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American Short Fiction

Publishing exquisite fiction since 1991.

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Alexander Lumans

Things American: Control Magic

by Alexander Lumans | April 25, 2014

Things American: Control Magic

“The mind: a great weapon and an even greater weakness.” – Jace Beleren  I. “Illusions of Grandeur” It’s 7 A.M. on a Saturday in October 2012. I'm twenty-eight-years-old and yelling “Idiot,” “Fucking terrible,” and “What were you thinking?” into my steering wheel. I’m driving home from Time Warp Comics, where I’ve just lost a Magic tournament. And not just lost, but lost lost: eighteenth out of twenty-five at the midnight release for the newest set, Return to Ravnica. My opponents? Mostly … [Read more...] about Things American: Control Magic

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK FEATURE, THINGS AMERICAN Tagged With: Alexander Lumans, Failure, Magic: The Gathering, Things American

Online Fiction: Interview with Alexander Lumans

by Marian Oman | August 2, 2011

Online Fiction: Interview with Alexander Lumans

Hot? Yeah, so are we. Luckily, our August web exclusive is the short fiction equivalent of diving headlong down a Slip ‘n Slide: a brief-yet-exhilarating trip that’s guaranteed* to lower your core temperature a degree or two. With snow, glaciers, and a cameo by South Pole-navigating Sir Ernest Shackleton, “The Unicorns” by Alexander Lumans is no-holds-barred fun and all kinds of cool. So go on, dive in, read “The Unicorns” on the ASF website. Plus, learn the story behind the story in our … [Read more...] about Online Fiction: Interview with Alexander Lumans

Filed Under: ARCHIVES, NOTEBOOK Tagged With: Alexander Lumans, Interview

The Unicorns

by Alexander Lumans | August 1, 2011

The Unicorns

The blizzard is over. But the sea waves still crash high upon the shore, making it impossible to row off any of the archipelago’s islands. The unicorns are cantering about and talking about the weather. “Fucking cold!” “And how!” The unicorns have come to the archipelago to be chosen by the Rider. It is the only archipelago for hundreds of miles with a Rider who will ride unicorns. “Fucking cold!” “And how!” The unicorns have brought with them many board games— Snakes and Ladders and Stratego … [Read more...] about The Unicorns

Filed Under: WEB EXCLUSIVES Tagged With: Alexander Lumans

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Issue 81

Guest-edited by Fernando A. Flores, featuring new stories by Yvette DeChavez, Julián Delgado Lopera, Carribean Fragoza, Alejandro Heredia, Carmen Maria Machado, Ruben Reyes Jr., and Gerardo Sámano Córdova.

You can preview the issue here.

NEWS

Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize

Read the winners of the 2024 Insider Prize

By ASF Editors

“Memories are a nuisance,” Peter wrote to one of our writers after reading his short story, “but nonetheless they seem to make us who we are, as this story confirms.” This year’s submissions told many stories burdened with memory, but just as many stared bravely into the face of hope, satirized the state of politics, speculated on the future of the world, or else built entirely new worlds to inhabit. In short, the stories written on the inside reflected the stories we wrote this year on the outside. Stories of human toil and dreams and everything in between.
 

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