Issue 37:

Summer 2025

Featuring new work by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris, Kate Axeford, Jenna Burns, Gary Fincke, Cynthia Gordon Kaye, Jenna Grieve, Sophie Hoss, Cheryl Markosky, Jack Morris, Rowan Tate, and Dilys Wyndham Thomas.

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What’s New?

Brief Reviews: Cold Toast by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris

Jul 7, 2025

It’s a surprise to find that Kathryn Aldridge-Morris’ stories were not conceived as a collection from the beginning, they are that cohesively tight and interwoven.

Brief Reviews of New or New(ish) Books

Jul 1, 2025

…in which NFFR suggests some summer reading for you by Patricia Q. Bidar, Lorette C. Luzajic, Keith J. Powell, and Robert Shapard, with hopefully more recommendations to follow (in the coming dog days).

Call for Submissions: 10

Jun 24, 2025

If you haven’t started your 10-themed story yet, there’s still time. This theme celebrates NFFR’s 10th Anniversary. We’ll be open for submissions from July 1-15. Here are some previous NFFR stories touching on numbers (or counting) that might inspire. In the following stories, you’ll notice a use of numbers relating to concepts in the stories, dates, ages, and more.

Pet Shop Boys by Tim Craig

Dayne’s on-off-off-on stepdad, Kel, says stay away from that new pet shop.

Glass Flamingos by Catherine Roberts

I smash them all. Because who the fuck collects glass flamingos? Around me, pink shards sparkle in the carpet like pretty vomit.

Mom’s new boyfriend is a liver fluke by Cole Beauchamp

He attached quickly (can I buy you a drink, let’s hook up, sure I’ll meet your kid), slid into our house unnoticed (toothbrush here, pair of socks there) and two months on, here we are, host and Fasiola Herpatica.

Gallows Pole by Kathy Hoyle

In the dead of summer, while the whiptails hide in sagebrush shadows, and everything blisters in the amber heat and there ain’t nothin but buzzards hummin for miles around, a hanged man dances on a gallows pole.

After by Claudia Monpere

and after and after and nothing changes, just the names of the children. This one drew birds wearing hats. That one had an orange juice popsicle for an imaginary friend.