Literary Journal

Flash Phantoms

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About the magazine

Flash Phantoms is an online platform and curatorial project dedicated to flash fiction and prose poetry. Founded in the early 2010s, it emerged from a desire to showcase the immediacy and precision of very short literary forms. The project operates with a minimalist, web-native ethos, presenting works that are often under 500 words and that prioritize linguistic compression, suggestion, and the uncanny. Its core mission is to provide a focused space for writers to experiment with brevity, where every word carries weight and where the fragmentary or the elliptical is not a limitation but a generative constraint.

Editorial focus

Flash Phantoms publishes horror fiction of 1,000 words or less and micro horror of 100 words. They feature a Story of the Month and an interview with the winning author.

Fiction

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31

Reading feeNo

PaymentNo payment

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsYes

Unsolicited submissionsYes

Writers should approach Flash Phantoms with work that demonstrates a mastery of compression and a willingness to embrace ambiguity. The editors favor pieces that are tightly crafted, where every sentence and line break is deliberate. Avoid conventional narrative arcs or explanatory endings; instead, aim for resonance through suggestion and imagery. Submissions should be brief—typically under 500 words—and should be sent through the website's submission portal during reading periods. Familiarize yourself with the archive to understand the aesthetic range, which leans toward the experimental and the quietly surreal. Simultaneous submissions are generally accepted, but notify promptly if your work is placed elsewhere.

Flash Phantoms was created for the love of horror flash fiction. We do not care who you are; we don’t discriminate. Please send us your best, your worst, your weirdness, and your horror.

Read official guidelines