March 2023
If my maths is right (it may not be), we’re now ninety-nine days through the year and I am still going strong with my challenge to find one piece of flash fiction I love for every day that passes. I’m trying to read as widely as possible and to highlight the work of different writers in a rich variety of literary magazines. This month, there have been new issues of SmokeLong Quarterly and Moonpark Review. I also enjoyed reading the winners of Flash Frog’s “Blue Frog” competition as well as dipping into the archives for some gems from the past few years.
March 1st
If you were red riding hood (Hannah Grieco | Fairy Tale Review)
Why I like it: the insistence of that hypothetical “if”, the way a reader’s perspective of both wolf-narrator and Red Riding Hood shifts as we read through the piece, the breathless rush of this long, looping sentence, that brilliant ending.
March 2nd
Girls Howling (Christine H. Chen | Trampset)
Why I like it: the clever way it plays with words throughout (the homophone repetition of “pale” and “pail”, the internal rhyme of “sneak a peek”, the alliteration of “Mirabelle made a mistake”, the use of polyptoton in “mirrors mirroring”), the succession of wonderful images.
March 3rd
The Year of the Flood (Sudha Balagopal | Matter Press)
Why I like it: the insistent anaphora repetition of “it’s the year” whilst still maintaining a varied sentence rhythm, the use of a timeframe as a cohesive element around which the story grows, the clever way the title hangs over the story like a shadow.
March 4th
Cigar Caps in the Dollar Store Parking Lot (Jad Josey | Fractured Lit)
Why I like it: the flowing nature of this breathless paragraph, the suspense created by the unanswered question at the start, the vivid sense of moment.
PROMPT: write a story that starts with a question but doesn’t answer it until the end.
March 5th
As Seen On TV (David James Poissant | Ghost Parachute)
Why I like it: wow, it is hard to sustain a long sentence for a hundred words let alone the extended train of thought in this piece, the way those thoughts seem to move off into unconnected tangents but connect back together again in the end.
March 6th
Hunger (Matt Barrett | Fractured Lit)
Why I like it: the way it builds from something so seemingly innocent, the big subject matter tackled in such a small space, the shifting tone from paragraph to paragraph, the collective narrator.
March 7th
Waiting for Godot to Leave (Bob Lucky | Macqueen’s Quinterly)
Why I like it: the glib tone of it which feels so unexpected within the lyrical form of a haibun, the way it resonates with its parent work “Waiting for Godot”.
March 8th
Underneath It All (Anu Kandikuppa | Milk Candy Review)
Why I like it: the seamless shift between exterior description and internal thought, the evocation of both the collective and the individual, the size of the story that stretches outwards (in terms of narrative, character and theme) from this present scene.
March 9th
Daddy Issues (Aileen O’Dowd | Okay Donkey)
Why I like it: the immediate intrigue / question in that opening line (how can someone be a ghost and not be dead?), the way the story structures around dialogue (so unusual in flash fiction), the splashes of humour against the deeper, more resonant thoughts.
March 10th
She Should See This (Nadia Staikos | Lost Balloon)
Why like it: the way the title casts a shadow over the story (what is it that the narrator should see?), the keenly observed detail of family life, the way the highlights at the level of language (like “He has a voice that sits comfortably in anger”) are given space to shine.
March 11th
Popman’s Bin (Maria Thomas | Oxford Flash Fiction Prize)
Why I like it: the tone of voice which jumps off the page without tumbling into the point of having gone too far, the perceptive details within the narrative, the way the structure supports this tragic story.
March 12th
November 17, 1994. 10:17 a.m. Kerlerec Street (Maurice C. Ruffin | Bureau Dispatch)
Why I like it: the unexpected direction of the letter (flipping the idea of writing to your past self on its head), the wonderful tone of voice infused with both naivety and philosophical notions, the size of the story contained within this space
March 13th
Patagium (K.C. Mead-Brewer | Flash Frog)
Why I like it: the unsettling nature of the story, the thematic thread that pulls a reader from one time period to the next, the rich exploration of the central idea.
March 14th
Snowball (Caroljean Gavin | (Mac)ro(mic))
Why I like it: the brilliant opening sentence that reeled me in completely, the way the story spirals around this idea of truth as if the narrator is scared to approach it face on, the highlights that pop through the prose like “Your smile hung in the room.”
PROMPT: write a piece where the narrator is unable to confront a particular truth, taking a step towards it before taking a step back, exploring how the truth might contort as you move through the story.
March 15th
The Transfer of Energy Between Two Bodies in Motion (Charles Prelle | Free Flash Fiction)
Why I like it: the clever way different points in time are woven together, the slow-motion description of the present scene with back-story references and snippets of dialogue floating through the air, the impact of the imagery, the power of that final line.
March 16th
Void (Adam Gianforcaro | Cheap Pop)
Why I like it: the philosophical, wistful tone of voice underpinned by all those “what if” questions, how those questions are interwoven with richly conjured splashes of memory to create textural contrast, the repeating motifs that underpin the emotional resonance.
March 17th
Kafranbel (Bronwen Griffiths | Spelk)
Why I like it: the evocative, ethereal nature of the writing that shifts into other textures in its middle paragraph, the weight of the story and the poise of the prose.
March 18th
Mister and Missus Sat Breakfasting (Zebulon Huset | Tiny Molecules)
Why I like it: the cheerful tone of it, the lightness of touch that often feels underexplored in flash fiction; the way the story flows seamlessly on from the title.
March 19th
It Must Go Off (Brianna Low | Diagram)
Why I like it: the big time-hops that fit within this tiny space, the shifting tension, the cohesion of the story around this horrific object of the gun.
March 20th
Time and Tide (Gaynor Jones | Moonpark Review)
Why I like it: the opening sentence that reels me immediately into the piece in terms of intrigue, tension and tone, the deep sense of this relationship and the emotions that build from that, the sensory nature of the writing.
March 21st
The First Music I Ever Heard Was the Music of My Mother’s Voice (Caroline Wampole | SmokeLong Quarterly)
Why I like it: the rich sense of character, the way the story hinges around the central orphaned line of text, the textural contrast created through the italic splashes of dialogue and onomatopoeia (always in rhythmical groups of three) as well as the tree-branch asides peppered throughout.
PROMPT: write a story about an older relative and show how that past story is affecting a present-day narrator
March 22nd
Kite-Fighting (K-Ming Chang | Hayden’s Ferry Review)
Why I like it: the way the story balances present scene, backstory and future hopes, the sense of this character’s life, the big philosophical moments among the other tones.
March 23rd
Proper names (marcus ong kah ho | Hayden’s Ferry Review)
Why I like it: the virtuosic way the writer uses language, repetition and lists to underpin the build and message of the story, the shifting perspective, the clever journey from beginning to end.
March 24th
Leap (Christopher M Drew | Moonpark Review)
Why I like it: the atmospheric nature of the writing, the slow-action of this scene unspooling in rich, specific detail, the tension that creeps up and up but is allowed to burst in the final third of the story, the emphasis now on ‘why’ rather than ‘whether’, the impact of that final image.
March 25th
We Hadn’t Believed In Jesus Until Our Mom Brought Him Home (Moisés Delgado | SmokeLong Quarterly)
Why I like it: the insistent anaphora repetition of Jesus, the rich sense of character that builds from all these overlapping details, the juxtaposition of big (“Jesus had been an alcoholic”) and small (“Jesus loved the color green”)
March 26th
Damn Good Listener (David Holloway | Abandon Journal)
Why I like it: the form of the story (focused in tight on this “damn good listener” to begin with then exploring the deeper story, the grief around Ava, then pulling us back to the spider in the ending), the humanity bestowed upon a creature who is normally regarded with fear.
March 27th
No Dead Bodies in the Dining Room (Kathryn Lemon | Flash Frog)
Why I like it: the title that immediately creates intrigue, the unsettling juxtaposition of normal life and tragedy, seemingly happening concurrently in this one room, the breathless rush of the writing (a one-sentence piece where the form reflects the story)
PROMPT: write a piece where the everyday rubs up against the horrific tragedies of life
March 28th
Cumulonimbi (Christine H. Chen | Pidgeonholes)
Why I like it: the rhythmic intensity of the writing, the repeating motif underpinning that, the startling opening image that extends throughout the piece, the layers of meaning beneath the narrative.
March 29th
There Aren’t Many Predators in the Aquarium (Emily Weber | Cincinnati Review)
Why I like it: the way we are asked to question that title, the shimmering tension beneath the stillness of the story, the use of repetition to build resonance in the opening paragraph, the rich sensory description.
March 30th
Overheard in the AI Chatroom (Steven French | Moonpark Review)
Why I like it: the rarity of seeing a flash story structured entirely around dialogue, the clever breadcrumbs that lead-up to the twist ending, the tone of voice that misdirects a reader but also perhaps asks us to ponder AI and humanity in a wider context.
March 31st
Tilt (Pat Foran | Anti-Heroin Chic)
Why I like it: the deep sense of connection between the narrator and their son, the sensitivity with which this story is brought to life, the sense of tension that is kept taut from opening word to closing word, rising ever upwards through the skilful use of lists and repeating motifs.
I hoped you enjoyed all my recommendations this month. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. I’d also love to hear about any other brilliant ‘mondettes’ you’ve discovered over the past few weeks.
I love the idea of this.