I had the toughest time choosing these stories. Thank you, flash fiction writers, for making this so difficult. For this year’s list, I chose risk-taking and experimental flash. I felt we needed to reassess what we are putting out there–I felt we needed to ask ourselves if we, as writers, are producing literature that enables and sparks dialogue. I strongly advocate starting meaningful conversations around the issues about which we are writing. One more test is whether the pieces will stand the test of time. Again, by no means is this an exhaustive list, just the stories that I came across and found merit enough to make this list for 2024. If you are interested, check out the top flash stories of 2023 here.
“Us of the House” by Mish Gajewski-Zambataro (JMWW; August 14, 2024) Why I like it? The opening lines sets this magnificent piece up: We all live in the house and we each get our own room. We each use, but hope to get, our own room. We will get our own room when we receive enough donations, enough high-generous donations. When we secure our own high-generous viewerships. Til then we share the use of the rooms of the house. Secondly, LOVE LOVE the repetitions. Finally, that the piece is a first literary publication of the author is highly commendable.
“Visiting Lenin’s Tomb” by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris (Bath Flash Fiction Award October 2024 First Prize) Why I like it? If you search for flash fiction about Russia on Google, you’ll get very very few but this piece will be there! Goes on to show how different and unique this piece really is. Grounded in an era that we all know well of, and replete with authentic details, this story uses the specifics so very nicely.
“Analysis of a Fugue” by Annabel Li (CRAFT; April 12, 2024) Why I like it? Structure. Here, the hermit crab jacket does justice to the narrative. Emotionally resonant and strongly voiced.
“Conversing with the Comma” by Kate Carne (The QuietManDave Prize 2024 Shortlisted; December 2024) Why I like it? The idea/seed of the story is fantastic! Plus, structure again! Wow! How amazingly original!
“Melting Icicles“ by Cath Barton (Brilliant Flash Fiction; January 2024) Why I like it? Cath Barton writes at the very end of this wining piece: “Apart from what I remember, of course. Though they do say that we remake our memories every time we bring them to mind, so who can say what is real, or ever was.” –which I think is the essence of this brief story. The refrain “I don’t remember” gently grows on the reader. This story addresses the transient nature of memory and there’s a very attractive circularity in the writing.
“The Boy at War and at Home” by Beth Bachmann (The New Yorker; July 25, 2024) Why I like it? The gutting first line, for one: After they bomb the sanctuary, the boy hunts through the debris, wraps his head in intricate lace veils—some rosetted, some scalloped, some pearled—draws up his hood, and pulls on his work gloves to collect shards of stained glass for his mosaic. Also, how the story unfolds, and the ending. War is a reality and there’s no reason we should not make it the central theme in our stories. At 1522 words, slightly above what is commonly recognized as flash, but still included in this list for its sheer original brilliance.
“A Trip to the Moon” by Nina Schuyler (Flash Fiction Magazine; May 08, 2024); Why I like it? Stories about limbs disappearing are not uncommon. Likewise, stories about mothers being neglected and overworked are also commonplace. What set this story apart for me was the treatment. The image of the children as “ghosts” in the first line is like a premonition. Towards the end there’s the burial and the narrator’s wonderment–all these are beautifully grounded in reality, and readers will find this relatable.
The Mongoose by Melissa Llanes Brownlee (Hex; January 09, 2024) Why I like it? THE immediacy. Love how it opens, and barrels down upon the reader without any warning and launches itself into action. There’s so much to this short piece that you wonder after it has ended as to what it was that just hit you!
“West Coast Minors” by Shanley Kearney [500 Flash Contest Second Place Q3 2024] Why I like it? I love a story that is sure of its setting and rooted in the exploration of themes others don’t touch. In this piece, teenagers on the west coast of America lead heartbreaking, parentless lives. This was a territory new to me as a reader. Children left in the care of their housekeepers while their parents jet off to places such as Paris or Barcelona, was something that remained with me long after the read.
The Attempts of Arlo, Age 9, to Create a Shooting Star After Learning They Are Just Rocks Moving Very Fast by Leila Murton Poole ( 2024 National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Competition ) Why I like it? THE experimentation. AND word choices. And the promise of hope–which we all need at this time!
DISCLAIMER: These 10 stories are NOT in any particular order. Additionally, since I am associated with the online magazines trampset and Vestal Review in editorial capacities, I have not included any stories from these two, although I absolutely believe at least a couple would easily make my list!
Feel free to add your own favorite stories/flash fiction in the comments BELOW:
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