Though our Web Exclusive "Belly of the Beast" was published on Halloween, it's a timeless story, drawing on folk tale traditions of employing monsters to contend with painful human realities. In this case, a spouse grows distant, frightening, and dangerous, lost (literally) inside of a beast. It's a tender and desperate story that accommodates any number of ways in which our partners can abandon us. We talked with author Joy Baglio recently about the flash form, the Master Switch of Life, and ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
ASF Celebrates Black Writers
As Black History Month 2020 nears an end, we asked members of our staff compile a list of their favorite short fiction by Black writers. For this list, our scope was broad. After all, while Black History Month has its roots in American history, it's not an exclusively American endeavor. Canada celebrates along with us during February, but in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands, Black History Month is aligned with the start of the school year in October. So, rather than give our ... [READ MORE]
Say Hello to Amanda Faraone, Our New Development & Communications Director
Our little team here at American Short Fiction has just grown by one: this month we're welcoming the wonderful Amanda Faraone on board as our new development and communications director. As a fiction writer, literary programmer, and seasoned communications and development professional, Faraone brings valuable experience to the table, and we're so grateful and excited to have her on our team. I recently emailed Faraone a few questions so that you, too, can get to know her. — Nate Brown: First, ... [READ MORE]
Further Thoughts on Revision or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the “Beast Christ”
In 2018, I published an essay that collected some of my thoughts about what writers should think about prior to submitting their work to literary journals. That piece was based on a talk I'd given that year at the Muse and the Marketplace conference in Boston. I returned to the Muse in the spring of 2019 and delivered a sequel to that talk, one in which I was able to include a few more thoughts (and expand upon previous ones) on revision. That initial essay was long, maybe too long, but I felt ... [READ MORE]
In 2020, Recommit to Reading Literary Magazines
With the new year comes our best-ever subscription bundle. From now until February 1st, you can get a one-year subscription to American Short Fiction, The Believer, and BOMB for only $80. That's a 27% discount off the regular price! This bundle makes a great gift as well, so if you've got a literature and art-loving friend or two, get this deal while the getting's good. Click here to Subscribe Today. Founded in 1991 and based in Austin, Texas, American Short Fiction is a two-time finalist for ... [READ MORE]
Bourbon and Milk: On Time
Bourbon and Milk 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, query Giuseppe Taurino at: giuseppe [at] americanshortfiction.org. — This past summer, for the first time in ten years, I didn’t work on a book. I'd been working on one difficult book or another since before I got pregnant with my son—he is nine now—and even the thought of beginning another difficult, ... [READ MORE]