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]
NOTEBOOK
Web Exclusive Interview: Kyle McCarthy
"I think being a woman is insane," says the narrator in September's hilarious and timely Web Exclusive story, "The Seagull." With keen wit, Kyle McCarthy illustrates the unwinnable, frustrating, and ultimately pretty ridiculous conundrum that being a good, modern feminist can be. Given where we are right now, as a country, and the coincidental connection we both had to Chekhov's Seagull, we had a lot to discuss. Erin McReynolds: This story grabbed me right away because it started out the way ... [READ MORE]
Announcing the Winners of the Insider Prize
Submissions to The Insider Prize—a writing contest for incarcerated writers in Texas, which we held for the first time this year—came to us in envelopes of many sizes. Most had been previously opened, with a red TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS stamp on the inside of the lip of the envelope that had been taped shut after an inspection. Some were composed on a typewriter. Others were handwritten. Like many literary journals, American Short Fiction accepts only electronic submissions. And while ... [READ MORE]
2017 American Short Fiction Prize Winners
We are delighted to announce that Lauren Groff has selected the winners of the 2017 American Short Fiction Prize. The first-place prize goes to Michaela Hansen for her story "The Devil in the Barn." Michaela Hansen is a Northwest native who likes to call Tacoma, Washington home, even though she doesn't always live there. She's a recent graduate of the Texas State University MFA program and her work has been published in McNeese Review, and is forthcoming from Fourth Genre. When she's not ... [READ MORE]
The Stars at Night 2017
[Please note that this event has passed. Keep an eye on this space for information about The Stars at Night 2020, a virtual celebration of literary community!] Join us on the night of Thursday, November 2nd, for our second annual The Stars at Night, a beer-and-boots gala celebrating American Short Fiction, our Texas heritage, and our city's writers and those who champion them. Come for the live country music and dancing (courtesy of the great Weldon Henson and his band!), and stay for the ... [READ MORE]
Web Exclusive Interview: Michael Czyzniejewski
In August, we published a Web Exclusive story, "Monster," that seemed fitting (given that it was playground season and all) and creepy. But not creepy in the way you'd think—the unexpected twist of this story lodges itself in the place where our inadequacies lie, and it's comforting to be so recognized, isn't it? We talked to author Michael Czyzniejewski about this last month. Erin McReynolds: Your narrator in "Monster" is super relatable—in this era of social media, we're making constant ... [READ MORE]