H.J. Shepard’s work has appeared in Flash Fiction International, published by W.W. Norton, as well as Fiction Southeast and Spout Press. She studied writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received graduate degrees from the National University of Ireland and Fordham University, where she was a teaching fellow. She has conducted research in public institutions across the U.S. and Ireland and has worked as a script reader for The Public and The Druid Theatre. As an archival researcher and producer, H.J. has collaborated with many documentary filmmakers over the years, including Nancy Buirski, Brett Story, Joe Brewster, and Michèle Stephenson. She is currently working on a feature screenplay and a collection of flash fiction.
The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is now an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online.