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, giving access to a ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
Story Sessions: Tayari Jones with ZZ Packer
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]
Introducing Our New Outreach Coordinator Katie Field
We're so pleased to introduce Katie Field, our new outreach coordinator & associate editor, who will be helping us grow our community and expand our public events programming in Austin. Katie first entered our orbit during our Summer Workshop in 2023, and we've been lucky to have them as part of the magazine's family ever since—reading submissions with gusto, selling more ASF T-shirts than anyone thought possible at AWP, and generally bringing their sunny, kind, and gentle energy into every ... [READ MORE]
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]