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American Short Fiction

Publishing exquisite fiction since 1991.

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American Short Fiction

The Hungry Valley

by Kathryn Scanlan | February 1, 2016

The Hungry Valley

https://soundcloud.com/americanshortfiction/kathryn-scanlan-the-hungry-valley Now he fed his horses too much rich corn sweetened with molasses: their middles were round and taut as barrels, and their hooves curled, and instead of nipping and tossing about like they had in the past, they loitered at the gate all day, calling out to him whenever he passed. His old dog he fed too much kibble and too many table scraps: its back was strangely broad and thin of hair like a threadbare piece of … [Read more...] about The Hungry Valley

Filed Under: WEB EXCLUSIVES Tagged With: American Short Fiction, Family, farm, Flash Fiction, horses, hungry valley, Online Fiction, scanlan, short fiction, short story, Web Exclusive

Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!

by ASF Editors | December 16, 2015

Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!

We are so pleased to announce that Elizabeth McCracken has chosen the winners of our 2015 American Short Fiction Contest. The first place prize goes to Leona Theis, for her story "How Sylvie Failed to Become a Better Person Through Yoga." McCracken writes, "This unsettling story about a 1970s summer sneaks up on the reader: at first it seems as aimless as its main character, but in the end it is a curiously moving story about self-knowledge and moral quandaries; it's also darkly funny, and … [Read more...] about Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!

Filed Under: NEWS, NOTEBOOK, Uncategorized Tagged With: American Short Fiction, CJ Hauser, Contest, contest winners, Leona Theis, short fiction

ASF Alumni: Jean Thompson

by Jess Stoner | August 29, 2013

ASF Alumni: Jean Thompson

Since Jean Thompson was first published in American Short Fiction in the Winter 1993 issue, her short story collection Who Do You Love was nominated for The National Book Award, and her novel, Wide Blue Yonder, was named a New York Times Notable Book and Chicago Tribune Best Fiction selection.  Her newest novel, The Humanity Project (Blue Rider Press, March 2013) beautifully tackles the grand and complicated notion of humanity, while excavating a glimmer of hope in our foreclosed and sometimes … [Read more...] about ASF Alumni: Jean Thompson

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK Tagged With: American Short Fiction, ASF Alumni, Jean Thompson, Mercy, The Amish, The Humanity Project, Who Do You Love

Online Fiction: Interview with Anthony Abboreno

by Mary Miller | July 25, 2013

Online Fiction: Interview with Anthony Abboreno

We're excited to publish Anthony Abboreno's story, "Filler," the first fiction post on our website in over a year. Abboreno's story is about the complicated relationship between children and their parents' expectations. There are lobsters with personalities, an ex-wife who loves New Year's Eve, and a man who tries to do his best, but falls short. "Filler" covers a lot of territory in few words. We hope you like it as much as we do. MM: I love how the daughter’s taste in food becomes something … [Read more...] about Online Fiction: Interview with Anthony Abboreno

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK, NOTEBOOK FEATURE Tagged With: American Short Fiction, Anthony Abboreno, Filler, Mary Miller, Online Fiction, Web Exclusive

Things American: From Post-Black to Postmortem–The Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin

by Dana Crum | July 25, 2013

Things American: From Post-Black to Postmortem–The Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin’s death and George Zimmerman’s acquittal are further proof that Obama’s two-term presidency and the spike in interracial marriage have not magically transformed America into some post-racial Shangri-la free of the demons of prejudice and discrimination. The country is post-black, as cultural critic Touré demonstrates in his book Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? Blacks, he explains, are post-black in that they are “like Obama: rooted in but not restricted by Blackness.” Rejecting … [Read more...] about Things American: From Post-Black to Postmortem–The Tragic Death of Trayvon Martin

Filed Under: NOTEBOOK, THINGS AMERICAN, Uncategorized Tagged With: American Short Fiction, Dana Crum, Post-Black, Postmortem, Things American, Toure, Trayvon Martin

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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.
 

Issue 81 is out now: guest-edited by Fernando A. Flores, with stories by Julián Delgado Lopera, Carmen Maria Machado, Ruben Reyes Jr., and more. Order yours today!

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