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SmokeLong Quarterly

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The SmokeLong Quarterly Comedy Prize — The Long List

December 1, 2021

Comedy. It’s so hard and so subjective. The judges of this competition–a team from six countries and various cultural backgrounds–have spent the last few weeks discussing the over 1000 entries to the SmokeLong Quarterly Comedy Prize 2021. With the rare exception, our opinions about what’s funny and what’s really really not funny have varied widely. What a challenge and a privilege these conversations continue to be. Comedy, I guess, is a lot like wine: it tastes a little different to every palate. 

Congratulations to all the writers on the following list. You have created something memorable. Blind judging is still in progress, so please do not associate your name with a title. Feel free, however, to share your achievement on social media uproariously. We’ll be announcing the shortlist in about a week.

The Long List

1973 by Frances Gapper
Age I Was At My Whitest: A Comprehensive Study by Robert Criss
Archie’s Last Day by Karen Jones
Based on a True Story by Epiphany Ferrell
Bienvenue à La Petite Bespoke Bibliothèque! by Elizabeth Turner
Dear Mum by Alex Ho
Femininity for Sale by Lynn Schmeidler
Flight 782 by Tanner Armatis
For Sure, He Knows by Mandira Pattnaik
Get Out of Here by Alana Reynolds
I’m the Henchman from Witness Who Was Buried in Grain, Here to Warn You About the Dangers of Silos by Dorian Fox
Letter drafts to the child born of my egg donation by Kathryn Phelan
My Money-Making Scheme by Anthony Varallo
New Study Suggests “Celtic Punk” Not a Thing: Implications Could Affect as Many as 32 People Globally by Kathleen Flann
No Permittance by Jude Bridge
Not a Budgie by Michelle Christophorou
Pet Names by David Cook
Punk BC by Gordon Brown
Re: Your Short-Story Collection by Camille Verzal
Send Us Your Stories by Paul Riker
Sex Facts from Animal Science by Aimee Parkison and Meg Pokrass
So Emotional by Genevieve Abravanel
Sometimes genies are real jerks by Lucas Di Quinzio
Tell Billy to Do His Homework by Eliot Li
The Genesis of Coffee by Audrey Burges
The Reason Wolverine and Deadpool Are Flambéing on the Barbecue by Jo Withers
The Theoretician’s Bedtime by Maddy Raskulinecz
The Writing Assignment by Shira Musicant
There’s Only Room For One on a High Horse by EL Appleby
WELCOME BACK TO NEW YORK CITY POST-COVID WHERE YOU’LL FIND YOUR APARTMENT EXACTLY AS YOU LEFT IT, ONLY A LOT WORSE, LIKE ATROCIOUS
What’s Dad Gonna Do? by Meghan Wagner
Will You Rate Your Recent Exchange with a Redhead? by Kathleen Flann

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The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest

Deadline November 15th!

The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) is now an annual competition celebrating and compensating the best micro fiction and nonfiction online.

The grand prize winner of The Mikey is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions and any other prize we deem appropriate. In addition, we will pay the grand prize winner $1000. Second place: $500. Third place $300. Finalists: $100. All finalists and placers will be published in the December ’25 issue of SmokeLong.

Previously published as well as previously unpublished work will be considered.