Literary Journal

SmokeLong Quarterly

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About the magazine

SmokeLong Quarterly was founded in 2003 with a singular commitment to flash fiction, publishing stories of 1,000 words or fewer. From its inception, the journal has treated the very short story not as a minor form but as a distinct literary art, one that demands precision, resonance, and structural ingenuity. Its name evokes both brevity and the lingering haze of narrative—a fitting metaphor for work that must achieve its effect in a handful of paragraphs. Over two decades, SmokeLong has become a central venue for flash fiction in English, maintaining a quarterly publication schedule and an active online presence that includes interviews, craft essays, and the biennial SmokeLong Flash Fiction Award. The journal’s mission is to champion the form’s possibilities while fostering a global community of writers and readers who value compression as a generative constraint.

Editorial focus

SmokeLong Quarterly, established in 2003, is dedicated to publishing the best fiction and nonfiction under 1,000 words, whether written by widely published authors or those new to the craft. We run two annual competitions: The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction (grand prize $2500) and The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest (grand prize $1000).

FictionCreative NonfictionTranslation

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31

Reading feeYes

PaymentCash

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsYes

Unsolicited submissionsYes

SmokeLong accepts submissions year-round through its online portal, with occasional themed calls. Read the current issue and several archived stories before submitting; the journal values work that demonstrates a clear understanding of flash as a complete narrative arc, not an excerpt or a prose poem. Stories should be 1,000 words or fewer, and simultaneous submissions are permitted with prompt notification of acceptance elsewhere. Avoid genre clichés and overly familiar twists; the editors favor fresh language, precise imagery, and endings that resonate rather than resolve neatly. Include a brief cover letter with publication credits if applicable, but do not summarize the story. Response times vary from a few weeks to several months, so patience is advised. The journal nominates for major anthologies and awards, making it a strategic venue for writers building a flash fiction portfolio.

The SLQ aesthetic: language that surprises, narratives that feel necessary. Remove your name from the document itself: our submissions editors read anonymously. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please take into consideration that we usually respond within a few days. Mulitple submissions are considered for a small fee. Please include only your third-person bio in your cover letter. If you write us a long, personal cover letter, you’ll be disappointed that we didn't respond. We love you, but we read anonymously and don’t see cover letters until we accept or decline a submission. Please note that we respond usually within one week and that our acceptance rate is currently .2%.

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Submission calls

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