I’ve had two flash fiction pieces published recently. Both are climate fiction. Both are under 300 words. Both deal with having children in a climate crisis. One takes place before the calamity; the other rebuilds in its aftermath.

The first is “I Will Name My Daughter Rage”: an exploration of nominative determinism. It’s free to read online on Free Flash Fiction. A huge thanks to Ian Rushton for reaching out with an offer of publication, following a version of the story being longlisted in the website’s 25^th flash fiction contest, back in January 2025.

The story is accompanied by this gorgeous illustration from a talented comic artist and my long-time friend, Benjamin Æ Filby. Be sure to check out more of Ben’s work here.

The second story, “Sunrise, Once the World is Saved”, was published by Briefly Zine. Daniel and Elinor’s stripped-back flash fiction journal is a delight to read, and is small enough to be devoured in one sitting. They also pay their contributors, making this the first time I’ve been remunerated for my words. I’m beyond thrilled to be included in their fourteenth issue.

Creating a Collection

I’ve long been interested in climate fiction. My academic background is in environmental policy. (My master’s thesis was on the impact of disaster movie narratives on climate communications.) A decade after graduating, I returned to climate themes in my fiction: perseverance in desperate times, the tantalising danger of optimism, the search for hope through despair.

Both of the above stories were originally written in 2024. They’ve been repeatedly redrafted since: lengthening and shrinking, changing titles, being submitted and rejected. Both were, at one time or another, longlisted for writing prizes. (“Rage” by Free Flash Fiction and “Sunrise” by New Writers’ Flash Contest.) Both found publication, two years and seven rejections after being drafted. The most important thing I’ve learned over this period is that persistence is a key component of fiction writing.

For a while I was working on a short story collection, tentatively titled What Hope Remains. The collection has since been dismantled, hacked apart and redrafted. Some stories found publication; others ended up in the trunk. But as I worked on my craft and trimmed these particular micros down, I realised they spoke to each other more than they did to the rest of those stories. I brought them together (along with a third micro, which has yet to find a home) in a short zine focused on having children in the climate crisis. It took on a new title: Before, During, After.

It many ways, this collection was the start of a pivot in my work away from climate themes and towards masculinity and fatherhood. I’m happy some of my pieces from this time have since found publication, and the handmade zine sits on my shelf as a souvenir of a time when I was honing my craft, making mistakes, taking risks and figuring out my writing style. I’m proud of the person I was then and of the writer I’ve since become.

If you’re interested in a .pdf (or print!) copy of Before, During, After, reply to this email and let me know.

Until next time

— Joe