Flash in the Pan

Writers have a lot in common with the prospectors who swarmed California in the 19 th century—gold seekers set alight by visions of undiscovered riches. We literary treasure hunters work harder than any sane person should, chipping away at solid, unyielding rock or washing the gravel of parsimonious streambeds. It's a solitary, demanding life, and most of the time, all we end up with are a few pinches of bright dust that threaten to slip through our fingers. But gold is gold, no matter its size. These small strikes keep us fed and our dreams of the mother lode alive.

Tiny Lights Publications honors the flash in the pan, those shining flecks of pure gold that often appear when we least expect them, when our hunger for bigger prizes is temporarily sated, when we relax and take the time to look at what's really in our hands.

We are seeking pieces of writing that may have first appeared on a napkin, in a journal, or as a dream. 500 words or less, they are impossible to explain or categorize, and equally impossible to forget. These small gems will be posted quarterly on the Tiny Lights website. See guidelines below.

Second Flash
Wet Leaves & Fire by Lakin Kahn
Swift by Patti Trimble
The Sheik by Ken Rodgers
Something Good by Christine Falcone
Drunk with Togetherness by Lisa Libowitz
Closet Door by Carol Howard

Third Flash

Subterranean Howl by Carol Howard
Western Spirits by Lynn Edge
Memory Slips by Elizabeth Kern
When I Call by Arlene Mandell
Striking Out by Glenn McCrea
I Was Just One of the Whites by Anne E. Silber
First Cut by Kathleen Beard
Mountain Summer by Sindee Ernst
Life After Seinfeld by Robin Leslie Jacobson
Tonight by Susan Bono

Fourth Flash

Care Packages by Betty Winslow
Home by Kathleen Lynch
Tres Hermanas by Ken Rodgers
Friday Nights by Charles Markee
Vernal Desire by Annie Scott
Forgetting by Christine Falcone
First Encounter by Kathleen Lynch
A Blessing of Sweeping by Ginger Child 

Flash in the Pan Guidelines

1. Although any genre is acceptable (fiction, non-fiction, poetry), pieces must be no more than 500 words and written from the first-person point of view (“I” narrator).
2. Author must hold rights, which will revert to author after publication.
3. Submit via email to editor@tiny-lights.com .
4. Write “Flash in the Pan” in the subject box of the email to facilitate placement.
5. Include your name, city and state, and any pertinent information about you or your piece in a statement of no more than 50 words. Links encouraged.
6. Work deemed offensive by the editor will not be posted.
7. New material will be posted approximately four times a year: January, April, June and October. Because of such long posting cycles, we encourage simultaneous submissions. Please inform us if your work becomes unavailable.