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American Short Fiction

Publishing exquisite fiction since 1991.

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Adeena Reitberger

The Letters

by Andrew Porter | January 21, 2024

The Letters

My mother has been sending me letters lately. Not letters intended for me but rather letters she has been writing to various people in her life—important influences, she calls them. Relatives, friends, former classmates, coworkers. She has been writing two or three letters a week and sending them to me via email to look over and send back to her with comments. You’re a professor, she tells me, you know the right way to put these things.  She says she wants me to be brutally honest with her, … [Read more...] about The Letters

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: andrew porter, Fiction, san antonio, short story, the letters

Now Open: American Short(er) Fiction Prize

by ASF Editors | November 30, 2023

Now Open: American Short(er) Fiction Prize

We are thrilled to announce that the brilliant Dantiel W. Moniz—author of the acclaimed story collection Milk, Blood, Heat—will judge our 2024 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. The prize recognizes extraordinary short fiction under 1,000 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 … [Read more...] about Now Open: American Short(er) Fiction Prize

Filed Under: NEWS

Orbits

by Jeffery Renard Allen | June 19, 2023

Orbits

The fumes from the super limousine dirtied the snow. The vehicle stretched a full block. She could see her father’s kufi hat duck under the roof as he got inside where ninety-nine other members of his delegation sat looking like packaged food waiting to be microwaved. The limo drove off in a cloud of white smoke, dragging winter behind it. It came to a stop three blocks later before turning the corner and curving out of her vision. What could she do but watch? What was he leaving behind for … [Read more...] about Orbits

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK FEATURE Tagged With: boxing, fat time, Graywolf, jeffery renard allen, Moon, Muhammad Ali, orbits, outer space, sweet sixteen

Now Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize 2023

by ASF Editors | April 11, 2023

Now Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize 2023

We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be the wonderful Kelly Link. A MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Link is the author of the acclaimed books Get in Trouble, Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, and others. Her latest story collection, White Cat, Black Dog, was published in March 2023. This year, we're again partnering with the Tasajillo Residency, an idyllic writing residency that neighbors the Halifax Ranch just … [Read more...] about Now Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize 2023

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK FEATURE

The 2023 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners

by ASF Editors | June 14, 2023

The 2023 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners

We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year's American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by Karen Russell. Thank you to everyone who submitted—it is always inspiring to read your work. Congratulations to the winners! _____ First-Place Prize: "Tombs" by Yasmin Adele Majeed Judge Karen Russell writes, "My favorite of many excellent, extremely short stories is 'Tombs.' I was amazed by the sorcery that Majeed accomplishes with just a palmful of words. This short piece distills decades … [Read more...] about The 2023 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK Tagged With: American Short(er) Fiction Prize, beth bachman, contest winners, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Karen Russell, yasmin adele majeed

The Dog Had Ate the Hand

by Juan Fernando Villagómez | May 9, 2023

The Dog Had Ate the Hand

  They’d been watching the renovations for days. The plan was simple: Cut a hole in the fence. Get inside the house. Grab the copper. Take it home. Sell it. Easy money if Lucas could just stick to the plan. But there was something about the way his skull was born without a soft spot and something about the way his brain grew into the skull, pushing up against the stubborn bone, that made him forget all the little things. He would forget the day. He would forget where he was walking … [Read more...] about The Dog Had Ate the Hand

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Juan Fernando Villagómez, Online Fiction, The Dog Had Ate the Hand

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Issue 81

Guest-edited by Fernando A. Flores, featuring new stories by Yvette DeChavez, Julián Delgado Lopera, Carribean Fragoza, Alejandro Heredia, Carmen Maria Machado, Ruben Reyes Jr., and Gerardo Sámano Córdova.

You can preview the issue here.

NEWS

Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize

Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize

By ASF Editors

“Memories are a nuisance,” Peter wrote to one of our writers after reading his short story, “but nonetheless they seem to make us who we are, as this story confirms.” This year’s submissions told many stories burdened with memory, but just as many stared bravely into the face of hope, satirized the state of politics, speculated on the future of the world, or else built entirely new worlds to inhabit. In short, the stories written on the inside reflected the stories we wrote this year on the outside. Stories of human toil and dreams and everything in between.
 

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