Flash Fiction Sunday Edition

Welcome to our ongoing Flash Fiction Sunday Edition.

When you are done reading, leave us a comment and let us know who you would like recommendations by in future editions. Don’t forget to join the list and you will get next weeks issue via e-mail.

— Shannon

Flash Fiction chosen by David Borrowdale of Micro Bookends

“A Second Bowl of Jook” by Geoff Kronik via Litro

This flash won Litro’s China flash fiction contest, so it’s not surprising that it has a strong sense of place. That difficult moment of meeting your partner’s family for the first time, with the added complication of language and cultural differences, is captured beautifully.

“Reconstruction Work” by Bruce Holland Rogers via Flash Fiction Online

An obvious choice perhaps, coming from the pen of a prolific writer of short stories and flash, but it really doesn’t get much better than this. Excellent characterization and a satisfying, surprising ending that doesn’t spill over into the ridiculous, as some flash does.

“When” by David Bussell via Oblong

Humour can be difficult to do well. This does it perfectly.

“Glance/The Other Side” by Lindsay Brader via The Bookends Review

Second person narrative can be difficult to write (and read). Throw in past, present and future tense and it could all go horribly wrong. This goes delightfully right.

Welcome to our ongoing Flash Fiction Sunday Edition.

When you are done reading, leave us a comment and let us know who you would like recommendations by in future editions. Don’t forget to join the list and you will get next weeks issue via e-mail.

— Shannon

Flash Fiction chosen by H. L. Nelson of Cease, Cows

“Domestic Noir” by Sara Biggs Chaney via Gone Lawn

“Domestic Noir” gives the reader the barest thrilling details about this woman and her ‘case’. Unlike typical noir, there is nary a man in sight.

“My Friends Live on My Bed” by Ashley Hutson via Jersey Devil Press

In “My Friends Live on My Bed”, humor is used as a band-aid. But it is ripped off at the end and the reader sees that the wound is much larger.

“A Lover” by A. W. Marshall via Vestal Review

“A Lover” uses a surreal-seeming anecdote to depict the narrator’s changing view of relationships and love.

“Exorcism” by Amanda Niehaus via Monkeybicycle

In “Exorcism,” the psychological thriller/horror element is utilized effectively, building up to an explosive ending.

Flash Fiction chosen by Grace Black of Three Line Thursday

“Life” by Ashley N. Roth via 100 Word Story

The depth of character conveyed by the writer is delicious in this micro story. The pacing and careful word choice create an enticing read that lingers.

“Pipe Dreams” by Andrea Ruggirello via The Molotov Cocktail

The Molotov Cocktail is dependable for delivering the best home cooked variety of flash, and this story was no exception. The desperation is palpable.

“First Date” by Aaron J. Housholder via Wyvern Lit

This is flash that grabs you from the beginning and drags you through to the end without letting you stop to adjust your collar. And then you pause and swallow and read it again.

“Unsolicited Advice to Adolescent Girls the Summer Before Heading East” by Anna Meister via The Bohemyth

I love poetry that doesn’t know its poetry. Poetry that can fumble around in bed like two teenagers and come out the other side with a new perspective on life, or a moment. Raw, gritty, real.

Welcome to our ongoing Flash Fiction Sunday Edition.

When you are done reading, leave us a comment and let us know who you would like recommendations by in future editions. Don’t forget to join the list and you will get next weeks issue via e-mail.

— Shannon

P.S. We have some exciting new prizes in next months contest.

Flash Fiction chosen by Sarah Vernetti

“Today I Will Be” by Liam Lambert via Cease, Cows

Cease, Cows features strange, and often dark, flash fiction. This particular story combines a dash of magic realism with a hint of horror.

“The Contents of Her Stomach” by Chelsea Laine Wells via Cease, Cows

The writer describes a crumbling friendship in this powerful and disturbing story.

“Kaleidoscope” by Heather Minette via Eunoia Review

This eight-line poem captures a specific, life-changing moment. Despite its brevity, “Kaleidoscope” leaves a lasting impression.

“Story #638” by Noel Sloboda via Nanosim

Nanoism publishes fiction that is short enough to conform to Twitter’s 140-character limit. Haven’t we all experienced moments like this in social situations? It made me smile, and I must have read it half a dozen times.

Flash Fiction chosen by Suzanne Vincent of Flash Fiction Online

“Into the Cellar” by Ajani Burrell via Barrelhouse

This is a story that Flash Fiction Online passed on (against my better judgement) back in 2009, and it’s a story that has stayed with me in a powerful way.

Welcome to the first Flash Fiction Sunday Edition!

The goal for this weekly serial is to highlight great Flash Fiction from around the web and expose readers to new authors and publishers. Each week a rotating cast of curators will highlight their favorite stories from around the Flash Fiction scene.

Without further ado, here is your Sunday reading.

Flash Fiction chosen by Les Weil of 101 Words

Both of these stories are from Doorknobs and Bodypaint. The name of this magazine might seem a little odd, but for 77 issues, Doorknobs has offered some of the best flash fiction on the web. Check out the wonderful archive of stories by over 400 authors, spanning over twenty years.

“Master Builder” by Beverly Vines-Haines via Doorknobs and Bodypaint.

How often do we overlook excellence when it shows up in ordinary things.

“The Nice Guy” by Dan Jackson via Doorknobs and Bodypaint.

Do you believe in Karma?

Flash Fiction chosen by Mallory Smart of Maudlin House

“Quantum Entanglement” by Alexandra Pasian via theEEEL by tNY.Press.

tNY.Press is known for defying conventional standards on all things literature, so it’s not so surprising to find a great piece like this on their site. Good flash should always be a snapshot. It can be a feeling, a time, a place, an awkward glance some dude gave you on the subway — anything. This piece is an instagrammed death wrapped in sepia: gut wrenching yet somehow warm.

“Death Too Will Die” by Robin Wyatt Dunn via Literary Orphans.

Any piece that uses the word ‘penumbra’ in a semi-accurate way deserves to be acknowledged. So I liked this piece for that and its poetic feel. It’s featured in Literary Orphans new issue: Strummer (fists up for the Punk Rock Warlord). It’s another piece about death but this one manages to be more patient with less words. I liked it for the imagery and the flow.

P.S. I’m not obsessed with death, everyone else is.

“Burn Me, Love” by Alexis A. Hunter via Freeze Frame Fiction.

This piece is a bit longer than what I usually go for, but it’s still cool because none of the words are filler or fluff. This was put out by Freeze Frame Fiction and I was pleasantly surprised. This is my first time reading anything by this publication, so it was definitely new territory for me. I liked the pace and how the story is told in stages. It’s a good jilted read.