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American Short Fiction

Publishing exquisite fiction since 1991.

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FICTION

WEB EXCLUSIVES

Killers

—July 31, 2019

Killers

Susan Steinberg

the water is deeper than it looks; and we’re not the worst swimmers, but it’s dark; we tend not to swim at night; no, we tend not to swim at night with guys; we all knew of the girl who drowned; she … [READ MORE] about Killers

Ara’s Man

—July 04, 2019

Ara’s Man

Min Han

Ara killed my dog so I had to screw her man. His mouth was still swollen from the tooth he lost and he tasted terrible, but I did it anyway. I had to. Afterward, tearfully, he told me a story about … [READ MORE] about Ara’s Man

Les Dansants

—June 06, 2019

Les Dansants

Dan Reiter

If we were not so young and beautiful as we'd been in those years before the babies, at least we were beginning to look less tired. It was summer but cool enough in our second-story flat over the rue … [READ MORE] about Les Dansants

Her Cousin Lena

—May 02, 2019

Her Cousin Lena

Nora Lange

Rose kept a notebook near and recorded her phone conversation with her mother, just because. A part of her, the part that supported herself and paid for her condoms, cigarettes, and rent, assumed a … [READ MORE] about Her Cousin Lena

The Moths Came

—April 07, 2019

The Moths Came

Elin Hawkinson

In a cloud, at night. Or like an army at sunrise. To every tree and every spike of grass, every ridgepole, every windowsill, they came. To every clothesline, especially. From the candy-coated wires, … [READ MORE] about The Moths Came

Life on Land

—March 11, 2019

Life on Land

Nina MacLaughlin

https://soundcloud.com/americanshortfiction/life-on-land-by-nina-maclaughlin Katya can hold her breath for over seven minutes. She’d practiced alongside us in the pool. Up to her chin, she kneeled … [READ MORE] about Life on Land

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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!

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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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