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American Short Fiction

Publishing exquisite fiction since 1991.

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FICTION

WEB EXCLUSIVES

Filler

—July 17, 2013

Filler

Anthony Abboreno

My daughter is still young enough to draw pictures of fairies on all of her school notebooks, but at other times her oldness is startling. For example, when she was the flower girl at her mother’s … [READ MORE] about Filler

Like an Original Response

—August 01, 2012

Like an Original Response

Randall Brown

Hedy loved Polly, the parrot at Trader Bob’s airport bar. Hedy went directly there every day after work at the Terminal A newsstand. Hedy loved the way Polly echoed desire, like a mirror. So when she … [READ MORE] about Like an Original Response

The Swimmers

—July 01, 2012

The Swimmers

Randi Ewing

In the beginning, I think everyone was afraid. You can imagine how startling it was the day the fingertips of that enormous hand came up out of the sands of Punta del Este and reached for the sun. … [READ MORE] about The Swimmers

Ghost Water

—June 01, 2012

Ghost Water

Casey Hannan

I go to Lee’s bar downtown where loose dogs dart in the street. I love on my horn, and those dogs go wild. They claw up the hood and piss hot butter on the windshield. A girl yells directions so I can … [READ MORE] about Ghost Water

John Starks

—May 01, 2012

John Starks

Salvatore Pane

There’s a glitch in NBA Jam only John Starks knows about. He sits in the dark in his duplex, the gummy carpet littered with empty forties and dead blunts. He selects his old squad, the New York … [READ MORE] about John Starks

Squirrel

—April 01, 2012

Squirrel

David Schuman

It was in the grass. He thought it was dead. It seemed as if it had been there for a while, like the grass had grown around its body. But it wasn’t dead. It quivered as he drew near. “Go climb a … [READ MORE] about Squirrel

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Issue 83
Issue 83
  • Baba Ademoroti
  • Kyle Alderdice
  • Manuel Gonzales
  • Nic Guo
  • Simon Han
  • Ammi Keller
  • Mathilde Merouani
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News

The 2025 Halifax Prize Winners We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year's Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, judged by Eric Puchner. We consider it our privilege to have spent time with so many terrific submissions—thank you for giving us the opportunity to read your work. Congratulations to the winners!
Read the Winners of the 2025 Insider Prize Whose voices are these, I wonder each fall as submissions for the Insider Prize begin accumulating in my office. Four years on as director of Texas’s annual literary award for incarcerated writers, some of the names written across the bloated white and manila envelopes have grown familiar—essayists, short story writers, and the places they are relegated to calling “home”.  
Announcing the Winners of the 2025 American Short(er) Fiction Prize We are delighted to announce that Tony Tulathimutte has chosen the winners of our 2025 American Short(er) Fiction Contest. Thank you to our judge and to everyone who submitted—it is always inspiring to read your work. Congratulations to the winners!

Store

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MFA for All Spring 2026: “Bodies in Space, Bodies in Place” with Katie Kitamura is still open. Register now!

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