flashquake - Summer 2002 Publisher's Page

flashquake Publisher's Page

flashquake
Summer, 2002
by Debi Orton

Just about a year ago, five people who were acquainted with one another only as members of Pam Casto's online flash fiction workshop got together to work on an exciting new project — to provide an online venue for some of the terrific flash literature they'd been critiquing. As you have probably guessed, the result of that project was flashquake.

This is our fourth quarterly issue, and in one short year, flashquake has begun to attract work from some of the best flash literature writers around. We've enjoyed your reactions to our efforts, and based on your feedback, we've evolved.

Background image of an indigo bunting perched on a bird feeder. Publisher's Page by Debi Orton

flashquake is continuing to evolve, and we hope you'll continue the journey with us. And, of course, we'd like to thank all of you writers and artists — and most importantly, our readers — for sticking with us. Without your support, we wouldn't be celebrating our first year of publication.

We have found a permanent replacement for departing editor Dave Lignell. I'm pleased to announce that David Shapiro will be joining our editorial staff.

David is a writer based in Hawaii. His column, "Volcanic Ash," appears in the Honolulu Advertiser. He is former managing editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. In the past year, his interest has shifted from journalism to short fiction. "After all those years of having to get the facts straight, it's wonderful to be able to invent my way out of trouble," he says. Dave's short story "First Grief" will be published in the next issue of Mindprints, A Literary Journal.

I'd also like to thank Paul Alan Fahey, editor of Mindprints, A Literary Journal (number three on the Writer's Digest list of the top 50 fiction markets published in the June, 2002 issue of WD), for filling in as guest editor for the Summer issue of flashquake. It was a treat to watch him analyze our submissions.

flashquake has been a labor of love for all of us. Here's to another great year of flash literature!