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
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
The 2022 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize Winners
We are delighted to announce that our brilliant judge, Kristen Arnett, has selected the winners of this year's The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize. 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! Winner: Anita Lo for “Father Fish” Of Lo's story, Arnett writes, "I'm always so impressed by work that's able to set stories inside itself; inset lore, narratives shared and passed, the kind that often … [Read more...] about The 2022 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize Winners
The Only Time I See My Sister
Is during the next family tragedy. She picks me up from the airport. Brings me a bottle of cold water, cucumber-infused facial wipes, an orange, and a jumbo box of Cheez-Its, which she knows I won’t eat. I’m always trying—for once and finally—to be skinny. I slide, sweaty and exhausted and chubby, into her passenger seat. “Where to this time?” she asks. “Bali?” She opens the water bottle because she knows I’m no good at that. “I was thinking Cambodia,” I say. “I hear the noodles are … [Read more...] about The Only Time I See My Sister
The 2022 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners
We are thrilled to announce the winners for this year's American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson. Thank you to everyone who submitted—it is always uplifting to read your work. Congratulations to the winners! _____ First-Place Prize: "A High School Production of Titus Andronicus" by Greg Schutz Judge Brandon Hobson writes, "'A High School Production of Titus Andronicus' is an extraordinary exploration of family and grief. Written in spare, rich … [Read more...] about The 2022 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners
Playing the Ghost
I quit Texas after Lorelei troubled my waters. Ten, fifteen years ago. I drove to New Orleans, then Biloxi and Kansas City, wherever there was nine-ball action. If I found a motor court laid out like a horseshoe, I’d rent a room for a week. A month if the pool hall had Gold Crown tables, longer yet if I met a friendly waitress. I’d been hustling in Knoxville for a year before Jesse Vodinh kicked in my door at the Sunset Motel and accused me of throwing games. Jesse was a stake horse with a … [Read more...] about Playing the Ghost