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Most recently published stories on Vocal.

Contemporary Ukrainian Romance for Guitar
Introduction The Ukrainian romance for guitar occupies a singular space in the world of classical and folk music — a genre born at the crossroads of Slavic lyricism, Ottoman modal inflection, and Central European Romanticism. Long associated with intimate salon performance and the aching poetry of Taras Shevchenko, Lesia Ukrainka, and Ivan Franko, the romance has in recent decades undergone a remarkable transformation. Contemporary Ukrainian guitarists, composers, and arrangers are reshaping this tradition with fresh harmonic language, new performance techniques, and a determined urgency driven, in part, by the cultural weight of national identity in a time of conflict.
By Yaroslav Gorohov24 days ago in History
What Happens to Your Eyes Under a 450nm Spike
You don’t see the spike itself. You see white light. Clean. Neutral. Bright. But embedded inside much of modern LED lighting is a narrow concentration of energy centered around 450 nanometers — a region of high-energy visible blue light. It became standard not because it was biologically ideal, but because it was efficient.
By illumipure24 days ago in Journal
Manchineel - OBE
That evening, when I enter my room, Dr Cho is already there. She jumps slightly as she turns and sees me. “I’ve just bought you some fresh water.” She pours a glass, then places the carafe by the bed. She covers her initial shock well, but I’m left with a niggling feeling like I’m 15 and she’s been reading my diary.
By N J Delmas24 days ago in Chapters
Merchants of the Dead: How American Companies Profit from Selling Human Bodies
In the United States, the idea of donating one’s body to science is often associated with noble intentions — advancing medical research, training surgeons, and contributing to life-saving discoveries. Families frequently believe their loved ones’ remains will help cure diseases or educate future doctors. However, behind this altruistic image lies a little-known and controversial industry: the commercial trade in human bodies.
By Irshad Abbasi 24 days ago in Chapters
It Only Comes When the Lights Go Out
The digital clock on Elias’s nightstand flickered with a cold, rhythmic pulse. 3:16 AM. In the silence of his studio apartment, the sound of his own breathing felt like an intrusion. For three weeks, Elias had lived by a singular, desperate rule: the darkness was the enemy. He had every light in the house turned on—the overhead fluorescent, two desk lamps, a camping lantern, and even the small light inside the microwave. The apartment was a blinding, buzzing sanctuary of artificial amber.
By Azam khan24 days ago in Horror
I want to run
It was 6:15. He had been watching the digits change since 5:37. He would get up, he liked an early start for his long run of the week. His wife and kids were used to his early morning routines. His wife was long past caring, and the kids now seemed oblivious even to his presence. They would all carry on doing their own things.
By Keith Butler24 days ago in Writers
7 Books That Most People Will Never Finish. AI-Generated.
Reading is often romanticized as a simple pleasure—a quiet escape into knowledge, imagination, or self-improvement. Yet, some books carry a reputation far beyond their pages: they are intellectually demanding, emotionally heavy, or stylistically complex, challenging even the most avid readers.
By Diana Meresc24 days ago in BookClub
Also Zones
Following on from my last post about gently getting myself back into the swing with Found Poetry, here's my next one, I went through my last complete notebook of my free writing - and chose alphabetical sentences so first sentence beginning with 'A' then moving on until I found one with 'B' and so on so on...
By Alyson Smith 24 days ago in Poets
Reclaim Security Raises $26M to Bring Agentic Remediation to Security’s Slowest Step
Reclaim Security announced $26 million in total funding, including a $20 million Series A led by Acrew Capital, with participation from QP Ventures and Ibex Investors. The company positions the round as fuel for a clear objective: remove the friction that keeps remediation slow even when detection has become fast, automated, and ubiquitous.
By TVC 24 days ago in 01
He "Neo" Shift: 4 Surprising Takeaways from Apple’s Accidental MacBook Leak
1. Introduction: The Slip-Up in Cupertino In the meticulously manicured world of Tim Cook’s Apple, an official leak is about as common as a lightning port on a new iPhone. Yet, here we are. On the eve of what was supposed to be a surgical strike of a product launch, Cupertino’s "leak-proof" bucket just sprung a major geyser.
By Tech Horizons25 days ago in Futurism
Wrestling in the Dark
You pull back Wincing For you have been wrestling him all night The light of day brings fresh pain Your chest and back are scratched
By Archery Owl 25 days ago in Poets
Absolved. Content Warning.
The Vindicator, February 6, 1987 Go to confession, they said. You should confess. Start your life anew. It’s not for me, I had said. I don’t do that stuff anymore. I can barely remember the Lord’s Prayer. But they insisted.
By TYC25 days ago in Fiction