Be the Leading Lady in Your Life.

Literary

Short Reads-Kate Finegan, Tara Stallions Whitehead & Allie Marini

short reads by finegan, whitehead, and marini

Lifestyle

Portugal

Discover life in Portugal.

TOp categories:

Travel

Unlock travel treasures to help you plan your next trip.

Literary

Find your next must-read from our specially-curated recommendations.

Hey there!

We're Isabel & Marilyn

We’re sisters with creative hearts and souls who dig deep to bring you valuable and meaningful information to help you shine as the leading lady of your life.

Explore how to live a healthy lifestyle, inside and out.

Get insider tips on what to pack for your trip to Lisbon

Year-Round Edition

(So you can be ready)

Are you on the list?

Be the first to know about recommendations, sneak peeks on life in Portugal, exclusive content, and much more!

I want the guide!

Two Flash & One Poem

This week, our short reads consist of the following:

A flash fiction piece by Kate Finegan that was first published in Gigantic Sequins, but can now be found at Fractured Lit.

A creative nonfiction piece called by Tara Stillions Whitehead that I first read when I was an assistant editor at Pithead Chapel and immediately loved.

A poem by Allie Marini that captures Florida so perfectly that you’ll feel as though you’re there and can feel the humidity on your skin.

Let us know which one is your favourite in the comments below.

Poem about Florida.

Two Flash & One Poem – Our Selection of Riveting Reads

“In this time of lips like callouses, tongues of pumice, it feels wrong to see you smile. In this time of so little sweat, no beads for this tongue to suck, no slick of skin on skin, too tired. No good morning, here’s a glass of water, sparkling, full color spectrum on the sun-drenched bedroom wall refracted. No drink it down so I can drink you up, no drink it down so you can scream my name. No finger-knots in hair. No get down to the delta of this body, take it all the way to roiling sea. In this time, all we have is smiles.”

Kate Finegan
  • 2001” by Tara Stillions Whitehead

“That was the year we chased ghosts in Elfin Forest and got blacklisted from Motel 6. When we fell in love with New Radicals and Radiohead. That was the year all those last-call tourists were hit by Amtraks near Boar’s Crossing, when we chain-smoked Camel Red Lights in Nikki’s garage and plucked our eyebrows into oblivion.”

Tara Stillions Whitehead

“If I could just see Florida again,
I swear I’d stop at every roadside stand with

HOT BOILED P-NUTS 

spray-painted on plywood,
just so he could ladle a Styrofoam cup full for me.”

Allie Marini

Which one of these is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

-Isabel & Marilyn

+ show Comments

Add a comment:

- Hide Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

(So you can be prepared)

Get insider tips on what to pack for Lisbon

Steal this!

What to pack for lisbon


Year-Round Edition

*When you sign up to receive this freebie, you will be added to our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Spring, summer, fall, and winter included!

We share of love of Lisbon, Chihuahuas, sushi, coffee, binge-worthy tv, movies, being out in nature, the ocean, and our amazing mom.

And of course, we love literature and appreciate a kick-ass lipstick.






We're Isabel and Marilyn, the two sisters behind Letters and Lipstick.









learn more

Letters and Lipstick is for the woman who wants to be the leading lady in her own life.

The one who reads, the one who discovers, and the one who celebrates all good things big and small.

Welcome!
We're glad you're here.

Get Your Journal Prompts and Start to Write.

Go from "What do I even write about?" to "Shhh, I'm writing." 

Discover 25 journal prompts that are easy but effective to get you started.

Ignite your spark and start a solid writing practice.

*When you sign up to receive this freebie, you will be automatically added to our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

free download