Vestal Review, a literary journal for flash fiction

Vestal Review is a perfect-bound print magazine published twice a year, with a Web issue published quarterly, devoted to what we consider an underrepresented type of fiction: flash (or short-short) stories.

A good flash, replete with a cohesive plot, rich language and enticing imagery, is perhaps the hardest type of fiction to write. A good flash is so condensed that it borderlines poetry. A good flash engages your mind not only for the short duration of its read, but for a long time after.

We realize that there are different definitions of what a flash story is and all of them have merit. In our definition, a flash story is no longer than 500 words and it has a plot. Don't forget that the title is an important part of the story. Make it pertinent but don't tell too much. We generally do not favor one-word titles.

Vestal Review is an eclectic magazine, open to all genres except children's stories and hard science fiction. We love humor. Vestal Review includes four live flash stories per quarterly Web issue, plus a teaser for three or four more that will be available only in the semi-annual print edition. Vestal Review has been published continuously since March 2000.

Payment ranges from $5 to $15, depending on length, with stories of great merit receiving a $25 flat fee.

Vestal reads submissions only from February to May and then from August to November. They don't read new submissions in December, January, June and July.
Full submission guidelines here: http://www.vestalreview.net/Guidelines.html
Home: http://www.vestalreview.net/issue37/issue37.html

For information about Brian Henry’s writing workshops and creative writing courses, see here.