MacQueen’s Quinterly is pleased to announce the nomination of five works, published during calendar year 2025, for the twelfth annual edition of the The Best Small Fictions Anthology:

• ⚡  Archipelago [prose poem] by K. Degala-Paraíso
  
  
• ⚡  Joy Ride [microfiction] by Yvonne Morris
  
  
• ⚡  A Burrito with Bashō [haibun story] by Keith Polette
  
  
• ⚡  Winter Sketch [prose poem] by Simon Ravenscroft
  
  
• ⚡  Pillow Talk [flash fiction] by Kathryn Silver-Hajo
  
  

The Best Small Fictions anthologizes each year the best short hybrid fiction from around the world, including micro and flash fiction, as well as haibun stories and prose poetry. Alternating Current Press, which published three editions of the anthology (2023-2025), has passed the torch to Black Lawrence Press, which will release a 1.5-year “double edition” with work initially published from January 2025 through June 2026.

(Historical information about the Best Small Fictions series is available at Alternating Current Press.)

On 1 August 2026, Black Lawrence Press officially opened a call for submissions from editors, of up to five pieces published in their venues from January through June 2026. And I happily nominated the following five:

• ⚡  Stupor [microfiction] by Guy Biederman
  
  
• ⚡  Gnats [flash fiction] by Gary Fincke
  
  
• ⚡  Once Upon a Not-Quite Time [prose poem] by Oz Hardwick
  
  
• ⚡  The Night of the Red Birds [flash fiction] by Lorette C. Luzajic
  
  
• ⚡  Tidal [flash fiction] by Kate MacQueen
  

All ten of the nominations listed above are under consideration for The Best Small Fictions 2026-27. No details are available just yet from Black Lawrence Press about when the selections and publication date will be announced. But I imagine that updates will be posted to TBSF’s Facebook page.

In the meantime, best of luck to these nominees! My heartfelt thanks to you all for publishing with MacQ.

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Links to previous nominations follow below, with the name of the press in parentheses. (Note: Beginning in 2023, the anthology’s title was changed, omitting the definite article. Apparently, with the shift to Black Lawrence Press, “the” has been restored to the title.)

Best Small Fictions 2025 (Alternating Current Press, aka ACP)

Best Small Fictions 2024 (ACP)

Best Small Fictions 2023 (ACP)

The Best Small Fictions 2022 (Sonder Press, aka SP)

The Best Small Fictions 2021 (SP)

See also previous nominations by KYSO Flash (MacQ’s sister journal):

The Best Small Fictions 2020 (Sonder Press, aka SP)

The Best Small Fictions 2019 (SP)

The Best Small Fictions 2018 (see Braddock Avenue Books, aka BAB)

The Best Small Fictions 2017 (see BAB)

The Best Small Fictions 2016 (Queen’s Ferry Press; reissued by BAB)

The Best Small Fictions 2015 (debut issue released by Queen’s Ferry Press, and reissued by Braddock Avenue Books)