Our Mission
In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction is an independent literary magazine for short-form creative nonfiction. We publish flash nonfiction of 1,000 words or fewer, micros of 400 words or fewer, and short-shorts of 100 words or fewer.
By publishing short-form work, we aim to provide a platform for writers who lack the time and resources typically needed for publication. Our goal is to become a leading outlet for flash nonfiction, known for our commitment to quality, diversity, and access.
Read more about our flash focus on our “Why Flash?” page and what we’re looking for in “Submissions.”
Our Staff
Founder & Editor in Chief
Steph Liberatore (she/her) is a writer and professor in the English Department at George Mason University, where she teaches creative nonfiction, literature, and advanced composition for undergraduates. Her writing has appeared in River Teeth, Short Reads, Cream City Review, Inside Higher Ed, and elsewhere.
When she isn’t writing or editing or chasing after her two young kids, Steph is working on her first book, a memoir about confronting what we’d rather avoid.
Senior Editorial Intern
Camille Rimbawa (she/her) is a junior at George Mason University studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She works as an Editorial Intern for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and enjoys reading, cooking and beading in her free time.
Our Readers
Renee Alcantara (she/her) is an essayist born and raised in the Philippines, where she studied creative nonfiction under some of the country’s foremost writers. She is endlessly fascinated by the intersection of pop culture, religion, and the queer experience. Find her words in Collision and scattered in pieces across the internet.
K.R. Mullins (she/her) is a writer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Brevity, New England Review, Gulf Coast, and others. She is the fiction editor of Phoebe and serves on the board of Nimrod International Journal. She lives in Washington, DC. Follow her writing at www.krmullins.com.
Llalan Fowler (she/her) is a writer, hiker, back-seat driver, trombone player, craft beer drinker, tree hugger, cat lover, heavy napper, and lifelong bookseller.
Erica M. Dolson (she/her) lives in Pennsylvania and teaches in the English Department at Elizabethtown College. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, and her nonfiction has been published in Culinate.com (now defunct), Full-Stop Magazine, Critical Read, Hippocampus (“Writing Life”), Inside Higher Ed, and elsewhere.
Katherine Harnisch (she/her) is an emerging writer residing in northern Virginia. A creative writing MFA student at George Mason University, when she’s not reading or writing, her hobbies include baking and ice skating. Her work has appeared in Lunar Journal, Humana Obscura, and elsewhere. You can find her on Instagram @katherineharnisch.
Elena Macdonald (she/they) is a writer from Northern Virginia. They are a current MFA candidate in nonfiction at George Mason University. Elena is also the website editor for Phoebe Journal, and they read for Phoebe Journal, So to Speak Journal, Poetry Daily, and In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction.
Audrey Morales (she/her) is a poet and writer from Virginia. Her work has been published in Volition Literary Magazine, Juste Literary, Duck Duck Mongoose Magazine, and Ghost Light Lit. She was a research contributor to The Washington Post. In her free time, she reads books, bakes bread, and spends time with her friends, family, and cats.
Kathryn Aldridge-Morris (she/her) is a writer from Bristol, UK, whose work has appeared in a variety of literary journals and anthologies and the Wigleaf Top 50. She is the winner of The Forge Flash Nonfiction competition, Lucent Dreaming’s prize for flash fiction and The Manchester Writing School’s QuietManDave prize.
Shellie Kalinsky (she/her) is a CNF MFA candidate at George Mason University. Her work has been recognized by the Shelley A. Marshall Fiction contest and the Rinehart Nonfiction contest, and has appeared in Literary Mama, the Madison Review Extended Cut and elsewhere. She has three sweet cats that keep her company while she writes.
Lyn Hainge, MS, (she/her) is a newly-minted fiction writer and longtime writer of non-fiction. The daughter of an immigrant, her professional life (managing health care organizations) has focused on services to the uninsured, language minorities, or those otherwise struggling to access care. She’s a lover of music from opera to jazz, a GMU Distinguished Alumnus (2012) and a resilient great grandmother with a thirst for new beginnings.
Kentucky native Chris McGlone (he/him/y’all) has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from George Mason University and a PhD in Photogrammetry from Purdue. His CNF has appeared in The Nasiona, Floyd County Moonshine, Still, and Quibble. In his previous life as a photogrammetrist he published papers, book chapters, and a textbook. He now hangs out with his dog Darla, plays Irish guitar and bluegrass banjo, and enjoys gluten-free baking.
Serena Grant (she/her) is a senior at George Mason University pursuing a BFA in Creative Writing. You can find her work in the Diamond Gazette and Volition, and you can find her in the library or on a hiking trail.
Jessika Bouvier is a queer Cajun writer. Her work appears in Catapult (RIP), monkeybicycle, Electric Literature, and X-R-A-Y, where she is the Assistant Managing Editor. She has received support from Georgia Writers, the Fine Arts Work Center, and Hub City Writers Project. If she’s on social media, it’s always @jessikavbouvier.
Former Interns
Editorial Intern
Dan Piper (he/him) served as an In Short Editorial Intern in Spring 2024. His weakness for memoir brought him to the magazine, and working with Steph and Jasmine easily became the highlight of his senior year. Dan is forever juggling manuscripts, now working as the Editorial Assistant for the Council on Social Work Education.
Editorial Intern
Jasmine Haskins (she/her) served as the Editorial Intern in Spring 2024 and then as Senior Editorial Intern in the Fall semester of 2024. She earned her BA in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from George Mason University, with a minor in Professional and Technical Writing. While she works to continue to pursue her passions for Publication, Editing, and Program Management she is excited to watch and see what the future of the magazine will look like. Working with the In Short team has been a college experience she will never forget, and she is so grateful for everything Steph and her fellow interns have taught her.
