SmokeLong Quarterly is an American literary magazine dedicated toflash fiction. Founded in 2003 by Dave Clapper, the quarterly is currently based inNolensville, Tennessee, and edited by Christopher Allen.[1] The magazine has been described byElectric Literature as "one of the top literary journals that specialize in flash fiction"[2] and by the International Writers' Collective as "one of the best places to submit flash fiction."[3]
SmokeLong Quarterly was established in 2003, making it one of the earliest online literary magazines devoted exclusively to flash fiction.[4][5] The magazine's name derives from a Chinese anecdote noting that reading a piece of flash fiction takes approximately the same length of time as smoking a cigarette.[6]
Past editors-in-chief include Randall Brown (2008–2012), Tara Laskowski (2010–2019), and Beth Thomas.[7] Laskowski, who edited the magazine for nine years, is a novelist who received theAgatha,Macavity, andAnthony Awards.George Mason University's English Department recognized Laskowski's work at SmokeLong as placing the magazine "at the vanguard of the flash fiction world," noting that the magazine's "impact can be felt in the wider literary universe."[8]
In 2020, Christopher Allen assumed the role of editor-in-chief and publisher. Allen's work has been anthologized inFlash Fiction America (Norton, 2023) and selected forBest Small Fictions2019 (Sonder Press), and he has served as a judge for theBridport Prize.[9]
In 2014, SmokeLong published an anthology of work from its first decade,SmokeLong Quarterly: The Best of the First Ten Years, 2003-2013, edited by Laskowski and released through Matter Press.[4]
The magazine publishes flash fiction narratives of 1,000 words or fewer, accepting general submissions year-round and paying writers between $100–150 per piece.[7][10]Writer's Digest featured SmokeLong as one of five notable flash fiction and nonfiction markets in 2023.[6]
SmokeLong Quarterly senior editor Sherrie Flick co-editedW.W. Norton'sFlash Fiction America (2023).[11] Flick also served as series editor forBest Small Fictions 2018 (Braddock Avenue Books).[11]
The Paris Review cited SmokeLong Quarterly (alongsideWigleaf) as an example of an online journal that contributed to the emerging popularity of flash fiction in a 2018 article titled "The Godmother of Flash Fiction."[12] In a 2019 interview withBOMB Magazine for an article reflecting on "the Past Decade in Literature," the writerRion Amilcar Scott mentioned SmokeLong as an online flash fiction venue which "allowed [him] to figure out how to write as [him]self" as he began exploring the genre.[13] Lyndsie Manusos ofBook Riot wrote in a 2019 article that "SmokeLong has and continues to publish exceptional flash fiction."[14]
The editorial team has also collaborated with editors of other literary journals, includingThe Cincinnati Review.[15]
Contributors to SmokeLong Quarterly have included award-winning and nationally recognized writers:
Works first published in SmokeLong Quarterly regularly appear in major literary anthologies. Several stories have been selected forW.W. Norton's flash fiction anthology series, including five stories inFlash Fiction International (2015)[26] and twelve stories inFlash Fiction America (2023).[27] W.W. Norton hosted a special reading event in 2023 featuring eleven SmokeLong authors whose work appeared inFlash Fiction America.[28][29]Ploughshares described the Norton flash fiction series as "well-used and well-loved by fiction instructors and have introduced a generation of readers to the genre of flash fiction and its foremost players."[30]
SmokeLong stories have appeared in Best of the Net,[31] Best Small Fictions,[32] Best Microfictions,[33] and the Wigleaf Top 50.[34]Ploughshares featured Liza Olson's "Brought to Shore," published by SmokeLong Quarterly in 2015, in their "The Best Short Story I Read in a Lit Mag This Week" blog series.[35]
The magazine hosts an annual competition, The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction (also known as The Smokey), with a grand prize of $2,500.[36] Many winning stories have since appeared in "best of" anthologies,[37] including the 2018 winner, Alvin Park's "Whale Fall," and the 2020 winner, Abby Feden's "To Pieces," which both appeared in Best Small Fictions.[38] Finalist Jasmine Sawers' 2020 piece "All Your Fragile History" was both a finalist for Best of the Net and included inFlash Fiction America,[39] while third-place finisher Leonora Desar's "*69" was included in Best Small Fictions.[40]
Other stories recognized by the competition have subsequently been featured in other magazines and competitions. Works first appearing in SmokeLong Quarterly's competition issues have been positively received byLiterary Hub'sCrimeReads,[41]WILDNESS,[42]Heavy Feather Review,[43] andThe New Territory,[44] and included in recommended reading lists byThe Cincinnati Review[45] and theCommunity of Literary Magazines and Presses.[46] Awardees have also been recognized by theNew Millennium Writings Award and Wigleaf Top 50.[47][48]
The magazine also runs The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (The Mikey) with a $1,000 grand prize, The SmokeLong Quarterly Prize for Comedy, The SmokeLong Workshop Prize, and The SmokeLong Dark Fantastic Contest.[7]