Quèfēng’s love for Fènghuáng is such that she volunteers to become immortal like her, even though it means a thousand years of torpor. Image by Birkant Cakar (Pexels) “I love you.” Quèfēng has shared an apartment with Fènghuáng for two years, and two years before that, they were college dormmates, but it’s only now, after … Read more
We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize, judged by Daniel Mason. We consider it our privilege to have spent time with so many terrific submissions—thank you for giving us the opportunity to read your work. Congratulations to the winners! _____ First-Place Prize: “The Skilled Anatomist” by Colleen Rosenfeld … Read more
We’re so pleased to announce that our judge for this year’s Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize will be Eric Puchner, author of the 2025 New York Times bestselling novel Dream State as well as the novel Model Home, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Puchner lives in Baltimore, where he is the director of the Writing … Read more
Abigail and her family tour Columbia University, and she must keep her inconsiderate grandfather sweet if she wants the use of his college fund. Image generated with OpenAI On the very top of Top of the Rock in a cold April wind, each family member’s jacket flapping, I dare to believe my parents and grandparents … Read more
Terry is starting to fall in love with a woman he met online, but can’t bear to tell her the truth about himself. Image generated with OpenAI We met playing video games. I was Taurus77. She was HeartOfStone89. Both of us had been bantering back and forth while fighting digital cyclops with digital swords. Now, … Read more
When Annie is plunged into grief after the death of her cat, her colleagues and friends are unsympathetic. Image generated with OpenAI Following a breakfast hardly worthy of the name, Annie sat with her cup of coffee on the porch, swinging listlessly as she watched huge, sculpted flakes of snow blow across her front yard. … Read more
Janos picks up his friend’s aunt and remembers her love of Hungarian poet Petofi. Image generated with OpenAI A text message arrived one morning from my friend. His aunt was arriving from the countryside that morning for her annual physical. She was planning to stay at the apartment of her two oldest friends, two spinster … Read more
Schoolgirl Jackie is frustrated about being kicked out of her favourite teacher’s classroom because of a dead rat, and starts to see cracks in the façades put up by the adults in her life. Image generated with OpenAI The smell hit us the moment we entered our classroom on Monday morning – like my socks … Read more
A handyman in his sixties and a writer in her fifties each evaluate their relationship during a dinner date. Image generated with OpenAI “Who are you looking at?” she asks when his gaze shifts to a woman walking by their table. “Nobody.” “Hmmm. Really?” “Really. I’m just checking the place out.” “What are you laughing … Read more
A half-Israeli half-Palestinian teenager and his half-brother seek out some relief from their parents’ fighting. Image generated with OpenAI When I was young, my mom showered me with sweet nicknames. One was “a living bridge.” I’d often scratch my head, wondering what in the world she meant. Maybe it was a grammar mistake. After all, … Read more