Welcome to my running list of short story news, calls for submission, and writing opportunities. (Updated October 6, 2026)
Short Story News
- One of my favourite instructors, Finnian Burnett, shares The Weird Dichotomy of What It Looks Like to You and How It Feels to Me.
- Nick Arvin’s latest “A Story a Week for 2026” – number thirty-nine.
- Janelle Drumwright shares Editor’s Pick from In a Flash Lit Mag
Calls for Submission
- Erica Verrillo shares 100 calls for subs in October – paying markets.
- Check out these Authors Publish lists for: 27 respected lit mags, 26 mags always open, themed sub calls & contests, paying mags, small presses, new mags, genre fic, spec fic, horror fic, underrepresented writers, and limited demographic. (Dates vary)
- Ps & Qs Publishing are calling for several anthology subs (speculative and holiday). (Dates vary)
- The CLMP curated submission calls.
- Chill Subs’ lists for submitting short memoir, flash spec fic, micro fic, and a new open sub calls page.
- Participate in the Writers HQ weekly Flash Face Off.
- Girlie On The Edge has a weekly call for six-sentence stories.
Writing Opportunities
- Liz SanFilippo Hall is offering Haunting Micro Fiction: A Free Creative Writing Workshop. (Oct 14)
- FFM presents Ask, Write, Repeat with Laura Besley. (Oct 24)
- The Canadian Authors Association presents this revolving list of opportunities for writers.
- ChillSubs will read your writing and make a custom submission recommendation list. They will also teach you how to submit.
- Flash Fiction Magazine is looking for volunteer slush readers.
- Looking for jobs with publishers? CLMP has your back.
News Archives
- Loghan Paylor speaks to CBC’s Sonali Karnick about what they’ll be looking for when judging the 2027 CBC Short Story Prize.
- The Stiletto Gang share Finding a Short Mystery Fiction Writing Community by Paula Gail Benson.
- Becky Tuch’s latest Lit Mag News conversation: Do good publishing credentials make good teachers?
- Janelle Drumwright presents Publishing Diaries with Frank Reilly.
- Kiosk in Toronto’s Union Station PATH dispenses free short stories by real local authors.
- CrimeReads showcases the best crimey short story collections in recent years.
- Kitchener’s short story writer, James Alan Gardner, inducted into Canadian sci-fi writers hall of fame.
- I loved this – Writing Advice to Lift Your Spirits – Janelle Drumwright’s favourite writing wisdom from her Publishing Diaries series.
- Nick Arvin’s Story a Week for 2026; number thirty-seven.
- The 2027 CBC Short Story Prize is open between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1. Submit unpublished fiction up to 2,500 words; Loghan Paylor, Leanne Toshiko Simpson, and Kyle Edwards selected as judges.
- Authors Publish shares Why and Where to Start Submitting This September – encouraging words from Emily Harstone.
- The last and final Leicester Writes Short Story Prize Ceremony – online event. (Sep 26)
- Story Driven’s Peter Katz tells us Why Short Stories Are Hollywood’s Next Development Pipeline.
- Yascha Mounk shares I Taught a Short Story. My College Fired Me For It.
- Jeffrey-Michael Kane wins The Moth Short Story Prize 2026.
- The Rumpus interviews Jess Row on The Dream State of Metafiction & Wild Freedom of Short Stories.
- Janelle Drumwright brings you Publishing Diaries with Kate Levin.
- Nick Arvin’s writing A Story a Week – here’s thirty-four.
- Nick Arvin’s latest for his short-story-a-week project: here’s thirty-three.
- Great Western Railway (London, England) introduces Short-Story Vending Machines at key stations, encouraging children to read throughout the summer.
- Literary Hub shares Why the Short Story Won’t Go Away by Jess Row.
- Short fiction collections translated into English.
- Publishing Diaries with Janelle Drumwright features the details of Annelise Parham’s very first publication.
- Chill Subs presents the August edition of Free Sh*t for Writers.
- Janelle Drumwright chats with the editors of Hinterland, a UK-based mag dedicated to CNF.
- Nick Arvin’s latest for his short-story-every-week project: here’s thirty-one.
- Flash Fiction Institute and Grant Faulkner share In Pursuit of Stunning Sentences.
- News from Authors Publish: Lascaux Review has closed to submissions and is on indefinite hiatus; editor Stephen Parrish has had enough of the increase in AI (or potentially AI) submissions.
- Erika Dreifus has updated her list of Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction & Micro-Essays.
- In Lit Mag News, Lynne Barret shares What Editors Want: The Ultimate Guide for Writers Submitting to Literary Magazines.
- Janelle Drumwright presents Publishing Diaries with K. M. Watson.
- Short Mystery Fiction Society is pleased to announce that SMFS Mystery Magazine will be launching in October.
- Flash Fiction Institute and Grant Faulkner share The Paragraph’s Contours in Flash Fiction.
- Nick Arvin’s writing a short story every week and posting it on his Substack. Here’s twenty-nine.
- The Brecht List database, created by Brecht De Poortere, ranks over 1,000 English-language lit mags (here is a Google Sheets link).
- Janelle Drumwright presents a Q&A with beginner submitter Anna Booraem in her latest Publishing Diaries.
- Kathy Fish shares Creative Magic: Twenty-Three Fun & Human Ways to Transform Your Lackluster Draft.
- Help Flash Fiction Institute make them the most dynamic flash community by completing their Short Survey.
- Nick Arvin’s writing a short story every week and posting it on his Substack. Here’s twenty-eight.
- Check out the finalists for the Silver Falchion Best Short Story Collection/Anthology.
- Lit Mag News presents What Do We Talk About, When We Talk About Rejecting Generative AI? by Chisom Umeh.
- From Short Reads comes a sad tale about The Fate of Literary Journals by Toi Derricotte.
- Story Club with George Saunders discusses whether there is such a thing as The Natural-Born Artist.
- Janelle Drumwright wrote about The Hardest Part of Submitting to Literary Magazines and shared great strategies for making it easier.
- Curious about dialogue tags? Aeryn Rudel has this to say.
- Read Louise Harnby’s featured editorial for CIEP and discover why human judgement remains central to great editing.
- Janelle Drumwright’s latest Publishing Diaries features insights from Peter Beynon.
- Nick Arvin’s latest story for his short-story-every-week project: here’s twenty-six.
- The Commonwealth Foundation is satisfied with the integrity of the five regional winning stories, however, Granta will no longer be publishing the winning Commonwealth short stories.
- Janelle Drumwright’s latest Publishing Diaries features insights from Angela Lam.
- Lit Mag News presents “Looking for that Heart Element.” A Chat with Shyla Shehan, Editor of The Good Life Review.
- For you mystery afficionados, here is It All Began With a Shillelagh (by Shelley Costa).
- Nick Arvin’s latest story for his short-story-every-week project: here’s twenty-five.
- The winning story of the 2026 Commonwealth Prize is suspected to have been written using AI.
- Louise Harnby (one of my fave editors) wrote about controlled misdirection.
- Janelle Drumwright brought you Publishing Diaries with Cate Gallivan.
- Nick Arvin’s writing a short story every week and publishing it on his Substack. Here’s twenty-two.
- Authors Publish released the 2026 edition of Submit, Publish, Repeat.
- Electric Lit has made an Author AI scams bingo card!
- In case you are as pained as I am to not receive the longform Canadian census, Tod made one. (Tod also hosted a great short-story-in-disguise podcast.)
- Janelle Drumwright wrote about the makings of a contest-winning story from the perspective of a contest reader.
- Aeryn Rudel’s rejection streak returns.
- Mandira Pattnaik wrote about acing the rejection game.
- Isha Jain wrote about thinking of your story as a screenplay.
- Recently discovered letters from JD Salinger express concern about publicizing his Jewish heritage.
- The 2026 Agatha Award winners have been announced.
- Michael Bracken talks to Sisters in Crime about what makes a great short story (YouTube).
- Itto Outini wrote about how she published in 50 lit mags in less than a year.
- ES Raye wrote about his hopes for science fiction in the wake of the Artemis II voyage.
- Not strictly short story related, but Helen DeWitt’s story of refusing a $125 000 prize has gone viral.
- The winners of the 2026 O Henry Prize for Short Fiction were announced.
- WordWorks published my first paid article this month! Check out 5 resources to improve your short story craft.
- Sabyasachi Roy wrote about constraint as a creative engine.
- Ratika Deshpande wrote about how flash and non-fic can boost your creativity.
- Aeryn Rudel wrote about how those who reject you make you stronger.
- John Floyd wrote about finding new markets for your short stories.
- Julie Shackman wrote about creating chemistry between characters.
- Catriona McPherson wrote about “A Fistfull of Angry Women” on Trace Evidence.
- Janelle Drumwright brought you Publishing Diaries with Rachel McCarron.
- Some researchers wrote about their Sci Fi Sci method of behavioural science using Ted Chiang’s short story “The Lifecycle of Software Objects.”
- Hank Green posted a great video about what pulls people out of stories.
- Nick Arvin’s writing a short story every week and publishing it on his Substack. Here’s thirteen.
- Aeryn Rudel wrote about reaching 1000 submissions.
- Michael M——— wrote about the triggering prose of Rucy Cui.
- Janelle Drumwright brought us Richie Smith‘s publishing diary and an interview withthe editor from Chicago Story Press (CNF!).
- Authors Publish put out their 2026 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.
- Jeffrey Segir declares the 10 best short mystery stories ever. EVER.
- Sabyasachi Roy wrote about the perfection of the wrong word.
- Margaret Luke wrote about not writing at 5 am.
- Janelle Drumwright talks with Evelyn Griffith, from Barely South Review, about her favourite story this year.
- Teresa Inge talked about twenty years of short stories on the Sisters in Crime Podcast.
- WordWorks Magazine published a special retrospective issue.
- Astronomy magazine featured an Arthur C Clarke story in its recent article on Earth transits as seen from Mars.
- Chill Subs published a free mini workshop on setting and forgetting your social media.
- PJ Parrish wrote about the link between author and story during procrastination.
- Janelle Drumwright brought us Nicole R. Zimmerman’s publishing diary.
- David Ebenbach wrote about why AI is unhelpful at every stage of the writing process.
- Andrea A Firth wrote about expediting the submission process.
- ES Raye wrote a great piece on the reading yips: how to break a reading slump.
- Elena Smith at the Short Mystery Fiction did an interview with Cheryl Head.
- Janelle Drumwright has another publishing diary for us (this time from a story written jointly).
- Marcel Dube on using rage and fear as writing inspiration.
- If you’re looking for something good to read, Michael M—— reviewed a bunch of shorties from various collections.
- FFM posted an article by Finnian Burnett on rants that start with, “You’re not a real writer if …“
- Janelle Drumwright breaks down submitting to After Dinner Conversation.
- The Doctor Who Companion is giving away free Doctor Who stories for National Storytelling Week.
- Sabyasachi Roywrites wrote about Metaphor Fatigue and How the Page Thinks.
- Roman Mars does a deep dive on the em dash on 99% Invisible podcast.
- Michael M—— reviewed the best stories of January 2026.
- Olympic figure skater Hannah Lim wrote a short story based on her program.
- Aeryn Rudel wrote about three things he learned from 100 short story sales.
- Bergita Bugarija sheds light on The Beautiful Dance of Literary Translation.
- Michael M’s The State of the Short Story Collection Part 1 and Part 2. (TL;DR What YOU read matters.)
- Janelle Drumwright’s latest edition of Publishing Diaries is up. (If you want to submit your publishing journey, she’s accepting submissions.)
- Malice Domestic announced the 2026 Agatha Award nominees.