Join ASF for the third installment of Story Sessions, a literary series that brings exceptional authors together for a freewheeling discussion about the power of stories and the ways we share them, on September 10, 2026, at Huston-Tillotson University from 6 – 8:00 p.m. We’re thrilled to welcome the internationally best-selling novelist Tayari Jones to the stage alongside celebrated writer ZZ Packer. This event is free and open to the public and ASL interpretation will be provided. Books ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
ASF at the Cinema: Alejandro Puyana presents La Causa
Please join American Short Fiction for a special screening of La Causa, presented by Austin-based novelist Alejandro Puyana, on Sunday, July 26, at 2:45 pm at Austin Film Society. In this 2020 documentary, enter one of the most dangerous facilities in Venezuela, PGV in Caracas, where the only guards stand outside—and inside, prisoners enforce their own code and deliver justice accordingly. You can watch the trailer here. Stay after the film for a special discussion with Alejandro Puyana and ... [READ MORE]
2026 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be Rachel Khong, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Real Americans, the award-winning novel Goodbye, Vitamin, and the new story collection My Dear You, out from Knopf in April 2026. Khong lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches creative writing in a collective called The Dream Slide. The deadline to submit to the Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize has been extended to June 15, 2026. In addition to ... [READ MORE]
MFA for All Spring 2026: Registrations on sale now
MFA for ALL MFA for All was born from our desire to create a space where MFA-quality instruction is widely accessible to writers no matter their age, background, location, or financial situation. MFA for All is not a degree-granting program—it is a community-rich online educational experience led by top-notch faculty, free of the significant hurdles of time, expense, and geography that MFAs demand. These master classes will offer structured insight into your craft and writing practice, ... [READ MORE]
Introducing Our New Insider Prize Director Sergio Muro
We’re thrilled to introduce Sergio Muro, the new director of the Insider Prize, a contest for incarcerated writers in Texas. Sergio takes over from Adam Soto, who has grown the prize into something incredibly meaningful over the last three years, and who, luckily for us, will stay on at ASF as a senior editor. We are so grateful to Adam for his wonderful work and happy that he can now leave it in such capable new hands. Sergio Muro is a fiction writer from Laredo, Texas. He is also on the ... [READ MORE]
The 2026 American Short(er) Fiction Prize
We are thrilled to announce that the brilliant Bret Anthony Johnston—internationally bestselling author of We Burn Daylight and Remember Me Like This and director of the Michener Center for Writers—will judge the 2026 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,500 words. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 prize and publication. Previous winners of the Short(er) Fiction Prize have gone on to be anthologized in places such as The Pushcart ... [READ MORE]