Category: Uncategorized

What We Know About Broken Things by Kristin Kozlowski

Dad cooks Thanksgiving dinner and Mom handles cleanup. She cries while loading the dishwasher, but nobody says anything, not even Dad. This is when I learn about broken things — people, marriages. Grandma is psychic. She works in a tent by the DuPage River… Continue Reading “What We Know About Broken Things by Kristin Kozlowski”

The Nicest of the Popular Girls by L Mari Harris

The popular girls will see the star quarterback talking to one of the nobody girls, his foot hiked up against the locker door, shoulder pads slung over one shoulder, and their bodies will tense, ears cocked in their direction, shushing each other with a… Continue Reading “The Nicest of the Popular Girls by L Mari Harris”

And This is How You Fade Away by Tyrel Kessinger

Every day Mary comes in to work we see her less and less. We’ve decided she’s about 60% gone now. See-through enough to almost read the signs on the break room wall behind her but still solid enough to perform her favorite party trick… Continue Reading “And This is How You Fade Away by Tyrel Kessinger”

All the Ways We Tried to Kill My Father by Shannon Layne

We have been trying to kill my father for a long time. The first attempts, admittedly, were clumsy. My sister and I pushed him off the edge of Longdrop Gorge, which was his first request. It was a long fall. When we reached him… Continue Reading “All the Ways We Tried to Kill My Father by Shannon Layne”

Man on the Moon by Patricia Q. Bidar

My mother and I nurse small wounds on our fingers. We’re sweating at her kitchen table making daisies out of can lids she’s saved all month. On the black and white television we’ve moved to a kitchen chair, history unfolds in space. Apollo 11.… Continue Reading “Man on the Moon by Patricia Q. Bidar”

Dermatographia by Amy Barnes

My mother sleeps in my bedside mirror, primping and shuffling missives from my prince who writes to me only in spy green ink. There is never good sleep there because of my pea-filled mattress she fills from the freezer every weekend to help with… Continue Reading “Dermatographia by Amy Barnes”

Mom’s Pumpkin Boyfriend by Francine Witte

Carved out jacko on the dresser. Mom first learned to do this last Halloween. Scooped the goo out of a pumpkin head when Dad was out on a drunk. Mom’s own head a beehive of regret and wondering how on earth their marriage went… Continue Reading “Mom’s Pumpkin Boyfriend by Francine Witte”

As Storms Gather in the Stereo by Jenny Wong

Mina spends hours listening to recordings of rainfall. Summer Shower on Oak Bark. Thunderstorm over Gospel Bay. Evening Drizzle Along the Serengeti. When she grows tired, she reverts to Typhoon on Hong Kong Apartment Window #131.  Angry nails punched out of a sheet metal sky.… Continue Reading “As Storms Gather in the Stereo by Jenny Wong”

Why Flash Fiction?

As we count down to our debut story on February 1st – which then kicks off a new story dropping every other week – we wanted to first take a closer look at what makes flash fiction resonate as it does for so many people.