We've have had the pleasure of reading the work of Amber Sparks and Lincoln Michel for a number of years, and we've published work by each of them as web exclusives in the not-so-distant past. This fall, Michel published his debut collection of short fiction, Upright Beasts, and Sparks's next book, The Unfinished World, will be published in January. We recently emailed both authors to ask about their new books, their writerly obsessions, the year in publishing, and the best things they've read ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
Web Exclusive Interview: Leslie Parry
Our December Web Exclusive, “The Night Bus,” beautifully elucidates the moment two lives intersect—lives forever changed by random acts of violence. We talked with author Leslie Parry about anonymity, anxiety, and a very effective antidote for procrastination. Erin McReynolds: Congratulations on your first novel, Church of Marvels, being released earlier this year! Both that story and “Night Bus” center on characters who are the forgotten and unseen players in the larger drama of the city. ... [READ MORE]
Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!
We are so pleased to announce that Elizabeth McCracken has chosen the winners of our 2015 American Short Fiction Contest. The first place prize goes to Leona Theis, for her story "How Sylvie Failed to Become a Better Person Through Yoga." McCracken writes, "This unsettling story about a 1970s summer sneaks up on the reader: at first it seems as aimless as its main character, but in the end it is a curiously moving story about self-knowledge and moral quandaries; it's also darkly funny, and ... [READ MORE]
There’s Still Time to Make a Year-end Gift to ASF!
Next year will mark 25 years since the very first issue of American Short Fiction was published, and in December, we're hoping to raise $5,000 to help us continue well into the next quarter century. For our editors and staff, bringing these stories to readers around the world is a genuine labor of love, and it takes a large group of dedicated writers, editors, artists, subscribers, and supporters to make it happen. Since we're a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, charitable contributions made to ... [READ MORE]
Rough Likenesses: An Interview with Kate Gavino & Devin Symons
Though artists and writers Kate Gavino and Devin Symons have never met, each has taken to attending literary events where, in addition to listening to the work, they draw the authors. Gavino’s project, Last Night’s Reading, began in New York in 2013, and she estimates that she’s attended approximately 400 readings since then. Last month, Penguin published a collection of her author portraits called Last Night’s Reading: Illustrated Encounters with Extraordinary Authors. Just over 200 miles to ... [READ MORE]
Web Exclusive Interview: Lee Conell
This season, as the nights turn ever longer and we turn ever inward to contemplate life’s mysteries, stories like our November exclusive, “A Guide to Sirens,” seem especially to speak (or sing) to us. We talked to author Lee Conell about her inspiration for the story, about magic and the unexpected, and about creatures real and imagined. Erin McReynolds: What part of “A Guide to Sirens” came to you first: the island hotel, Frank and his job, or the wife/vision dynamic? Lee Conell: When I ... [READ MORE]