Join American Short Fiction for the latest installment of My Constellation of 8 on October 26th at 6:30 p.m. CST, featuring award-winning author Kirstin Valdez Quade in conversation about eight of her literary influences with ASF's Coeditor Adeena Reitberger. All book sales will benefit Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe. Live closed captions are available for all Google Chrome users. Register now to save your spot. About Kirstin Valdez Quade Kirstin Valdez … [Read more...] about My Constellation of 8: Kirstin Valdez Quade
The Stars at Night 2021
Please note that this event has passed. Please visit our Stars at Night page for information about this year's event. Each fall, the editors and staff of American Short Fiction host a grand celebration that recognizes literary excellence, extraordinary literary service, and a debut writer from Texas. The Stars at Night is our favorite event of the year because it’s intimate, celebratory, community-fueled, and inspiring. It’s the most down-home, sophisticated literary spectacular on the … [Read more...] about The Stars at Night 2021
My Constellation of 8: Elizabeth McCracken
Join American Short Fiction for the latest installment of My Constellation of 8 on June 8th at 6:30 p.m., featuring award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken in conversation about eight of her literary influences with ASF's Coeditor Adeena Reitberger. All book sales will benefit BookWoman in Austin, celebrating 45 years as the only feminist bookstore in Texas. Live closed captions are available for all Google Chrome users. Register now to save your spot. About Elizabeth … [Read more...] about My Constellation of 8: Elizabeth McCracken
Contest Closed: The 2021 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
Please Note: The deadline for the 2021 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize is has passed. We’re thrilled to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be the brilliant R.O. Kwon, author of the bestselling novel, The Incendiaries, and coeditor of the groundbreaking new story anthology, Kink, published by Simon & Schuster in February 2021. There's more exciting news! This year, we've partnered with the Tasajillo Residency, an idyllic writing residency that … [Read more...] about Contest Closed: The 2021 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
Register Now: 2021 Short Story Summer Camp
Join us this summer for a first-ever, limited-entry manuscript consultation and virtual craft series from the editors of American Short Fiction. Each registrant will receive detailed feedback on their submitted story and attend a series of three live virtual seminars focused on honing and refining their work with an editor's eye. Regular registration ($425) will close on June 15th. Note: Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. This is not a juried application … [Read more...] about Register Now: 2021 Short Story Summer Camp
The Invisible String
In our bathroom, there’s a worn 3x5 notecard taped to the mirror that reads, “There’s an invisible string connecting me to you.” When my daughter, Hope, was five, we moved from Northern California to Austin, Texas because I had a new job as Chair of the Creative Writing Department at the community college. This isn’t a small distance to cover with a tiny person, so my husband and I asked his parents to help. They flew from Maryland to collect Hope. We were immensely grateful, but we were also … [Read more...] about The Invisible String