**The 2018 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize entry period has now closed.** The deadline for our brand new Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize was June 15, 2018. The winner of the prize will receive $2,500 and publication in an upcoming issue of American Short Fiction. We're kicking things off with a bang as our inaugural judge will be the incomparable ZZ Packer, whose writing has been hailed by everyone from John Updike to Oprah. George Saunders called Packer a wonderful writer "who somehow manages to … [Read more...] about Closed: The Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
NOTEBOOK FEATURE
14 Writers You Love & Their Favorite Short Stories
Spring is here, and so are the promises of the season: the famous flowers are in bloom, the strawberries are ripe for picking, the earth's axis has started to tilt toward the sun, and—with its lackadaisical charm and balmy swagger—spring fever has set its sight on all of us. Oh, did we mention the kittens? But perhaps the best thing about the season is the arrival of May—Short Story Month—which is, as you might expect, American Short Fiction's favorite month of all. To celebrate we invited … [Read more...] about 14 Writers You Love & Their Favorite Short Stories
The Art of Staring: An Interview with Jamel Brinkley
In his much-anticipated debut collection A Lucky Man, Jamel Brinkley lays bare the full and complex interiority of black men and boys kicking against all manner of inexorable truths, while living an inch from ruin in Brooklyn and the Bronx. With stunning clarity and generosity of detail, each of the nine stories leaves its own lasting impression, while the book as a whole coalesces into a devastating tapestry of confused masculinity, familial responsibility, and the intractable power of … [Read more...] about The Art of Staring: An Interview with Jamel Brinkley
Something to Rage Against: An Interview with James Han Mattson
In his beautiful debut novel, The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves, James Han Mattson explores the fallout from an act of violence that will seem all too familiar to American readers. Using multiple first-person narrators, Mattson deftly orbits the book's central tragedy, allowing readers a broad view of the event that does much more than explore a killer's motivations. Mattson's characters struggle to make sense of what's taken place in their town, and through multiple voices, multiple lines of … [Read more...] about Something to Rage Against: An Interview with James Han Mattson
The American Short(er) Fiction Prize is now Closed
The American Short(er) Fiction Prize is now closed for submissions. Thank you to everyone who entered! We look forward to reading your work. A winner and runner-up will be announced in the coming months. * * * We are thrilled to announce that Amber Sparks will be judging this year’s 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, and the second-place winner … [Read more...] about The American Short(er) Fiction Prize is now Closed
Texas Book Festival Interviews: An Austin Collection
With the Texas Book Festival coming up on November 4th and 5th, we caught up with a few authors featured in this year’s lineup for some mini–interviews. Deb Olin Unferth, Jardine Libaire, and Owen Egerton are a few of Austin's favorite local writers, while our other interviewees—Amelia Gray, Mary Miller, and Manuel Gonzales—have all recently called Austin home. We asked these six writers to share a few insights about themselves, their books, and the Lone Star State. Also, speaking of the Texas … [Read more...] about Texas Book Festival Interviews: An Austin Collection