Short Stories

We are accepting submissions of a variety of “shorts,” including flash fiction, articles, travel journals, and short stories in more than 20 genres. Writers are encouraged to submit works that have been properly edited. All submissions will be reviewed for appropriateness and quality. If editing is required, the writer has the option of working with the section editor at special Rapid River Magazine rates.

Please review the Submission Guidelines.

Kathleen Colburn is editor and curator of the section. Please contact her with questions and submissions by email to rrshortstories@gmail.com.

Written by RF Wilson – MATURE THEME – Success ~ “We did it,” Sami said, keeping an eye on the rear view mirror. “We damn well did it.” They’d been silent in the car for the past ten minutes, tense, waiting, watching, headed west on US 19-23 out of Asheville. No sirensContinue Reading

Written by Michael F. Havelin – The white delivery van screeched to a halt in the circular driveway in front of the big stone house. Gravel shotgunned from under the van’s tires. It was the final stop on his route. Randy, the dry-cleaner’s 28-year old delivery boy, slid the van’s sideContinue Reading

Written by  – “What’s Nana doing, Emmie?” “Oh, she’s reading stories to my baby brother trying to get him to go to sleep,” answered the six year old granddaughter. “I’m too big for stories, aren’t I Papa. I get to stay up late don’t I?” “You can stay up a littleContinue Reading

Written by Benjamin Sonnenberg – You’re going to die, Mother. It will kill you, eventually: these were the words that paced back and forth in his mind. But then came sadness, a despair so overwhelming that it threatened to swallow up his interests and passions, just as the disease had swallowedContinue Reading

Written by Tom Davis – MATURE THEME – I was just sitting there minding my own business, wanting to drink my beer in peace. Gladys don’t like me drinking much, but I don’t never get drunk no more. Hardly. Guess I outgrowed it. Anyways, I wasn’t bothering nobody, when this fellaContinue Reading

Written by Kinslyn Coffey – Today I came home from the hospital with you my bundled pink, squishy-faced, blonde-fuzzed angel. Only yesterday did I realize that you were coming. So quick, so sudden did my stomach expand and ankles swell until you were ready for me to meet you. IContinue Reading