Thank you to everyone who has sent work to The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction, or as we affectionately call it The Smokey. Our team of 14 judges from seven countries around this troubled world of ours have been discussing your work for weeks. Our judges, committed flash writers/readers/editors all around, gave your work the care it deserves.
For those of you new to SmokeLong, our process is anonymous. Our judges have no idea who you are. If they recognize an author’s work, they have to recuse themselves. We hope this is the best way to find and celebrate new, exciting voices.
The stories on the list below impressed our judges in so many ways. Please help us celebrate these stories, but please do so without identifying the author. Anonymous judging is ongoing. We have not chosen the winners yet. This year is so difficult (Go, flash community!). The stories are so good.
The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction – The Shortlist
Afterglow
Aunty Dolly Won’t Die
Between Chamisa and Rengyō
Bridges We Can’t Uncross
Even the Blade
I Learned Too Late Not to Save Things
Little Coffins
Man Spelt Backwards
Mars is not as dry as they told us
Mother Said I Was Air
Ms. Pac-Man in the Maze
National Bird
Non-Existent
Pickle Juice
Sand Fleas
Savior
Silent Disco on the Blue Line, 07/07/23
Silver People
Special Occasion Italian Restaurant
The God-Line
The Solid Fullness of Empty
(They Long To Be) Close to You
When My Father Loses the Sight of Himself
Wild Gazelle
Zombie Duck
The core workshop of SmokeLong Fitness is all in writing, so you can take part from anywhere at anytime. We are excited about creating a supportive, consistent and structured environment for flash writers to work on their craft in a community. We are thrilled and proud to say that our workshop participants have won, placed, or been listed in every major flash competition. Community works.