SmokeLong Quarterly

First, I would like to thank all the readers in the SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest. Thirteen SmokeLong editors from seven countries read over 1700 micros in this competition. All of the stories on the long list wowed us in some way, and they are all deserving of publication. We wish them success of course.

The stories on the following shortlist are compelling, shining examples of what the micro narrative can do, and they are all one step closer to becoming a finalist in this year’s SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest.

If your micro title appears on this list, please feel free to express your excitement on social media but please don’t identify your micro/micros by title. Blind judging is still in progress. 

The Shortlist:

A Kind of Fighting by Kristin Saeveit
Agnes in the Exam Room by Ruth LeFaive
And the Vulture Will Come… by Thomas Malloch
Chipmunks by Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar
Desire is Dirty and Needful by Miriam McEwen
Don’t Be Alarmed by Gabriel Houck
Eve and Adam by Debra Daniel
Extended Stay by Ra’Niqua Lee
Eyes of Rabbit by Debra Daniel
Final Boarding Call for Evacuation by Öykü Akın
Finger by Maria Poulatha
Hunting in Water by Kristin Saeveit
Husband by Sara C. Thomason
Juice by Leanne Dunic
Not Dogs by Natalie Warther
Prism of Impact by Audrey Burges
Rampage by Helen Gordon
Speargrass by Catherine Deery
Storms and Waves by Jennifer Wortman
The Four Worst Paint Names We Came Across At Home Depot Upon Failing To Pick A New Color For The Empty Spare Room R.S. Powers
The Mothers of Brilliant Sons by Jan Stinchcomb
Theories About Your Housebound Neighbor by Jasmine Sawers
Too Long Under Water by Emily Devane
Two Towels Drying by Natalie Warther
Undergrowth by Melissa Bowers
Unlimited Options by Jason Sprinkle