Featuring new stories by Matthew Lawrence Garcia, Laura Grothaus, Joshua Henkin, John McManus, JoAnna Novak, Peter Orner, Lucy Tan, and Zahid Rafiq. Matthew Lawrence Garcia, "Harmony" The day Tupac died I was with a few boys and this girl Elena I was into. Not that she’d been reciprocating. We were at the New Mexico State Fair, fooling around with the few bucks we had, trying to win goldfish at the ring-toss game. Thing was, if you got one, you could point to another person and they had … [Read more...] about ISSUE 80
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The Stars at Night 2024
Please note that this event has passed. Please visit our Stars at Night page for information about this year’s event. Each year, the editors and staff of American Short Fiction host a grand party that recognizes literary excellence, extraordinary literary service, a brilliant new story collection, and a debut writer from Texas. We’re so excited to celebrate with everyone on March 23, 2024, at the Tudor Cottage in Austin’s Pease Park. The Stars at Night is our favorite event of the year … [Read more...] about The Stars at Night 2024
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Lorem ipsum odor amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Velit finibus fermentum aptent nulla imperdiet pellentesque euismod sociosqu. Augue sagittis ornare massa potenti efficitur lacinia suscipit bibendum pellentesque. Sagittis urna tortor cursus commodo purus augue justo rutrum aliquet. Amet ac platea elementum per commodo ipsum felis. Eleifend sit pharetra viverra ornare adipiscing efficitur viverra lobortis. Nam lobortis feugiat inceptos curae et class sed maecenas. Semper dignissim ligula … [Read more...] about Lorem Ipsum Test Post
Forever Oak Park High
Part 1 FRESHMAN They were the only vegetarians, a fact that was highlighted every game day when the other girls loaded up on chicken sandwiches or steak fajitas while Yoon and Carmen ate salads of iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese, forgoing the ranch that came in rectangular packets, which they agreed was disgusting. They ate ironically, offering a round of applause whenever one found an actual cherry tomato. “Sustenance!” they cheered, stabbing the tomato ceremoniously before clinking … [Read more...] about Forever Oak Park High
Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize
Stories live through their readers. This year’s winners of American Short Fiction’s Insider Prize were brought to life by dozens of readers—by my friends, colleagues, students, two former high school teachers, and our guest judge, Peter Orner—generous individuals who donated their time to a bounty of incredible submissions. ASF’s partnership with Huston-Tillotson University’s Department of English and Institute for Justice and Equity has made sharing and celebrating the winning stories and … [Read more...] about Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize
ISSUE 79
Featuring new stories by Dave Eggers, Becky Hagenston, Jane Kalu, Diane Oliver, and Kate Tighe-Pigott. Dave Eggers, "Keeper of the Ornaments" His doorbell rang. Cole looked at the time: 6:46 a.m. He opened the door to find his new neighbor. Her hair was black, shoulder-length, streaked with pink. Her eyes were wide set, her face round and unwrinkled. If he had to guess, he would have said she had one Asian parent, one Caucasian. She was slightly taller and heavier than Cole, wearing a … [Read more...] about ISSUE 79