Here it is, our spring issue for 2023! Granted, it hits the stands when summer’s almost here, but we’re not into narrow labeling. We’re also aware that “hits the stands†is as old-fashioned as “stop the presses,†but “appears online†just “doesn’t have the same ring to itâ€â€”from an era when bells mattered more than they do now. In contrast, the stories in this issue are timely and vital. They include, in no hierarchical order:
speaking to the dead with a Ouija board
reading till the end of life and beyond
a woman who slowly becomes one with nature
the view of a family breakup from a car
two brothers, an old man, and a gun
marking time by the coming of the herons
an AI who gives a human a story prompt
life after marrying an old man
encountering fate, Frank, and a fish tank
building a Lego mansion for the family
odd turns in a fairy tale
this man deals in twos of everything
a wife who turns her husband into a tree
the date from hell, with grace notes from Star Trek
calculating the return on investment in a relationship
interviews with flash fiction writers Tania Hershman, John Jodzio, and Tucker Leighty Phillips
a review of what many regard as the one of the best flash fiction books of the year, Best Microfiction 2023
Please also take a look at our list of recent flash fiction books. If you’ve come out with a book in the last few years, by all means let us know.
David Galef
Editor in chief
STORIES
The Dahlquists, by AJ Atwater
Lives of Tropical Fish, by Amber Wheeler Bacon
Heartwood, by Lindy Biller
The Rats Led the Way, by Catherine Buck
Lego Mansion, by Christine H. Chen
Double-Barreled, by Subhravanu Das
ROI, by Erika Eckart
A Car Nation, by Mara Erdman
The Tree, by David Hudacek
Beside, by Mason Koa
The Spring of the Blue Herons, by Aimee LaBrie
Swiped, by Lisa Lebduska
I listen to The Cranberries whenever I please now, by Michelle Morouse
Family Vacation Story Written by a Real Human, by Clare Rolens
Blue Teacup, by Michael Zimecki
REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS
Interview with Tucker Leighty-Phillips, by Christopher Notarnicola
Interview with John Jodzio, by Joanna Acevedo
Interview with Tania Hershman, by Lucy Zhang
Review of Best Microfiction 2023, by David Galef