Joanna Theiss

writer & reader

Hi! I’m a lawyer-turned-writer living in Washington, DC. Before I turned to writing full-time, I did things like: stick price tags on cans of cat food, slice roast beef, hammer on about the standard of review, pick juries, & write about HIV/AIDS under the Affordable Care Act.

I write flash fiction, microfiction, poetry, short stories, and way longer stories, including a novel, an earlier version of which was Shortlisted for the 2024 First Pages Prize. My writing has been included in the wigleaf Top 50 Longlist 2024 and Best Microfiction 2022, nominated for the Pushcart Prize (2023, 2024), Best of the Net (2024, 2025), Best Small Fictions (2023, 2024, 2025), and Best Microfiction (2022, 2023, 2024). I was an associate editor at Five South Journal (read my interview here) from October 2023 to April 2025. Do you like collage? Me, too!

Rep: Erin Harris @ Folio Literary

Recent Publications

5/2026. “The Piano Tuner,” JET FUEL REVIEW

1/2026. “Not About A Threesome,” ARTWIFE

12/2025. “When You Get Old, You Become a Silly Goose,” TEMPLE IN A CITY

10/2025. “Throwing Away the World,” THE EKPHRASTIC REVIEW CHALLENGE

09/2025. “Homemade,” THE ARGYLE LITERARY MAGAZINE

06/2025. “Cool AF,” THE BROKEN TEACUP

05/2025. “Alligator Salad,” THE PENN REVIEW

03/2025. “Fire Power: A Conversation with Mandira Pattnaik, Author of ‘Glass/Fire,’’ PSALTERY & LYRE

02/2025. “Summer Man,” DOES IT HAVE POCKETS (nom, Best Small Fictions)

Contact Me

Please complete the form below to get in touch! Or just email me at joannatheiss[at]gmail[dot]com!