The month of March brought us six calls for submission, interviews with Nisi Shawl, Gish Jen, and Shannon McLeod, a big prize for a Canadian short storyist, and twenty-two freshly released collections including new stories from Margaret Atwood.
Congratulations
The Story Prize winner announced
Ling Ma’s short story collection Bliss Montage (2022) won the $20 000 Story Prize. Runners up, Natural History (2022) by Andrea Barrett and Night of the Living Rez (2022) by Morgan Talty won $5000 each. (Full story on AP News)
Carol Shields Prize longlist announced
Canadian author Francine Cunningham, author of the short story collection God Isn’t Here Today (2022) is longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize. (Full story on The Free Press)
Short Story Adaptations
Essex County on Netflix
In 2008, Canadian cartoonist and author, Jeff Lemire published three linked graphic short stories—”Tales from the Farm,” “Ghost Stories,” and “The Country Nurse”—in the collection Essex County. This year they’re heading for Netflix. (Full story on CBC)
“Brokeback Mountain” on stage
“Brokeback Mountain,” a short story about the aff by Annie Proulx became a film in 2005, and this year makes its way to the stage in London’s West End. (Full story on ET Canada)
Publisher News
On the creation of FIYAH magazine
Read about LD Lewis’ collaboration with Justina Ireland and other black creators from Niggerati Space Station virtual salon to create FIYAH, the home of black speculative short fiction. (Full story on BookRiot | Go to FIYAH Magazine)
Author News
Michael Reaves dies at 72
Michael Reaves was an acclaimed screenwriter and novelist, but did you know that he got his start as a short story writer? (Read the full tribute on CBR)
Short Stories & Tech
Chat GPT writes another short story
Author and editor James from POC network decided to ask Chat GPT to write him another short story. This is what happened. (Full article on POC Network)
Podcast for AI-Generated short stories
A new podcast called Synthetic Stories explores the edges of AI-generated stories with machine-generated plots, voices, music and artwork. (Full article on the Financial Times | First episode on Synthetic Stories Podcast)
Interviews
Locus talks with Nisi Shawl about New Suns 2
Nisi Shawl, editor of New Suns 2, talks about writing short stories and editing anthologies: “I think short fiction is more relevant – it’s more cutting-edge than novels. Novels follow the trail that is blazed by short fiction. Short fiction is just this strange new thing happening in your head, happening on the page before you, happening in tandem with whatever’s happening for the creator, or the reader. Short fiction is a group project, and I wish people would pay more attention to it.” (Full interview at Locus Mag)
Write-Minded Podcast talks with Gish Jen
Check out Gish Jen talking with Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner of the Write-Minded Podcast about creating tension in her 2022 collection Thank You, Mr. Nixon: Stories. (Full interview on the Write-Minded Podcast)
Otherppl Podcast talks with Shannon McLeaod
Shannon McLeod chats with Brad Listi about her collection Nature Trail Stories and the emotional stability of flash fiction. (Full interview on Otherppl Podcast)
Calls for submission
Elizabeth Jolly Story Prize (International) (Closes Apr 24) (view submission guidelines)
Mesa Short Story (and poetry) Contest (International?) (Closes Apr 30) (view submission guidelines)
Hey Almas Fiction Contest (International–Jewish) (Closes May 1) (view submission guidelines)
Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Women (Pakistan) (Closes Jun 30) (view submission guidelines)
Grist 2200 Climate Fiction Short Story Contest (International) (Jun 13) (view submission guidelines)
New Releases
Twenty-two new releases this month! (See all 2023 new releases)
