Flare: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Told in Flash Narratives

Permanently Closed: This project is permanently closed to submissions (November 2022). We provide the following information as an archive.

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About

“I got sick the way Hemingway says you go broke: “gradually and then suddenly.”” Meghan O’Rourke ends the first paragraph of Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness with an unforgettable sentence that lands on the page with tremendous lyrical and empathetic force. It resonates with the one-third of all adults globally who occupy the wilderness of chronic illness and disability—and that was before Covid. Flash narratives about chronic illness—chronic physical and mental illness and disease, invisible and mysterious undiagnosed illness, pain, addiction, and disability—cover a wide swath of illness experiences and rely on the elements of craft that reveal compelling characters and story. Prolonged illness can leave us grappling with expressive language to convey our experiences to others. Flash constrains the enormity and generates evocative, vivid writing that resonates with emotion.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2022

Publication Medium & Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: One-time publication

Collapse section Fiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Specific group.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 750 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: Illness, Mental health, See guidelines.
Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word).
Note: We list broad pay categories rather than payment specifics. Check with the publisher for details.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Specific group.

Lengths:

Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 750 words; Up to 3 pieces.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Health/Medicine: Illness, See guidelines.
Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Flare: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Told in Flash Narratives Submission Statistics

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This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

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Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
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Dates

Last Updated: 12 Jul 2026