Melissa Benton Barker is an MFA candidate at Antioch University-Los Angeles. She lives and writes in a small town in Ohio. She has previously been published in the Manifest-Station and Literary Mama.
Story:
Moms at the Pool
Interview: Smoke and Mirrors: An Interview with Melissa Benton Barker
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The March Micro Marathon 25
We’re doing it again! We’re homing in on the micro: 100-word, 250-word, and 400-word stories. In March 2025 SmokeLong is hosting The March Micro Marathon, a 24-day workshop with a new writing task each day, peer review in small groups, 3 webinars, a reading and interview with Michelle Ross and the editors of 100 Word Story, and 3 competitions with cash prizes.