n. A very short literary nonfiction piece, typically consisting of a few dozen to a few hundred words.
2014
Inside the 5-inch by 7-inch journal are 131 pages filled with four pieces of flash nonfiction, four pieces of fiction and one piece of analysis.
2013
On Aug. 3 from 4 to 5 p.m., Pleska will help writers locate and write about memories for "The Five Minute Memoir!" In so-called "flash nonfiction," writers take and compress particular memories to write rich, engaging mini memoirs, appropriate for sending to literary magazines that are looking for short shorts.
2013
Blotter as #flashnonfiction: 13-y.o. daughter brought to police station because she doesn't listen. Case referred to parents' divorce attys.
2004 (earliest)
Flashquake is a *paying* independent, quarterly, web-based publication that focuses on works of flash fiction, flash nonfiction (memoirs, essays, creative nonfiction, humor) and short poetry.
It seems to be the fate of relatively new art forms† to suffer from an excess of names. Very short fiction pieces have been called "short shorts," "micro-fictions," "instant fictions," and even "smokelongs" (a literal translation of a Chinese term referring to pieces short enough to be read in the time it takes to smoke a cigarette).
The short nonfiction genre has been going through a similar identity crisis for the past few years. It has been called "concise literary nonfiction," "compressed nonfiction," the "micro-essay," and the "mini-memoir." However, just as "flash fiction" seems to be emerging as the preferred moniker for very short stories, "flash nonfiction" is currently the most common name given to very short essays.
See this post for a list of a few places to read (and submit) flash nonfiction.
†I should clarify that very short fiction and nonfiction are not "new" art forms by any means — both are easily a few thousand years old. What's relatively new is treating these types of writing as separate literary genres, hence the need for new names.
The short nonfiction genre has been going through a similar identity crisis for the past few years. It has been called "concise literary nonfiction," "compressed nonfiction," the "micro-essay," and the "mini-memoir." However, just as "flash fiction" seems to be emerging as the preferred moniker for very short stories, "flash nonfiction" is currently the most common name given to very short essays.
See this post for a list of a few places to read (and submit) flash nonfiction.
†I should clarify that very short fiction and nonfiction are not "new" art forms by any means — both are easily a few thousand years old. What's relatively new is treating these types of writing as separate literary genres, hence the need for new names.