WANTED: Previously Published Flash Essays

For upcoming editions of the weekly Short Reads email, we’re looking for flash nonfiction work reprints.

We’re seeking nominations from publishers/editors and/or authors of the work, and we’re especially interested in work from defunct magazines or that has appeared only in print (though we’re also open to reprints of work that’s available elsewhere online).

Because of formatting constraints, submissions should be 1,250 words maximum.

Important notes

• For now, we are accepting nominations from active Short Reads subscribers only.
• Not a subscriber? It’s FREE to sign up for the weekly email here. (Or, for early access, become a supporting subscriber here.)
• At this time, we are unable to accept multiple submissions.
• Please, only nominate work that you wrote and/or published.
• Thanks to our supporting subscribers, we pay a modest honorarium of $25 upon publication.
• We do not charge reading fees.

Deadline

We are only able to consider 100 submissions total. Call will close when this threshold is reached or on 2/23/2026, whichever comes first.

Recent calls

NEW FLASH ESSAYS
Date closed: October 24, 2025
Expected response time: Winter 2025-26

Questions? You can email us at submissions@short-reads.org.