Bret Anthony Johnston has the distinction of being among the few writers occupying that slim but coveted slice of the Venn diagram: creative writing directors (Johnston is at the helm at Harvard) who have toured the country on a professional skateboarding team. Find a great discussion on this over at McSweeney’s. His latest work, Remember Me Like This, is a quiet and rich novel centered around a teenage boy named Justin who is returned to his family four years after his kidnapping. The story … [Read more...] about An Interview with Bret Anthony Johnston
NOTEBOOK FEATURE
Inside the Issue: An Excerpt from “Zone of Mutuality,” by Karl Taro Greenfeld
In "Zone of Mutuality," the final story in Issue 57 of American Short Fiction, Karl Taro Greenfeld introduces us to Dwayne, a young man settling uneasily in to a perennial professional disappointment that threatens to swamp the rest of his life as well. As we wrote in our introductory note to the issue, Dwayne, "a 'personal banker' in a small bank branch whose title and cheap suit belie the essential sordidness of the job, moves through the indignities that make up his working day with a … [Read more...] about Inside the Issue: An Excerpt from “Zone of Mutuality,” by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Bourbon and Milk: “Are You the Mother?”
Bourbon and Milk is an ongoing series that dives into the perplexing spaces parenting sometimes pushes us, and explores the unexpected ways writers may grow in them. If you’re interested in joining the conversation or contributing a Bourbon and Milk post, query Giuseppe Taurino at giuseppe@americanshortfiction.org. “Mama,” my three-year-old son says a hundred times a day, right before he asks for something—a hug, a glass of milk, a kiss, a Netflix show, a toy that I … [Read more...] about Bourbon and Milk: “Are You the Mother?”
An Interview with Marie-Helene Bertino
I first met Marie-Helene Bertino last summer, when she was my workshop instructor at the One Story Workshop for Writers. In person, she is meticulous, charming, and bright. And her writing is the same. Her short story, “Carry Me Home, Sisters of Saint Joseph,” was first published in Issue 47 of American Short Fiction. Her second book, 2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas, will be published this August by Crown. Set in Philadelphia, the novel takes place over the course of a single day—Christmas Eve … [Read more...] about An Interview with Marie-Helene Bertino
American Short Fiction Prize: Winners Announced!
We are pleased to announce the prize winners for our 2014 American Short Fiction Contest. Contest judge Amy Hempel chose these stories out of a wealth of terrific submissions. The first-place prize goes to Scott Gloden, for his story “What Is Louder,” about a young man who works in a post office and his brother who is a soldier in Pakistan. Amy Hempel praised the story for its newness, commenting, “the ending is unnerving, very unsettling, and continues the story in a reader's imagination.” … [Read more...] about American Short Fiction Prize: Winners Announced!
Inside the Issue: Tia Clark Reads from “Nutcracker”
Tia Clark's story, "Nutcracker," opens our current issue. Set in a Modell's Sporting Goods store in one of New York City's shabbier suburbs, the story is told in the sharp, funny, and frequently affecting voice of a teenaged girl trying to define herself at the edge of a brave new world of independence and sexuality. As Shelly attempts to reconcile the dull daily grind of her outer world with the sizzle of her fantasies, she finds herself suddenly unsure in which space she feels more like … [Read more...] about Inside the Issue: Tia Clark Reads from “Nutcracker”