ONE STORY publishes one great short story at a time. We bring people together through reading, writing, and learning about short fiction.
In Maria Kuznetsova’s “Hold Me Looser, Tiny Dancer,” a mother hoping to earn an extra payday uses an inexplicable science-fictional contraption to offer other mothers in her neighborhood a chance to revisit their long-gone pasts, begging the question: What will we do to make ourselves feel loved again?
In Kristopher Jansma’s “The Jejune Cruise,” a man suffering a heartbreak boards a cruise ship and finds himself in the company of a child wearing sunglasses that she claims can control people’s minds.
In this class, we will look at craft strategies for rendering illness and pain on the page. How might we use metaphor, sensation, sensuality, time, space, memory, and surprising language to invite the reader into our character’s bodily experience?
Mondays, April 20–May 18 (no class May 4)
On April 24th at our Literary Debutante Ball, One Story will be celebrating five of our authors who have recently published or will soon publish their debut books. In the weeks leading up to the Ball, we’ll be introducing our Debs through a series of interviews.
Join us on a site-specific writing class at the Gowanus Canal! Get inspired by the rich industrial history, urban ecology, and ever-evolving relationship between the neighborhood’s people and waterway. Our class will include a guided tour with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, a craft lecture by Hannah Tinti, a series of generative exercises, and a reading of student work.
Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, April 11
9:45am–1:00pm
Tickets are now on sale for our 2026 Debutante Ball! Join us in Brooklyn for a night of cocktails, dancing, and live music to celebrate our One Story debut authors and our Distinguished Alum, Lauren Groff.
Friday, April 24
6:30–10:30pm
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY
A year of lectures on the craft of fiction from eight One Story authors.
The next lecture in our 2026 Lecture Series takes place Saturday, April 18, from 4-5:15pm ET. Chris Vanjonack discusses how to construct a compelling and satisfying narrative within the length restrictions of flash fiction.
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
One Story is seeking a paid apprentice to join our team from September 2026 to May 2027. The apprentice will have a chance to learn about all aspects of a literary organization, including the editorial process, grant writing, and online educational programming.
In this six-week open-registration workshop, each participant will workshop a short story or novel excerpt.
Workshop
Wedsnesdays, May 6–June 10
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!
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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.
