Category: flash-fiction

Friday Five: Q&A with flash fiction writer/litmag editor L Mari Harris

‘The Ozarks are full of all-cap CHARACTERS. I never tire of listening in on people’s conversations …’

On her website, L Mari Harris describes herself simply as a “Writer, Reader, Ozarks Dweller.” But like the tales she spins, the simple description is sneakily deceptive. It belies a more complex and nuanced character. As I continue to feature outstanding literary women in this month’s Women’s History Month Friday Five series, I’m delighted to introduce this brilliant creator of short fiction and creative nonfiction to readers.

L Mari Harris

I first got hooked on L Mari’s prose after reading “Baby,” a tiny piece that packs a wallop — one of those stories that sticks with you for a long time. She’s written many other great pieces before and since; find them here.

L Mari is also the managing editor of trampset, a literary magazine you should have on your reading list. Read what she has to say about her writing life, editing trampset, and life in the Ozarks.

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Friday Five: Q&A with writer and sociologist Rebecca Tiger

“… the more honest I am about myself and others … the more my work resonates with people.”

In today’s Women’s History Month Friday Five, I’m happy to feature Rebecca Tiger, a writer and sociologist known for her work in both creative and academic spheres. As an associate professor of sociology at Middlebury College in Vermont, she teaches courses on topics like punishment, deviance, drugs, and celebrity, often blending sociology with creative nonfiction. As a creative writer, she has published fiction and nonfiction in various literary journals, including an award-winning essay recognized in a 2024 creative nonfiction contest(“Where’s Charlie,” published by Roi Fainéant Press). Rebecca also teaches creative writing in jails.

I first discovered Rebecca’s writing via her flash fiction piece “Dissection,” a powerful story about life, death, and family published in Trampset. I’ve since read other pieces by her — fiction as well as nonfiction — and have always been moved by the power of her stories and the way she puts the words together. Read on to learn more about her writing and academic work, her advice to other writers, and teaching creative writing to the incarcerated.

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