Welcome, welcome—
all our allies are welcome to the
2025 !Short Story Contest!
only on Defenestrationism.net .
This year, of all years, cannot do without the tank-busting, drone-downing, zeitgeist-feeding, nuclear-powered literature of throwing out windows in the !Short Story Contest! on Defenestrationism.net .
We went fully political this year, so ride the all consuming tidal wave that is literature, the hungering tsunami, the eagre of Art with a capital A, as you surf through for a new story of throwing out windows every three days.
Fan Voting is Open. Click here to vote.
Meet the Finalists now published, see the bottom of this page.
Publication Schedule:
Sunday, August 17th
Sage in the Palace
by Bella Chacha
Wednesday, August 20th
The Fourth or Fifth Defenestration of Prague, Depending on Who You Believe
by Kathryn A Dettmer
Saturday, August 23rd
The Last Abduction
by Katherine Shehadeh
Tuesday, August 26th
The New Metamorphosis
by Amy L. Bernstein
Thursday, August 29th
Rah
Flavian Mark Lupinetti
FAN VOTING
begins Labor Day (US), Monday, September 1st
through Saturday September 13th
Vote Now
Winners Announced Monday, September 15th
Contest Guidelines
How we Judge our Contests
Meet the Finalists–
complete with a photo of our authors’ favorite chair, a Defenestrationism.net tradition.
Bella Chacha is a Nigerian writer whose stories often dance between the speculative and the political. Her work has been accepted by Cosmic Daffodil, IHRAM Press and Brittle Paper. She writes from Enugu, where memory and myth sit side by side in the dinning room.
Kathryn A Dettmer has lived in Philadelphia long enough to become a Phillies fan, a passion she shares with her husband and one of her two daughters. The cats are generally unimpressed with but tolerant of this addiction. She has spent a lot of time/not enough time in the Czech Republic and Prague is one of her favorite places on Earth. She once also ran away and joined a circus.
Katherine Shehadeh is a writer/poet and mom of two (!!), who resides with her family in Miami, Florida. Her work has appeared in Witness, Consequence & Laurel Review among others. Find her on Instagram @katherinesarts & on the www at katherinesarts.com.
Amy L. Bernstein is a multi-genre author, professional book coach, and former journalist. Her latest book is Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration, short-listed for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize in 2025. She teaches writing and creativity workshops and brings an empowering message to writers and multi-media artists around the world.
Flavian Mark Lupinetti, a poet, fiction writer, and cardiac surgeon, received his MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His stories have appeared in About Place, Bellevue Literary Review, Cutthroat, Redivider, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere.Mark’s poetry collection The Pronunciation Part was awarded the Grand Prize in the 2024 Chapbook Contest sponsored by The Poetry Box. A West Virginia native, Mark lives in New Mexico.
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