With two chapbooks, a short story collection and a novella in flash under his belt, Matt Bell has been quietly turning heads for years, accumulating acolytes and critical acclaim with his heady brand of visionary lyrical surrealism. Bell, along with the celebrated likes of Karen Russell, Aimee Bender, and Téa Obreht, is among a generation of young writers working far outside the bounds of mimesis to create a new kind of mythology more fully equipped to describe an increasingly absurd and … [Read more...] about ASF Alumni: An Interview with Matt Bell
Bourbon and Milk: An Introduction
Bourbon and Milk features lessons, observations, and conversations by and with writers living out there in one of the most perplexing outposts of the human condition – parenthood. In this monthly series, Contributing Editor Giuseppe Taurino will dive into the dark spaces where parenting sometimes pushes us, and explore the unexpected ways writers may grow in them. What is wrong with peace? I couldn't say. But, sweet ruin, I can hear you. There is … [Read more...] about Bourbon and Milk: An Introduction
Announcing the Winners of the American Short(er) Fiction Prize!
American Short Fiction is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. Contest winners will be published in the fall issue. Our first-place winner is Ryan MacDonald, for "The Observable Characteristics of Organisms." Our second-place winner is Sabrina Orah Mark, for "Are You My Mother?" … [Read more...] about Announcing the Winners of the American Short(er) Fiction Prize!
Interview with Randall Brown
Y’all know what time it is? That’s right—it’s time to introduce the latest story in ASF‘s web exclusive series! This month, we’re pleased as punch to present to you Randall Brown’s “Like An Original Response.” It’s a compact yet evocative story that’s as smart as it is fun to read. It’s an exemplary piece of flash fiction, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. You can read the story on the ASF website. Below, Randall shares his thoughts on writing (both flash and longer fiction), … [Read more...] about Interview with Randall Brown
Squirrel
It was in the grass. He thought it was dead. It seemed as if it had been there for a while, like the grass had grown around its body. But it wasn’t dead. It quivered as he drew near. “Go climb a tree,” he said to it. He nudged it with the edge of his flip-flop. It sprung up as if shocked and landed on the top of his foot. As he tried to shake it off, it bit. Then it fell from his foot and ran across the yard. It pressed itself against the fence. He reached down to touch the bite and then thought … [Read more...] about Squirrel
Outlander
She was new to the city and unwittingly dressed, floral prints in the dead of winter. She worked as a waitress at a bar in the basement, biding her time. He lived in the apartment above hers. A brownstone down on its luck. She shared with four other roommates, perpetually in and out of love, and waited out the worst parts at his place, drawing blocks of her home- town on the back of his hand. She showed him her high school, the hospital where she was born. Back home, she told him, cats wore … [Read more...] about Outlander