These deeply original stories create a mesmerising kaleidoscope of experience.
–Booklist
It has been more than thirty years since the term ‘flash fiction’ was first coined, perfectly describing the power in the brevity of these stories, each under 1,000 words. Since then, the form has taken hold in the American imagination. For this latest installment in the popular Flash Fiction series, James Thomas, Sherrie Flick, and John Dufresne have searched far and wide for the most distinctive American voices in short-short fiction. The 73 stories collected here speak to the diversity of the American experience and range from the experimental to the narrative, from the whimsical to the gritty. Featuring fiction from writers both established and new, including Aimee Bender, K-Ming Chang, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Brian Washington, Robert Scotellaro, and Luis Alberto Urrea, Flash Fiction America is a brilliant collection, radiating creativity and bringing together some of the most compelling and exciting contemporary writers in the United States.
– February 14, 2023 from W. W. Norton – $16.95
About the editors
James Thomas is co-editor of all the W. W. Norton Flash Fiction anthologies and lives in Xenia, Ohio.
Sherrie Flick is a novelist, short story writer, and senior editor at SmokeLong Quarterly. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
John Dufresne is author of Flash! Writing the Very Short Story and teaches at Miami’s Florida International University.
Excerpted work
First few sentences of the opening stories in the anthology:
We met the new teacher for origin class. He was tall, with a mustache. He was our last resort.
‘Origin Lessons’ by Aimee Bender
Daddy’s pissed. I can tell ’cause I can hear his gloved fists slapping the punching bag downstairs.
‘Boxing Day’ by Rion Amilcar Scott
She came over wearing a man’s white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, and a faded blue denim jumper that made her eyes appear more blue.
– ‘Bruise’ by Stuart Dybek
My brother talks about the time he was in survival training in the mountains and he had to eat a rabbit’s eyeballs. He’s on speakerphone in his hospital room, whispering.
– ‘Some Hard, Hot Places’ by Kathy Fish
Links:
Bookshop
Amazon
And available at independent bookstores far and wide.
Events and readings (forthcoming, adding to events from February and early March)
White Whale bookstore (in-person) Reading, Pittsburgh, PA, March 30. With Tyrese Coleman, Bergita Bugarija, Dave Housley, Chauna Craig, Gwen Kirby, Desiree Cooper, and Terese Svoboda
Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, CA featured reading, May 6-7.