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 […]
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The 2025 Halifax Prize Winners
We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, judged by Eric Puchner. We consider it our privilege to have spent time with so many terrific submissions—thank you for giving us the opportunity to read your work. Congratulations to the winners!
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 Prize: Best of the Small Presses. All entries will be considered for publication. The deadline to enter is February 1, 2026.
Story Sessions: Susan Choi in Conversation with Deb Olin Unferth
Join ASF for the second 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 12, 2025, at Huston-Tillotson University from 6 – 8:00 p.m. We’re thrilled to welcome the National Book Award-winning novelist Susan Choi to the stage alongside acclaimed novelist Deb Olin Unferth.
The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize: Now Closed
We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be Eric Puchner, author of the 2025 New York Times bestselling novel Dream State as well as the novel Model Home, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. In addition to publication and a $2,500 prize, the winning writer will receive an all-expenses-paid writing retreat at the Tasajillo Residency’s beautiful cabin. The deadline to submit has been extended to June 15, 2025.
The Stars at Night 2025
This year’s program will honor Joy Williams as the Literary Star for her extraordinary body of work, Carrie R. Moore as the Constellation Star for a the story collection Make Your Way Home, Emily Hunt Kivel as the First Star for the debut novel Dwelling, and Leila Green Little as the Community Star for extraordinary literary service fighting banned books.