issue 22

In issue 22, we have a fine mixture of Vestal Review veterans (Marge Simon, Nick Parker) and newcomers (Shellie Zacharia, Kay Sexton, Megan Messinger and Robert Reynolds). Six stories selected out of 250 sent to us over this reading period. This is the first issue of our sixth year, and it promises to be another shining gem in the string of others.

Flash fiction has become more and more recognizable as a genre. A new volume of Flash fiction is coming from WW Norton. Deb Olin Unferth's 'Juan The Cell Phone Salesman.' received the 2005 Pushcart Prize, the first flash fiction story, to my knowledge, getting this honor. And I had one more student in my flash fiction class than I had last year. This is progress in my book, er, magazine.

Six great flash stories... Enjoy!

—Mark Budman

Stories

What the Body Does, by Shellie Zacharia

Gatwick Blues, by Kay Sexton

Just A Short Visit Home, She Promised, by Megan Messinger

The Greatness of the Forger, by Nick Parker

A Room of Frozen Dust, by Marge Simon

What You Can Learn In A Bar, by Robert Reynolds