ONE STORY publishes one great short story at a time. We bring people together through reading, writing, and learning about short fiction.
In Rachel Khong’s “Colors from Elsewhere,” a young woman’s miscarriage leads to an unexpected revelation about her past that calls into question everything she believes about herself and presents her with a decision she never imagined she’d have to make.
While raising a child in a post-apocalyptic world, a collectively conscious AI confronts the destruction they caused.
A year of lectures on the craft of fiction from eight One Story authors.
The first lecture in our 2026 Lecture Series takes place Saturday, February 7, from 4-5:15pm ET. Ayşe Papatya Bucak discusses how to make characters and stories compelling even when acts of individual agency seem out of reach.
Lecture Series
February–November 2026
One Story arrives in your mailbox in an envelope like a letter from a friend. Each chapbook-sized story introduces you to a new author. No ads, no images—just a great read.
One great short story
in the mail every month
In this six-week fiction workshop, each participant will workshop a short story or novel excerpt of up to 5,000 words, with discussions focusing on elements of fiction such as story structure, character development, exposition, and dialogue.
Workshop
Tuesdays, April 14–May 19
What should we do when we are faced with characters who seem trapped—in history, in a warming world, in a relationship, in a system or institution that is much larger and more powerful than they are? The first lecture in our 2026 Lecture Series will discuss how to make such characters and stories compelling even when acts of individual heroism are out of reach.
Online Lecture
Saturday, February 7
4–5:15pm ET
A. Artemis Chen (she/her) comes from multiple diasporas, but now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner and two cats. She is a graduate of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in khōréō, If There’s Anyone Left, and more.
Applications are now open for our Summer Writers’ Conference. Over the course of five days, writers will participate in workshops, attend craft lectures and panel discussions, give readings, and build community with one another.
July 27–31
Apply by March 11
Give One Story at our 2002 rate to the readers in your life.
They’ll get a new story each month. You’ll get year-round gratitude.
Includes a gift card or
a custom ecard
In this four-week reading group, author Steve Almond will guide you through John Williams’s quietly remarkable novel Stoner as a manual for honing your writing and a tool for self-reflection.
Reading Group
Mondays, March 2–23
7–9pm ET
What do you do when your best friend is about to leave for college and it feels like the world is ending? Take a road trip together to a place called The End of the World, of course!
Be the first to get news and updates, to know when our submission period reopens, and to learn about new classes and opportunities.
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Donations allow One Story to keep our print subscriptions affordable. This means more readers for our writers, and more short stories in the world.
One Story has been publishing since 2002. We never publish an author twice. Browse our back issues to see who we published when.
One Story provides a free, open-source submission management system to other publishers at no cost.
Led by Lena Valencia, this group will meet online once a month to silently read a chosen story from One Story’s archives together, followed by a visit from the author or editor of the issue and a group discussion.
Reading Group
January–June 2026
They will re-open in the spring. Please read our guidelines before sending us your work.
