We’re delighted to introduce Field Day, an immersive literary festival celebrating Austin writers, their books, and 35 years of American Short Fiction, on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at The Vortex Theater and Butterfly Bar. A wild, whimsical journey into the world of storytelling, Field Day invites you to explore our dynamic community with readings, interactive installations, games, panels, live music, outdoor fun, and other literary surprises. Tickets are $20. Books will be available for purchase onsite from Alienated Majesty, Austin’s beloved indie bookstore. Full author line-up is below. Stay tuned for more info about bands, games, interactive art, djs, and pop-ups!
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MFA for All Fall 2026: Registration Open
MFA for All was born from our desire to create a space where MFA-quality instruction is widely accessible to writers no matter their age, background, location, or financial situation. MFA for All is not a degree-granting program—it is a community-rich online educational experience led by top-notch faculty, free of the significant hurdles of time, expense, and geography that MFAs demand. These master classes will offer structured insight into your craft and writing practice, giving access to a rarified level of instruction that is usually reserved for students at privileged institutions.
Story Sessions: Tayari Jones with ZZ Packer
Join ASF for the third installment of Story Sessions, a literary series that brings exceptional authors together for a freewheeling discussion about the power of stories and the ways we share them, on September 10, 2026, at Huston-Tillotson University from 6 – 8:00 p.m. We’re thrilled to welcome the internationally best-selling novelist Tayari Jones to the stage alongside celebrated writer ZZ Packer. This event is free and open to the public and ASL interpretation will be provided. Books will be available for purchase onsite from First Light Books, a community bookstore in Hyde Park.
Introducing Our New Outreach Coordinator Katie Field
We’re so pleased to introduce Katie Field, our new outreach coordinator & associate editor, who will be helping us grow our community and expand our public events programming in Austin. Katie first entered our orbit during our Summer Workshop in 2023, and we’ve been lucky to have them as part of the magazine’s family ever since—reading submissions with gusto, selling more ASF T-shirts than anyone thought possible at AWP, and generally bringing their sunny, kind, and gentle energy into every project they work on.
ASF at the Cinema: Alejandro Puyana Presents La Causa
Please join American Short Fiction for a special screening of La Causa, presented by Austin-based novelist Alejandro Puyana, on Sunday, July 26, at 2:45 pm at Austin Film Society. Stay after the film for a special discussion with Alejandro Puyana and filmmaker Andrés Figueredo.
2026 Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be Rachel Khong, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Real Americans, the award-winning novel Goodbye, Vitamin, and the new story collection My Dear You, out from Knopf in April 2026. Khong lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches creative writing in a collective called The Dream Slide. The deadline to submit to the Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize has been extended to June 15, 2026. In addition to publication and a $3,000 prize, in partnership with the Tasajillo Residency, we are excited to once again offer the winning writer an all-expenses-paid writing retreat at a beautiful, remote cabin on idyllic land that neighbors the Halifax Ranch, just outside of Austin in Kyle, Texas.
MFA for All Spring 2026
MFA for All was born from our desire to create a space where MFA-quality instruction is widely accessible to writers no matter their age, background, location, or financial situation. MFA for All is not a degree-granting program—it is a community-rich online educational experience led by top-notch faculty, free of the significant hurdles of time, expense, and geography that MFAs demand.