For five years, Stephanie Macias has been reading and considering submissions to American Short Fiction, and she's been instrumental in running our in-person events in Austin. A virtual Swiss Army Knife of artistic pursuits (she's a writer, photographer, visual artist, musician, and editor), Stephanie is now set to bring her broad experience and enthusiasm for stories to a new role at American Short Fiction: that of managing editor. As the outgoing managing editor, I'm both grateful for and … [Read more...] about Introducing Stephanie Macias, ASF’s New Managing Editor
Read the Winners of the 2022 Insider Prize
Lauren Hough may be known for her spar-ready online presence, but in real life she’s pure warmth: years ago, she overheard us talking about the Insider Prize—American Short Fiction’s annual contest for incarcerated writers—at a coffee shop in Austin, and she walked up, and proclaimed, “I want to help!” So we asked her to be the judge. This year’s submissions capture the uncertainty, loss, and despair so many of us have experienced in the past two years. But they also capture self-reflection, … [Read more...] about Read the Winners of the 2022 Insider Prize
Contest Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be the wonderful Kristen Arnett, author of With Teeth: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2021) which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House, 2019). This year, we're again partnering with the Tasajillo Residency, an idyllic writing residency that neighbors the Halifax Ranch just outside of Austin in Kyle, Texas. In … [Read more...] about Contest Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
On Sale Now: Get Your Tickets to Our 2022 Stars at Night Celebration
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. We had to postpone our party last year because of the pandemic, but we’re so excited to see everyone at last on our new date, April 16, 2022, at a beautiful new venue in Austin’s Pease Park. This year, we'll celebrate and honor literary stars Yiyun Li, Stacey Swann, Danielle Evans, and Meg Kuehn. For full … [Read more...] about On Sale Now: Get Your Tickets to Our 2022 Stars at Night Celebration
Pioneers
ASF is recognizing Black History Month by sharing, for the first time online, four stories from our Winter 2020 issue, which showcased emerging Black writers selected by guest editor and PEN American Robert W. Bingham Prize winner Danielle Evans. Here is author Maya Perez, reflecting on the experience of writing this story: My initial idea for the story was two people with a shared history having a reunion and realizing that while they don’t know each other at all, they share an overwhelming … [Read more...] about Pioneers
Spare the Rod
ASF is recognizing Black History Month by sharing, for the first time online, four stories from our Winter 2020 issue, which showcased emerging Black writers selected by guest editor and PEN American Robert W. Bingham Prize winner Danielle Evans. Here is author Rickey Fayne, reflecting on the experience of writing this story: I began the story that became “Spare the Rod” as an assignment for a workshop led by Maya Perez (whose amazing story also appears in Issue 72). When I sat down to … [Read more...] about Spare the Rod