Micro Fiction: An Anthology of Fifty Really Short Stories

Two to three thousand stories began to show up annually in Tallahassee, and National Public Radio regularly broadcast the winner. But, more important, the Micro form turned out to be contagious; stories of this "lack of length" now dot the literary magazines. The time seemed right, then, for this anthology, presenting a decade of contest winners and selected finalists. In addition, Stern commissioned Micros, persuading a roster of writers to accept the challenge of completing a story in one page.

Jesse Lee Kercheval has a new spin on the sinking of the Titanic; Virgil Suarez sets his sights on the notorious Singapore caning; George Garrett conjures up a wondrous screen treatment pitch; and Antonya Nelson invites us into an eerie landscape. Verve and nerve and astonishing variety are here, with some wild denouements.How short can a Micro be, you wonder. Look up Amy Hempel's contribution, and you'll see.

Includes:

Poet's husband by M. Giles

Cough by Harry Humes

Daydream by R. Allen

Wrong channel by R. Fernandez

Harmony by J. Williams

20by20 by L. Brewer

Your fears are justified by R. DeMarinis

At the point by B. McCaddon

Halo by M. McFee

Mockingbird by L. Berry

Changing the channel by E.E. Miller

Wanting to fly by S. Dunning

Eclipsed by R. Shuster

New Year by P. Painter

Survivors by K. Addonizio

Anti-Cain by V. Suarez

Painted devils by F. Chappell

Honeycomb by N.R. Singer

Baby, baby, baby by F. Camoin

An old story by J. Kelman

Conception by T. Fleming

All this by J. Avallon

Stone belly girl by J. Granger Worry by R. Wallace

You can't see dogs on the radio by L. Wendling

True story of Mr. and Mrs. Wong by M. Chin

Flu by S. Dybek

The bridge by R. Edson

Kennedy in the barrio by J.O. Cofer

Grief by R. Carlson

Mount Olive by M.A. Love

Hurray for Hollywood by G. Garrett

This is how I remember it by Betsy Kemper

November by U. Hegi

Carpathia by J.L. Kercheval

Chickens by E. Magarrell

Mayor of the sister city speaks to the chamber of commerce in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on a night in December in 1976 by M. Martone

Confirmation names by M. Lippo

Hostess ; Housewife by A. Hempel

Land's end by A. Nelson

Last supper in the Cabinet Mountains by D. Bottoms

Strongman by W. White-Ring

Diverging paths and all that by M. O'Hara

A gentleman's C by P. Powell

Of exposure by J. Holman

Tea leaves by J. Burroway

We eat our peas for the souls in Purgatory by A. McPeters

Waiting by P. McNally

But what was her name? by D. Raffel

Guadalupe in the Promised Land by Sam Shepard

Morning news by J. Stern

Molibi by L. Hancock

Wallet by A. Woodman