week of the season falls on the first weekend of the New Year, with Wild Card Weekend coming a week after that. So yes, chronologically, the NFL's Wild Card Weekend serves as the first playoff anything of the calendar year.
By Clyde E. Dawkins3 days ago in Unbalanced
Flaying Façades
Prose Poetry Unburdening a menagerie of ghosts exorcised my fragile, fumbling heart. I had told you of jet-black thoughts through intimate chronicles, and discombobulated perceptions ripped beyond the basal of my breasts.
By Chantal Christie Weiss5 days ago in Poets
Renzo & Piper's New Year's Eve Party... 🪩🥳🕺🏾💃🏾
Hi All! It's Doll Mommy here! How was your New Year's Eve? Did you break out your old Beastie Boys records and get down with the Soul Train get down on the 31st? 🕺🏾💃🏾Paul Revere still slaps! 😁🫶🏾
By Tiffany Gordon3 days ago in Fiction
Why Working Harder Doesn't Feel Safer
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from doing everything you’re supposed to do and still feeling like you could lose everything at any moment.
By Danielle Katsouros4 days ago in Humans