We’re thrilled that the Flash Fiction Festival Anthology, Vol Eight, the first volume of the second rainbow series of anthologies compiled by Jude Higgins and Diane Simmons is now published by our sponsor, Ad Hoc Fiction. It’s packed with flash fictions largely inspired by the 2025 festival workshops and also includes prize winners from the Pokrass prize and the online festival competitions. A wide variety of short-short stories from international authors, showing all possibilities of the form.
It’s going to be launched with readings at this year’s festival next month where contributors who came last year can pick up their free copies. We’ll be posting copies to other contributors.
The anthology is available to buy on Amazon in paperback worldwide. A link here takes you to Ad Hoc Fiction website where there are further links to Amazon worldwide. Lots of wonderful stories to read and our big thanks to Paritosh Chandra Dugar and Rena Willis for providing comments about the 2025 festival (reproduced below) for the back cover.
Quotes on the back cover
“It was my maiden participation in the Flash Fiction Festival 2025 at Trinity College, Bristol. Had I not attended the Festival, I would have missed many momentous things—beaming faces, fresh flashes, ennobling exchanges with first-rate flash fiction writers, riveting readings, wit-winging workshops, and delectable dishes. Kudos to Jude Higgins and her team of volunteers for their invaluable service to the alluring art of Flash Fiction! For me, the Festival was not merely an event but a vibrant laboratory of creativity.”
– Paritosh Chandra Dugar, a Prize Winning Flash Fiction Writer from India
“It was my first year at the festival, and I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was people from everywhere, carrying their stories like small lanterns. Together, we made a brief, brilliant light – enough to see one another clearly, enough to see the work ahead. I carried that brightness home. For me, the festival lingers like a candle in the window, and I’m grateful to have found a light I can return to, year after year.”
– Rena Willis writing from Costa Rica

The Neverlands by Damnhait Monaghan
‘A chorus of tiny stabs whose sly work is done before the wounds even register. The cumulative impact is startling.’
We’d thought we’d highlight a few new novellas in flash and flash fiction collections that will be available at the festival bookshop. We’ve two on this post and more to come on other posts soon. Quite a few authors coming have new books out!

Just in time for spring, here are the winners of the mini-contest from the online day on 21st Feb. The prompt was to write a story involving colour, a colour you love, a colour you hate, colourful language. Colour, of all kinds. Thank you for those who entered this time, and giving our resident judge, 


We’re very pleased to announce our much delayed Flash Fiction Festival Anthology Vol seven has now been posted out to contributors. There are 88 stories within the anthology from participants and presenters who attended our online festivals in late 2023 and early 2024 and our July 2024 inperson festival. Vol Seven will also be available for sale at
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