In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction

Deb Fenwick

Congrats to contributor, @debfenwrites.bsky.social, whose “Escape Route,” from Issue 1 was listed as Notable in Best American Essays ‘25!

Congrats, Deb 🎉🎉 Read it here: inshortjournal.com/deb-fenwick/

Submissions In Short is an independent literary journal for flash nonfiction at every length. We publish creative nonfiction of 1,000 words or fewer, micros of 400 words or fewer, and short-shorts of 100 words or...

📢 ONE MONTH left to submit!

We close for submissions on Nov. 30 or whenever we reach our 300-sub cap in each category.

Send us your:
✔️flash cnf (< 1,000 words)
✔️micros (< 400)
✔️short-shorts (< 100)

We can’t wait to read your work 🖤
inshortjournal.com/in-short-hom...

It’s spooky season so perhaps you’d enjoy my piece about the Rapture and organ donations 😀🫀

The Telstar by Clifford Thompson This piece grips you with every sentence and never lets you go. Thompson's style and word choice really brings the energy of the piece together and leaves you with a final punch in the last line! Sneak peek: "Spring of 1980, I seventeen, clop-clopping past squat gray buildings in Northwest DC in my hard black shoes, trench coat, tie, Afro."

Erasure by Timothy C Smith This piece explores what tries to remain unsaid and buried and unearths it with care and gentleness. The last few lines will make you want to reread the entire piece with Annie's name in mind. Sneak Peek: "She had a name. A sultry July afternoon, the grass slowly turning from jade green to dried hay."

Night Walk by Elizabeth Rose This piece drops you into a pool of release restless, searching for a moment of calm only to take it away. When he sentences get longer and the calm recedes, readers miss the freedom and quiet the sky can only give and grieve its loss with the narrator. Sneak peek: "I am aware of the risk, that when I use my fingers to wipe my eyes, I may unintentionally extract one of my good long eyelashes."

[Terrible is the Punishment of the Lord] by Darby Price Price creates such a poetic and intense moment with only 214 words. The scene and the rhetorical questions in the piece force readers to wonder about reclaimed with her. Sneak peak: "Terrible is the punishment of the Lord for those who believe in such things."

@darbyprice.bsky.social

The Quiet Part by Matthew E. Henry The form Henry uses to break up this one-sided conversation forces readers to pause and think after each mini mic drop. The tension that builds to the final line feels like a bucket of ice water being poured over your head. Sneak Peak: "Excuse me? Excuse me. I'm so sorry to interrupt your conversation, but are you Matthew E. Henry, the poet?..."

@mehpoeting.bsky.social

In Short Issue 3 Themes: Superhero punches, terrible conversations, grief, all 400 words or fewer

Looking back on Issue 3!! Today we are reviewing the Micros (400 words or fewer).

Read the full piece at Inshortjournal.com!

Elena Zhang

Want a submissions secret? 🤫 We get way fewer short-short and micro submissions than flash, so if you want to increase your chances, why not give one of those a try?

Here’s a short-short from Issue 3 we love by @ezhang77.bsky.social
inshortjournal.com/elena-zhang-2/

Happy #FlashFriday! Today’s feature is “Man-Sized Boots” by @brandihandley24.bsky.social .

We love its structure, its lines. And boy did it resonate:
t.co/TZ13lROCKy

All the Lands We Inherit Check out All the Lands We Inherit - <p><em>All the Lands We Inherit</em> is a searing, heartbreaking, and formally inventive debut memoir about family, legacy, and identity. The story centers around ...

And order Darby’s debut lyric memoir, All the Lands We Inherit, here: bookshop.org/p/books/all-...

Love seeing our contributors IRL! @darbyprice.bsky.social read from her new collection—including [Terrible is the punishment of the Lord] from Issue 3 of In Short!—at the 804 Lit Salon in DC last weekend.

Read it here: t.co/qKZMNdJPpH

"Border Crossings, Macau to Hong Kong, 1957" by Melissa Hung With one sentence we are forced to experience the fear and uncertainty of the narrator. We wonder how she got there and where she will go. More importantly we dream of her mother with her by the end of the piece. Sneak Peek: “How long did she wait in that old apartment by the window...”

@melissahung.bsky.social

The Seamstress of Buenos Aires by Donald A. Ranard With just a little more than 50 words, Ranard includes readers into this small moment of shared love and loss. The final line leaving us sitting in that shared moment of acknowledgement. Sneak Peek: “How many children do you have? she asked. “

Shadow Animals By Michelle La Vone Every time you read through the piece a new word or phrase reveals itself and adds meaning to the piece. The objective correlative in the piece being the shadows on the wall also packs a punch when you finish reading! Sneak Peek: “My childhood room is frankincense, steady puffs of steam. “

In Short Issue 3 Themes: motherhood, loss, immigration, all 100 words or fewer Short-Shorts

As we gear up for Issue 4 of In Short we are going to take a look back at the past issues; starting with the Short-Shorts of Issue 3!

Read full pieces as inshortjournal.com

Melissa Hung

Did you know that we publish 100-word CNF? We call them “short-shorts”! And today’s feature is @melissahung.bsky.social’s “Border Crossings, Macau to Hong Kong, 1957.”

We love its long, breathless sentence with an ending that cuts like a 🔪
inshortjournal.com/melissa-hung/

Graphic of Editorial Intern: Megan Cobb What do you love about Flash Nonfiction? I love a good hermit-crab essay! Taking on a new shell to explore yourself is incredibly revealing and cathartic. A piece from In Short that you love? "Bra Shopping" by Dawn Tasaka Steffler, Issue 2 Favorite Author? Anne Rice

Graphic of Editorial Intern: Drew Hunter What do you love about flash nonfiction? "You don't need an extraordinary life or story to make an amazing piece! It's very accessible to a variety of readers and writers." A Piece from In Short that you love? "The Telstar," By Clifford Thompson, Issue 5. Favorite Author? R.F. Kuang and James Baldwin

Graphic of Editor-in-Chief: Steph Liberatore What do you love about flash nonfiction? "I Love flash's accessibility. It gave me a writing career when a writing career felt impossible." A Piece from In Short that you love? "Impossible to choose just one! Deb Fenwick's "Escape Route" in Issue 1 is the first piece we ever accepted. And I still remember the way it hit me: like a beautiful punch in the gut." Favorite Author? "Tie between Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Melissa Febos"

Meet the In Short team!
For more information about how to join our team and more of our members please visit our website.

Thank you for letting us know! I'll make sure Alt text is added on all posts in the future.

We love your work, Sean! Best of luck and thank you for sharing with us 😊

@seanbwparker5000.bsky.social's "Artists at Work" worked wonders with linework and composition.

Camellia Paul's artworks "Silvester" and "Callypigeon" absolutely stunned us.

Clifford Thompson

Clifford Thompson's "The Telstar" knocked us out like a telepunch.
inshortjournal.com/clifford-tho...

Matthew E Henry

@mehpoeting.bsky.social's "The Quiet Part" wowed us with everything left unsaid.
inshortjournal.com/matthew-e-he...

We're so excited to announce our nominees for the 2026 Best of the Net anthology!
Stay tuned for a look into these great works 📸

We are officially open for submissions through November 30th!! What are you going to send? 📸

ONE WEEK! Send us your:
✔️Flash cnf (1,000 words or fewer)
✔️Micros (400 or fewer)
✔️Short-shorts (100 or fewer)

Submissions open Sept. 30-Nov. 30.

Art Credit: Camellia Paul