Current Issue
Editorial: A Bittersweet October Anna Yeatts
It’s become something of an FFO tradition that our October issue is horror-themed. This year, we went in a slightly different direction. Horror stories are most effective when they tap into universal fears like bodily mutilation or loss of autonomy. Our stories this month contain elements of emotional horror—sadness, anxiety, unmet needs, and most of all, shame. But unlike horror, not all of the stories end in despair. There’s an element of hope to be found here.
(CW: eating disorder/body dysmorphia) “Every Shard, Every Speck, Every Particle” by Emma Brankin is an unflinching look at a ballet dancer’s struggle to achieve perfection.
FFO alumnus Dafydd McKimm’s “In A World without Bluebells” is an allegorical look at what we allow to divide… or unite us… against our neighbors.
Fellow FFO alumnus, Samantha Murray’s “Sub Rosa” is our reprint offering this month. This story leans into the horror tradition of Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” as a woman’s mental illness is exacerbated to the breaking point.
And finally, “Directions to the House of Unnumbered Stars” by Devin Miller provides a well-deserved respite for those seeking acceptance in chosen families.
May we all find the night cartographer and our places in this world.
Enjoy.
© Anna Yeatts
Meet the Author
Anna Yeatts
Anna Yeatts is the Publisher of Flash Fiction Online. Since Flash Fiction Online is a free magazine, she spends a great deal of time over at Patreon, trying to drum up enough money to keep a free magazine in business. But she appreciates all the readers and supporters (including the world’s most amazing staff of editors and slush readers) who make FFO a reality every month. Her short stories appear in Cicada, Daily Science Fiction, Mslexia, Drabblecast, PodCastle, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and Penumbra among other publications. When not writing, Anna wrangles two wonderful children, two matching cats, and a German Shepherd who doesn’t believe in weekends. Follow her at Patreon.com or on YouTube.
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