This month we're excited to bring you Monica McFawn's captivating “Ornament and Crime,” the story of a family surviving the tyranny of a father's taste for minimalism. It's a sharp-witted tale that manages to bend something as lofty as aesthetics into strange, tender moments. Monica lives in Michigan, where she teaches writing at Grand Valley State University. Her stories have appeared in places like The Georgia Review, Missouri Review, Web Conjunctions, and Gargoyle. Her collection ... [READ MORE]
NOTEBOOK
Inside the Issue: The Roots of “Are You My Mother?”
"Are You My Mother?"--the clever gem that concludes our new issue, by Short(er)-Fiction-prize runner-up Sabrina Orah Mark--has what we might think of as a famous grandmother. A great many of us were raised on P.D. Eastman's classic children's book of the same title. Eastman's book, first published in 1960, is a widely adored story about the search for love and belonging. Mark's story takes this allegory and drags it into the lonely, fragmented, rootless, go-it-alone context of modern adult ... [READ MORE]
Inside the Issue: “Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved” Playlist
One of our favorite short stories in the world right now happens to be Barrett Swanson's "Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved," published in our newest issue of American Short Fiction. Narrated from the perspective of three characters who are strangers to each other--a drug-addled PhD student in Applied Semiotics, a God-fearing boy watching his atheist father die of cancer, and a chubby high schooler who, in an attempt to win back an ex who dumped him via Facebook, further embarrasses himself by ... [READ MORE]
We’re Back!
ASF is back with a new issue brimming with exquisite fiction. Behind Elizabeth Chiles' gorgeous cover photo you'll find wonderful stories, including: Joyce Carol Oates' "The Disappearing" Kevin Wilson's "The Horror We Made" Rachel Swearingen's "The Night Between Us" Barrett Swanson's "Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved" Kellie Wells' "A Unified Theory of Human Behavior" and the stories that won our Short(er) Fiction Contest: Ryan MacDonald's "The Observable ... [READ MORE]
ASF Alumni: Laura van den Berg
Laura van den Berg has published three short stories in American Short Fiction. In November, her second collection of stories, the scintillating The Isle of Youth, will be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book has elicited raves in advance of its publication. Kirkus Review calls The Isle of Youth “mesmerizing.” Publishers Weekly says, “If ever there was a writer going places, it’s Laura van den Berg.” The Isle of Youth explores the lives of women mired in secrecy and deception: a ... [READ MORE]
Scary Stories 101
Here at American Short Fiction, we're split down the middle regarding our feelings for Halloween. Some of us want to get into costume, but just as many want to go into hiding. Thankfully, one thing we can all agree on is that we enjoy a good horror story. Below, in alphabetical order, are our staff's picks for our favorite stories that scare us, haunt us, or make us feel exceedingly uncomfortable. And with that in mind: enjoy! 1. "The Rememberer"-- Aimee Bender 2. "The Beginnings of ... [READ MORE]