Writing
Brandon writes across genres—essays, stories, and poems—returning often to moral courage, belonging, and the search for meaning in modern life. His work appears in a range of publications, and he is at work on several longer projects.
Essays
“So I Played it Again” - Front Porch Republic. July, 2026
“One of Us” - The Philadelphia Citizen. July, 2026.
“It Was Marvelous: Lucia Berlin’s ‘My Jockey’” - SmokeLong Quarterly. June, 2026.
“A Snake in the Garden” - Fare Forward. May, 2026.
“The Story Inside the Gate” - SmokeLong Quarterly. May, 2026.
“The Difficulty of Simplicity - LETTERS Journal. May, 2026.
“Open Letter to an ICE Recruit” - Wayfarer Magazine. April, 2026.
“Re-Enchanting the Game” - Sport Literate. March, 2026.
“Haunted by Waters: A River Runs Through It At Fifty” - Front Porch Republic. March, 2026.
“Wrong lesson” - The Philadelphia Inquirer. February, 2026.
“A Set of Choices” - Klingbrief. February, 2026.
“What Happens After Philly Schools Close” - The Philadelphia Citizen. February, 2026.
“The Last Bogatyr of Kladno” - The Under Review. February, 2026. Winner of the inaugural Under Review March Madness Bracket Competition.
“Their Land Brought Forth Frogs in Abundance” - Front Porch Republic. January, 2026.
“Review of Pardon Me for Moonwalking” - SmokeLong Quarterly. January, 2026.
“Many Voices, One Room” - Fare Forward. January, 2026.
“Resign to run” - The Philadelphia Inquirer. December, 2025.
“Growing Heavy for the Vintage” - Commonweal. December, 2025.
“Smoke Signals with Brandon McNeice” - Interview for SmokeLong Quarterly. December, 2025.
“Everything Was Once a Place” - Front Porch Republic. November, 2025.
“Keep the same energy” - The Philadelphia Inquirer. November, 2025.
“Revitilization more than a deterrent” - The Philadelphia Inquirer. November, 2025.
“Balance, Not Blanket Bans” - Klingbrief. October, 2025.
“The Commons in a Cardboard Box” - Front Porch Republic. October, 2025.
“Down There by the Train” - Plough. October, 2025.
“In Defense of Children’s Work” - Front Porch Republic. September, 2025.
“The Vestigial Front Porch” - Front Porch Republic. September, 2025.
“Want Better Schools?” - The Philadelphia Citizen. August, 2025.
“The School Principal’s Prayer” - Plough. August, 2025.
“A Dress Code for Democracy” - Front Porch Republic. August, 2025.
“What the Secular School Has Rediscovered” - Christian Scholar’s Review. August, 2025.
“Lake Effect” - Well-Schooled. July, 2025.
“Not a Break, A Becoming” - Well-Schooled. April, 2025.
“To Harness These Tools” - Klingbrief. January, 2025.
Fiction
“Reserve” - The Los Angeles Review (forthcoming)
“Out at Home” - inScribe Journal (forthcoming)
“Bottle Return” - NUNUM (forthcoming)
“Owl” - Cleaver (forthcoming)
“Chain of Custody” - Does It Have Pockets (forthcoming)
“The Angel on 52nd Street” - Terrain.org (forthcoming)
“The Water Line” - Flyway Journal (forthcoming)
“The Other Side of the Bus” - Longlisted for the 2026 Ploughshares Emerging Writers’ Contest
“Still on the Bus” - BULL. July, 2026.
“The Crook of the City’s Elbow” - The Astorian. June, 2026.
“Rat” - Longlisted for the 2026 SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction.
“After Hours” - Sky Island Journal. April, 2026.
“Fridge Worthy” - Sky Island Journal. April, 2026.
“The Final Trolley” - Bending Genres. February, 2026.
“First to Go” - Beyond Words Magazine. February, 2026.
“Fire Escape Tomatoes” - Hunger Mountain. February, 2026.
“Returned” - 100 Word Story. January, 2026.
“Detention Seeds” - Your Impossible Voice. January, 2026.
“Puddled Sky” - Free Flash Fiction. January, 2026.
“Slack” - SmokeLong Quarterly. December, 2025. Nominated for Best Small Fictions.
“Unrendered Grace” - NUNUM. December, 2025.
“Ladder Hours” - The Rush Magazine. December, 2025.
“Hydrant Fish” - Flash Frog. November, 2025. Nominated for Best Small Fictions.
“Lockdown” - 50-Word Stories. October, 2025.
Poetry
“Invocation” - The Headlight Review (forthcoming)
“Your Father’s Silence” - Unleash Lit. January, 2026.
“Love” - The Muleskinner Journal. December, 2025.
“Bread Starter” - Eunoia Review. November, 2025.
“Borrowed Light” - Stone Poetry Quarterly. November, 2025.
“We Count Bottles” - ONE ART. October, 2025.
McNotes Newsletter
“…they start and tremble, they call us by our name, and as soon as we have recognized them the spell is broken. Delivered by us, they have overcome death and return to share our life.”