In the early 2000s, I saw a local newspaper ad soliciting 101 word stories. For some reason, I was drawn to the idea and submitted a few stories. I don’t remember if they got published.
The limitation concept stuck with me, and I started 101 Words in December of 2005. In those early days, I only posted my own stories and a few from friends. I didn’t open it up to the public until 2007.
My interest over the years would come and go, and therefore stories were sporadic. Sometimes a full year would go by without a single story being published. In November 2014, I decided to go all in and turn 101 Words into something special.
My vision for 101 Words is a comprehensive ecosystem and community that can support writers, editors, and readers. This vision is a work in progress and I hope you stick around to watch it grow.
— Shannon
Meet Our Editors
Emily Clayton
Emily Clayton is an independent editor and writer who grew up in Ontario, Canada, and now resides with her husband in Northern California. Emily holds a BA in environmental & resource studies from Trent University, along with additional coursework in English, creative writing, and literature. She is also a member of the American Copy Editors Society. She delights in the magic of weaving fiction and flash fiction stories and letting her inner artist shine. Her fiction has been published in Kudzu House Quarterly, the FlashDogs Time Anthology, and online in various formats. Visit her site for more of her fiction.
Keely O’Shaughnessy
Keely O’Shaughnessy grew up in the rural Devon countryside and has an undergraduate and post-graduate degree in creative and critical writing from the University of Gloucestershire. She was awarded the Francis Close Hall Prize for the highest dissertation mark in 2012 and again in 2015. Her short fiction has appeared in Duality 6 Literary Magazine, as well as anthologies Smoke: New Writing I, Fire: New Writing II and Compass. Before joining the 101 Words team Keely had her writing published in Flash Fiction Magazine.
Anushree Nande
Anushree Nande is a Mumbai-based writer, editor, and proofreader with MA & BA creative writing (and media studies) degrees from Edge Hill University. She has short stories, essays, and poems published on platforms like CommuterLit, When Women Waken, Thresholds, Flash Fiction Magazine, Cadaverine, Litro, Yellow Chair Review, 3AM Magazine, and others. Anushree also writes about football (Go Gunners!), books, movies, TV for websites, blogs, and literary magazines. Her micro-fiction collection, 55 Words, is available on Amazon as a part of Underground Voices’ E-series.
Ashley Carranza
Ashley Carranza resides in Las Vegas where she teaches at both the high school and college level. In her academic endeavors, Ashley presents ludicrous nonfiction and papers on popular culture at various regional and national conferences. Ashley is published at Flash Fiction Magazine and Postcard Shorts. You can see some of her less academic writing at constantexistentialcrisis.com.
Wendi Kozma
Wendi Kozma is a professor of English at Marshall University; despite the fact that she lives an hour and twenty minutes away in a small community called Pyro, she enjoys the daily commute. She has had work published in The Ship of Fools and Flash Fiction Magazine. She enjoys reading good literature, writing, going to the movies, traveling all over the United States and abroad, and spending time with her family (the fur and non-fur variety) and friends.
Mark Wightman
Mark Wightman is a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, who graduated from the creative writing masters programme at the University of Edinburgh. He is now studying for an MA in crime writing at the University of East Anglia. His work appears in the print anthologies From Arthur’s Seat, Tales from Four Cities: Stories from Four UNESCO Cities of Literature, and Scottish Book Trust’s Secrets and Confessions, as well as in online literary magazines. He is currently working on a historical crime novel set in colonial-era Singapore.
Lisette Alonso
Lisette Alonso is a south Florida native who has held a variety of non-writing-related jobs, the most demanding of which has been mother of four. She holds an MFA from the University of Miami and a BA in English from FAU. Her poetry has appeared with New Letters, The Lune, The Tishman Review, The Nashville Review, and Poetry Superhighway. Her flash fiction can be found online, most recently with Daily Science Fiction. You can see her collaborations on Cahoodaloodaling and forthcoming on Hobart.
Maura Yzmore
Maura Yzmore is a professor at a large university in the U.S. Her job involves quantum mechanics, dry-erase markers, geeky puns, and lots of technical writing. Under a different pen name, she published a book of essays and cartoons on academic life, Academaze. Maura’s short fiction has appeared in The Fiction Pool, Storyland, Microfiction Monday Magazine, and elsewhere. She joined the 101 Words team in October 2017. Find out more at maurayzmore.com.
Do You Want to Be a Volunteer Editor for 101 Words?
If you have the skills and about five hours per week, apply to be a volunteer.