Thanks for your interest in the 2019 American Short(er) Fiction Prize. The contest is now closed. We are thrilled to announce that Danielle Dutton, author of three remarkable books and editor of Dorothy, a publishing project, will judge 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 will receive $250 and publication. Previous ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
Editorial Outtake: If You Leave Me
Editorial Outtakes is a series in which we publish excerpts from recent books that you won’t find anywhere else because, prior the publication, these sections were cut. This installment of Editorial Outtakes features an original chapter from Crystal Hana Kim's debut novel If You Leave Me. A moving story of love during wartime, the novel's poses difficult questions about whether it's better to choose security over love and safety over freedom. Here, Kim shares her thoughts—and an example of a ... [READ MORE]
Editorial Outtakes: The Floating World
Editorial Outtakes is a series in which we publish excerpts from recent books that you won’t find anywhere else because, prior the publication, these sections were cut. This installment of Editorial Outtakes features a deleted scene from novelist C. Morgan Babst's debut The Floating World. Published in 2017 and out this month in paperback, Babst's acclaimed story of life in New Orleans following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina has been hailed as a poetic and tragic family tale with the ... [READ MORE]
Web Exclusive Interview: Corey Flintoff
Yes, that Corey Flintoff! When we came across the recently retired NPR reporter's flash fiction story, "Dream of the White Worm," we were of course intrigued. Then we discovered that with an honest, unassuming domestic scene, he'd managed to capture the disconnect between people who may love and care for each other deeply, but never fully understand the fears and challenges the others face. It was pretty cool to talk to someone whose voice we could hear in our heads... and to get to use the word ... [READ MORE]
From Printed Page to Silver Screen: An Interview with Novelist Ted Thompson
Ted Thompson's one of the very first people I met in Iowa City in the fall of 2009 when my wife and I moved there so that she could attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Knowing Ted has given me a close view of watching someone move from drafting a book to editing it, then to selling it to a publishing house and editing it some more. On Thursday, an adaptation of that book—The Land of Steady Habits—will premiere on Netflix. Adapted and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener, the movie ... [READ MORE]
Web Exclusive Interview: Tyler Stoddard Smith
"I aspire to dread . . . " begins June's online short story, "Knausgaard in Space." And with these words, we knew author Tyler Stoddard Smith had nailed the Nordic icon and we were in for something very funny. And boy, did we need it. Here we talk Weird Al, the legendarily awkward meeting between Knausgaard and Jeffrey Eugenides, and the potential hilarity of having no escape. — Erin McReynolds: This story is hysterical; do you have a background in improv or writing parody or ... [READ MORE]