In the early 2000s, I saw a local newspaper ad soliciting 101 word stories. For some reason, I was drawn to the idea and submitted a few stories. I don’t remember if they got published.
The limitation concept stuck with me, and I started 101 Words in December 2005. In those early days, I only posted my own stories and a few from friends. I didn’t open it up to the public until 2007.
In November 2014, I decided to go all in and turn 101 Words into something special.
My vision for 101 Words is a comprehensive ecosystem and community that can support writers, editors, and readers. This vision is a work in progress, and I hope you stick around to watch it grow.
— Shannon
Meet Our Editors
Emily Clayton
Emily Clayton is a writer and editor who grew up in Ontario, Canada, and now resides with her husband in Northern California. Her fiction has been published in Kudzu House Quarterly, the FlashDogs Time Anthology, and online in various formats. In her spare time, she’s often found distracted by the birds outside her windows and in nearby green spaces.
Neesha Hosein
Neesha Hosein is a writer and editor in Houston, Texas. She has an MFA in creative writing. Her non-fiction has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, a Freedom With Writing anthology, and SMITH Magazine’s Six Word Memoirs anthologies, and her fiction in Bewildering Stories and Down in the Dirt Magazine. As an editor for 20+ years, she enjoys helping authors beautify their work. Neesha is also an avid reader, gamer, and paper artist, when time permits.
Shoshauna Shy
Shoshauna Shy’s flash fiction has been published courtesy of 50 Give or Take, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Lunch Ticket, New World Writing Quarterly, and others. In the last several years, she has earned a Notable Story distinction in Brilliant Flash Fiction’s contest and was included in their 10th Anniversary contest anthology, was long and shortlisted in two Bath Flash Fiction Award anthologies, and was a finalist for the Wild Atlantic Writing Award out of Donegal, Ireland. She often works as a copy editor and proofreader for Four Way Books out of NYC.
Adam Blanford
Adam Blanford is a writer, editor, and audiobook narrator from Colorado. He’s written for podcasts like the horror series ICE-CREAM and hit comedy series Supermarket, as well as for Creepy, The Insomnia Project, Y2K, and Seminar. Adam also created the short-form anthology ill omens and bad tidings. You can find out more about Adam and his work at https://abvoiceartist.carrd.co
Adi Weiss
Adi Weiss lives in Upstate New York (really upstate). She is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a poet and dabbler in flash fiction. After many years, she’s resumed the novel she started and might have started another one or two. When not writing or editing, she loves to cook and garden.
Sarah Turner
Sarah Turner is a writer and tutor who resides in England. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in publications such as Lucent Dreaming, Tales from the Moonlit Path, and Writing Magazine. When not writing or editing, she can be found procrastinating and befriending neighbourhood cats.
Rafia Farran
Rafia Farran is a writer and editor from Toronto with a love for storytelling. She has written a variety of short stories and is currently working on her first novel. When Rafia is not writing, you’ll find her exploring dusty bookshops, expanding her never-ending tea collection, getting lost in a video game, or capturing photos for her growing Instagram account. You can find her photography here: https://www.instagram.com/an.autumn.story.
Anna Browdy
Anna Browdy is a Vermont-based editor and communications professional. Her work examines how language can expand our capacity for attention and empathy. She is especially drawn to contemporary fiction and memoir that breaks familiar conventions and takes risks in form, structure, and voice. Someday, she’d love to finish the draft of her first novel.
Roshni Veeramachaneni
Roshni Veeramachaneni is a fiction writer and library worker from Michigan. She holds a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and Literature. Her work explores the intersections between the sad, the strange, and the funny. In her free time, she is a late-night DJ at WCBN-FM and reads in every format available.
Isaac Simin
Isaac Simin is a student at Cambridge University, and his work deals with contemporary experimental prose and psychoanalysis. He is currently working on four short stories and a full-length novel. In his free time, Isaac enjoys watching strange movies with friends, relaxing with his cats, and dressing up for no reason.
Do You Want to Be a Volunteer Editor for 101 Words?
If you have the skills and about five hours per week, apply to be a volunteer.