Call for flash stories
South African Writers Only
Dear Writers (and others),
I have had the joy of selecting and editing the flash stories for the Karavan Press flash anthology In Other Stories in 2024 and 2025.
This year, 2026, I am opening up the call for flash stories to all South African writers. The deadline is only a few weeks away!
There is no theme for the submission. I love reading all the various ideas and stories that come through.
I deliberately use the word ‘flash’ and not ‘flash fiction’, because I am interested in both fiction and creative non-fiction (memoir). A flash is not simply a story that has been pared back to its bare bones. Instead, it concentrates on movement, every word and sentence is important to the story. There is no space for elaborate background setting, or descriptions: the details in the writing must add to the overall mood, theme and emotion of the piece. Often what happens off the page is as important as what happens on the page. A flash asks the reader to make intuitive leaps for understanding. The story should speak to something larger or linger in the reader’s mind.
Word Count: maximum 500 words
Format: word document, 12 Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing. File name must be the title of your story. Don’t put your name in the document.
Deadline: 1 June
Cover note: In the body of your email please list the following information:
Full name
Title of your piece
Word count
Please include the following statement in your email: I confirm that I am a South African citizen or resident, and this work is my own original work and has not been previously published
Email: inotherstories@gmail.com
· Don’t put your name in the document.
· Don’t send us a link. It must be an attached word document.
· Don’t put a cover page on your flash.
· Don’t put your flash in the body of your email.
· Don’t send us more than one flash. You choose the story you want to submit.
Read these snippets from the reviews for the 2024 and 2025 anthologies – don’t you want to be part of the magic?
‘I am stunned by the writers’ abilitilies to achieve the texture of their worlds in that short space of page … In Other Stories 2025 is filled with stories sailing on the surface of precise wordmanship, held aloft by the unsaid.’ Jarred Thomson on Goodreads.
‘I was thoroughly impressed by this collection … showcasing a wide variety of voices. This is a collection not to be missed.’ Riley Herbet-Henry on Good Book Appreciation Society
‘Every story is paired with a biography of the author and a note on the inspiration for the story. These add a wonderful layer to the book, telling a story within a story and giving this slim collection a real personality of its own. In Other Stories is a delight.’ Alex Latimer on Goodreads
‘Quick, intriguing and totally moreish. At the end of each story, I found myself greedily reading another, and another, and then, oh alright then, just one more.’ Nancy Richards from Woman Zone
‘These short shorts, like the garment, allow you to engage intimately and publicly with the packages of strangers – and then walk away. And it’s fascinating to see the range of the writers here: the shapes, sizes, leanings to right or left. (Spoiler: Most good writers both dress and think to the left.) There’s literally something for every taste.’ Diane Awerbuck on Good Book Appreciation Society
