Kathy Fish
@kathyfish.bsky.social
Ploughshares | Best American Nonreq'd | Copper Nickel Editors' Prize | The Norton Reader | ElectricLit | Flash Fiction America | Swamp Pink (fmrly Crazyhorse) | Wigleaf | The Art of Flash Fiction https://artofflashfiction.substack.com
Pinned
Kathy Fish
@kathyfish.bsky.social
· Oct 1
The Saddest Fuckers of All — Ghost Parachute
I am needing a prescription for the Pill. I can no longer use Student Health due to living in a new town and not being a student anymore. I am telling this to the kid as he is rolling out pizza dough ...
ghostparachute.com
I am beyond thrilled to have a story featured in the NINTH anniversary issue of Ghost Parachute amongst some of the best writers I know. Kudos to all. Hope you enjoy "The Saddest Fuckers of All" and the gorgeous artwork by Kaylan Friedman. ghostparachute.com/issue/octobe...
Thanks so much for reading and sharing this, @pdforan.bsky.social That's a gorgeous issue of Brink. 💙
“ / I hate the word *savvy*, I told him /“
“where were all the people? / where were the cars and the birds? / where were the shops, the cafes, the restaurants? / who made the music and the art? / where were all the feral cats? /“
this by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Brink
“where were all the people? / where were the cars and the birds? / where were the shops, the cafes, the restaurants? / who made the music and the art? / where were all the feral cats? /“
this by @kathyfish.bsky.social in Brink
November 25, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Thanks so much for reading and sharing this, @pdforan.bsky.social That's a gorgeous issue of Brink. 💙
Good morning, friends! I'll shortly be speaking on Zoom with students at SUNY Adirondack as part of their Writers Project series. I'm excited to talk about flash fiction and have them write to a fun prompt I've created. Visiting classrooms in person or remotely is so damn much fun. ❤
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Good morning, friends! I'll shortly be speaking on Zoom with students at SUNY Adirondack as part of their Writers Project series. I'm excited to talk about flash fiction and have them write to a fun prompt I've created. Visiting classrooms in person or remotely is so damn much fun. ❤
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Thirty West is now 10 years old! Thank you readers, audience, A Novel Idea, and all of the supporters over the years. We love you. Onward another 10…
@joshdale.co @saraheedmonds.bsky.social @adamg.bsky.social @shannonfrostgre.bsky.social
@anotherintro.bsky.social
& Rebecca Kokitus
@joshdale.co @saraheedmonds.bsky.social @adamg.bsky.social @shannonfrostgre.bsky.social
@anotherintro.bsky.social
& Rebecca Kokitus
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Thirty West is now 10 years old! Thank you readers, audience, A Novel Idea, and all of the supporters over the years. We love you. Onward another 10…
@joshdale.co @saraheedmonds.bsky.social @adamg.bsky.social @shannonfrostgre.bsky.social
@anotherintro.bsky.social
& Rebecca Kokitus
@joshdale.co @saraheedmonds.bsky.social @adamg.bsky.social @shannonfrostgre.bsky.social
@anotherintro.bsky.social
& Rebecca Kokitus
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Have you seen the cover art of our NOVEMBER ISSUE? 💕 Check out Danielle Shandiin Emerson's piece HAADÍ SHÍTSILÍ (WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE BROTHER?) right here: buff.ly/Fi0mGZt
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Have you seen the cover art of our NOVEMBER ISSUE? 💕 Check out Danielle Shandiin Emerson's piece HAADÍ SHÍTSILÍ (WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE BROTHER?) right here: buff.ly/Fi0mGZt
Reposted by Kathy Fish
"Ideally, you go into a story not knowing what you think yet, not having a preconceived idea of what the story’s going to be. If you do, then you’re not truly learning the story. You’re simply looking for examples to support an idea you already have."
[@susanorlean.bsky.social]
[@susanorlean.bsky.social]
November 23, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Ideally, you go into a story not knowing what you think yet, not having a preconceived idea of what the story’s going to be. If you do, then you’re not truly learning the story. You’re simply looking for examples to support an idea you already have."
[@susanorlean.bsky.social]
[@susanorlean.bsky.social]
I have slowly but surely lost 32 pounds since March (without any Ozempic or Ozempic like injections, just exercise and managing blood sugar). All my "numbers" have vastly improved. I feel wonderful. Now I'm having to replace all my clothes. I won't lie, this is an awfully nice problem to have! 💙
November 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I have slowly but surely lost 32 pounds since March (without any Ozempic or Ozempic like injections, just exercise and managing blood sugar). All my "numbers" have vastly improved. I feel wonderful. Now I'm having to replace all my clothes. I won't lie, this is an awfully nice problem to have! 💙
Brilliant new story by @mattkendrick.bsky.social out now at Milk Candy Review! "Then he explains that the sun isn’t capable of forgetfulness, it is a ball of fire, unperturbed by memory or emotions."
Thrilled to have a new story out today with the wonderful Milk Candy Review that features eggs, soldiers, silence and absent suns. Hope you'll give it a read:
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
milkcandyreview.home.blog/2025/11/20/n...
Nothing certain ~ by Matt Kendrick
The day the sun forgets to rise, Mr White sits down for breakfast at precisely twelve minutes past seven. This is in the dining room. It is Tuesday. His Tuesday breakfast is a soft-boiled egg opene…
milkcandyreview.home.blog
November 20, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Brilliant new story by @mattkendrick.bsky.social out now at Milk Candy Review! "Then he explains that the sun isn’t capable of forgetfulness, it is a ball of fire, unperturbed by memory or emotions."
Reposted by Kathy Fish
I don't want to alarm anyone, but it's now just TWO WEEKS until entries open for the #WelkinWritingPrize 2026!!!
However, if you count like @smokelong.bsky.social (this is a thing apparently), it may also be 13 days, 71 elephants or 0.035 rotations around the sun...
However, if you count like @smokelong.bsky.social (this is a thing apparently), it may also be 13 days, 71 elephants or 0.035 rotations around the sun...
**ATTENTION WRITERS** This is your ONE MONTH warning. Entires open for the #WelkinWritingPrize 2026 on the 1st Dec. 100 words. Rolling subs. Free entry. Publication for shortlistees. Prizes for top 5.
November 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM
I don't want to alarm anyone, but it's now just TWO WEEKS until entries open for the #WelkinWritingPrize 2026!!!
However, if you count like @smokelong.bsky.social (this is a thing apparently), it may also be 13 days, 71 elephants or 0.035 rotations around the sun...
However, if you count like @smokelong.bsky.social (this is a thing apparently), it may also be 13 days, 71 elephants or 0.035 rotations around the sun...
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Do pay attention to the submission guidelines for this — we're open to surprises, but this call is particular in what we're looking for.
We've just opened submissions on a brief call for short solstice writing. Let's see what happens!
Necessary Fiction - Winter Solstice: Points of Light
When the winter solstice approaches and days contract, I often return to seasonal rereads — Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Nina MacLaughlin's Winter Solstice, essays by Kathleen Jamie, or the fictio...
necessaryfiction.submittable.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Do pay attention to the submission guidelines for this — we're open to surprises, but this call is particular in what we're looking for.
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Deadline!!!!! Midnight ET tonight! www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2025 - SmokeLong Quarterly
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is now an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online. The grand prize winner of The Mikey is automatical...
www.smokelong.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Deadline!!!!! Midnight ET tonight! www.smokelong.com/the-smokelon...
Reposted by Kathy Fish
"A stain. A case of misidentification. Brothers. A road trip. A detailed account of an emergency appendectomy"
Been meaning to catch up with this piece from @kathyfish.bsky.social for ages and of course it's brilliant:
reideasjournal.com/kathyfishfic...
Been meaning to catch up with this piece from @kathyfish.bsky.social for ages and of course it's brilliant:
reideasjournal.com/kathyfishfic...
KathyFishFiction : (Re) An Ideas Journal
reideasjournal.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:24 PM
"A stain. A case of misidentification. Brothers. A road trip. A detailed account of an emergency appendectomy"
Been meaning to catch up with this piece from @kathyfish.bsky.social for ages and of course it's brilliant:
reideasjournal.com/kathyfishfic...
Been meaning to catch up with this piece from @kathyfish.bsky.social for ages and of course it's brilliant:
reideasjournal.com/kathyfishfic...
Pretty and unusual for Colorado!
November 12, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Pretty and unusual for Colorado!
Reposted by Kathy Fish
“When I spoke to him about the loneliness I didn’t mean out in the wheat fields. There is a loneliness that opens up between two people sitting in a bar, not in love with one another, not even certain they like the way they are entangled with one another.”
Anne Carson
Anne Carson
November 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“When I spoke to him about the loneliness I didn’t mean out in the wheat fields. There is a loneliness that opens up between two people sitting in a bar, not in love with one another, not even certain they like the way they are entangled with one another.”
Anne Carson
Anne Carson
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Been feeling out the world of flash? There's no better guide🔥
Hey friends, become an ANNUAL subscriber & get a spot in an EXCLUSIVE 90-minute flash workshop ($60 value) & my undying gratitude. Details below: ...https://open.substack.com/pub/artofflashfiction/p/fragmentary-flash-beauty-from-the?r=4e5y2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Fragmentary Flash: Beauty from The Broken
Photo by Riho Kitagawa on Unsplash
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Been feeling out the world of flash? There's no better guide🔥
Hey friends, if one were to--say--pull together a collection of "new and selected" stories, who does the selecting of the "selecteds"? The writer or an editor / publisher or a trusted reader? Asking for myself. 😄 (This is a photo of the last time I pulled together a collection, too long ago.)
November 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Hey friends, if one were to--say--pull together a collection of "new and selected" stories, who does the selecting of the "selecteds"? The writer or an editor / publisher or a trusted reader? Asking for myself. 😄 (This is a photo of the last time I pulled together a collection, too long ago.)
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Hey friends, become an ANNUAL subscriber & get a spot in an EXCLUSIVE 90-minute flash workshop ($60 value) & my undying gratitude. Details below: ...https://open.substack.com/pub/artofflashfiction/p/fragmentary-flash-beauty-from-the?r=4e5y2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Fragmentary Flash: Beauty from The Broken
Photo by Riho Kitagawa on Unsplash
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Hey friends, become an ANNUAL subscriber & get a spot in an EXCLUSIVE 90-minute flash workshop ($60 value) & my undying gratitude. Details below: ...https://open.substack.com/pub/artofflashfiction/p/fragmentary-flash-beauty-from-the?r=4e5y2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Reposted by Kathy Fish
And finally, the FICTION ranking includes 270 magazines - and this is the top 20:
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
And finally, the FICTION ranking includes 270 magazines - and this is the top 20:
Reposted by Kathy Fish
The FLASH FICTION ranking includes 280 magazines - here is the top 20:
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The FLASH FICTION ranking includes 280 magazines - here is the top 20:
Reposted by Kathy Fish
The OVERALL ranking includes 750 journals - here is the top 20:
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The OVERALL ranking includes 750 journals - here is the top 20:
Anyone have some great flash to recommend for this new flash writers / readers group in Iowa City?
We're starting a group for Flash Fiction writers in Iowa City, following a workshop by the wonderful @kathyfish.bsky.social.
We're going to read a few flash fiction stories as part of our meeting time -- what are some of your favorite flash fiction pieces that I should include?
Thanks!
We're going to read a few flash fiction stories as part of our meeting time -- what are some of your favorite flash fiction pieces that I should include?
Thanks!
November 11, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Anyone have some great flash to recommend for this new flash writers / readers group in Iowa City?
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Reflections, a Prompt, and a Special Offer 💙 open.substack.com/pub/artoffla...
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Some Reflections, a Prompt & a Special Offer
Reflection in the closet doors of my study.
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Reflections, a Prompt, and a Special Offer 💙 open.substack.com/pub/artoffla...
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Reflections, a Prompt, and a Special Offer 💙 open.substack.com/pub/artoffla...
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Some Reflections, a Prompt & a Special Offer
Reflection in the closet doors of my study.
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Five Years of The Art of Flash Fiction: Reflections, a Prompt, and a Special Offer 💙 open.substack.com/pub/artoffla...
Hey friends, become an ANNUAL subscriber & get a spot in an EXCLUSIVE 90-minute flash workshop ($60 value) & my undying gratitude. Details below: ...https://open.substack.com/pub/artofflashfiction/p/fragmentary-flash-beauty-from-the?r=4e5y2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Fragmentary Flash: Beauty from The Broken
Photo by Riho Kitagawa on Unsplash
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Hey friends, become an ANNUAL subscriber & get a spot in an EXCLUSIVE 90-minute flash workshop ($60 value) & my undying gratitude. Details below: ...https://open.substack.com/pub/artofflashfiction/p/fragmentary-flash-beauty-from-the?r=4e5y2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Reposted by Kathy Fish
Where are you going: to pout because of the mean lady
Where have you been: ko'd by Joyce Carol Oates
Where have you been: ko'd by Joyce Carol Oates
November 9, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Where are you going: to pout because of the mean lady
Where have you been: ko'd by Joyce Carol Oates
Where have you been: ko'd by Joyce Carol Oates
Reposted by Kathy Fish
"Did Women Ruin Men Blaming Women For Ruining Things?"
November 9, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"Did Women Ruin Men Blaming Women For Ruining Things?"