After Dinner Conversation, a nonprofit literary magazine dedicated to philosophical and ethical short stories, is proud to announce its ranking as #20 on the highly anticipated 2026 Fish List. This recognition places After Dinner Conversation in the top tier of over 4,000 independent literary magazines evaluated worldwide.

Writers often imagine literary magazine publishing as a mysterious process—submissions disappearing into a void, rejections arriving without explanation, and acceptance rates that feel impossibly small. Phoenix Oasis Press recently interviewed me to break down the process from the editor’s side, talk about what really happens behind the curtain, and give writers practical steps to improve their odds.

Kolby frequently joins podcasts and interviews to discuss the philosophy behind the magazine, the art of ethical storytelling, and how fiction can illuminate real-world moral questions.