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
Jasmine Haskins (she/her) is a senior at George Mason University, completing her BFA in Creative Writing this fall, with a minor in Professional and Technical Writing. She works as both a Program and Research Assistant for departments on campus, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching anime, playing with her dogs, and writing.
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
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.
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.
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.
Suehaila Nabulsi (she/her) is a technology leader of 20 years currently working for IBM. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children. She enjoys cooking, time with friends and finds comfort through journaling. Suehaila is a native Chicagoan of Middle Eastern descent. Both her hometown and ancestry are apparent in her charismatic energy, her genuine interest in people, and the influence of the Arabic language on her writing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
