Christine H. Chen

Welcome to my fiction publications: selected reading in orange font. Enjoy!

2025

An Ordinary Day in the Life of the White Snake Bai Suzhen as Ms. Lim, Coven of the East: Reclaiming Asian Women’s Magical Histories anthology, tbd

Cravings in Flare: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Told in Flash Narratives, tbd

Candied Girl / Give Us A Hand, The Cafe Irreal

Yellow, Centaur Lit. Nov 2

American Goddess/ Fangs/ Ah Ma’s Ghost, New World Writing Quarterly, Oct 17

Mirror, Mirror, The Ekphrastic Review, Sep 15

A Tale of Sea Dragons, The Ekphrastic Review, Sep 15

Raise the Red Lantern, Hot Flash Literary, Sep 4

Why I still Wash Used Saran Wraps and Dry Them on the Dish Rack, The Forge Literary Magazine, August 11

Tomb Sweeping Day, Ghost Parachute, Aug 1

A Tale of Fairies, WestWord Folktale Flash shortlisted, July 25

Fifteen Shades of Pink, Flash the Court, July 18

Portrait of Ah Ma, Midway Journal, Vol 19, Issue 3, July 15, NOMINATED BEST SMALL FICTIONS

Visual Narrative: TRIPTYCH—Pescatarian Tribulations, The Scalar Comet, July 2

Anatomy of a Pencil, Does It Have Pockets? July 1

Recipe for a Broken Heart, Does It Have Pockets? July 1

Awakening, 30th Bath Flash Fiction Awards (Highly Commended), June 29, NOMINATED for PUSHCART PRIZE

Windows to the Soul, Cleaver Magazine, June 25

Postcards from Yourstory, Maryland Literary Review, Spring/Summer Issue

A Big Red Island, in Boudin: The Online Home of the McNeese Review “Finding Home: Immigration and Displacement“ May 2025

Grandma’s World, in Moon City Review, April (print)

2024

I See You, in SmokeLong Quarterly, Dec 16, Second Place Winner of the Grand Micro Contest 2024

How Lady Bai’s First Human Husband Disappeared, in Gone Lawn, Cold Moon issue 58, Dec 15

You and Me, Gooseberry Pie, Dec 7

3 Micros: Family Animals, Flight, Nest in Gooseberry Pie, Nov 7

Where is Home? and graphic representation, in South Florida Poetry Journal, Nov 1, nominated, included in Best Microfiction 2025

Micro Horror: Omakase in Five on the Fifth, Oct 5

6 Prose Poems in The Mackinaw: a journal of prose poetry, Issue 5, Sept 15

Pushcart Nomination: The Weight on Her Shoulders in The Mackinaw: a journal of prose poetry

Collections in BULL, Sep 6

Ekphrastic micro: Liberation in The Ekphrastic Review, Aug 21 [Nominated Best Small Fictions]

3 Micros: Mrs & Mrs Yang, Shooting for the Moon, Home Décor in Gooseberry Pie, Issue 18, Aug 15

Prose Poetry: Periodic Thoughts in The Disappointed Housewife, June 27 [nominated Best of the Net 2024]

Dribble: One Foot Race, story #1326, in 50 Give or Take, Vine Leaves Press, June 24

Cumulonimbi (first published in Pidgeonholes, 2022) in Flash Flood, June 15 [Nominated and included in Best Small Fictions]

2 Dribbles: Cover Reveal, Love Chirp in Blink-Ink, Issue 56, June 11

Ghost Catcher in Ghost Parachute, June 1

How I Got Kicked Out From Grad School Chemistry in The Dribble Drabble Review, Issue IX, May 27

2 Stories: A Good Plan, Try Not To Think in COMP: an interdisciplinary journal, Issue 4, May 25

2 Micros: Osteonecrosis, Father’s Eyes (nominated Best Microfiction 2025) in Atlas and Alice, May 22

3 Ekphrastic micros: Stepping Out, To Fill an Empty Womb, The Fortune Teller in Flash Boulevard, May 11

Collaborative fiction: Emerge in Atticus Review, Issue 7, April 15

Graveyard; Havana Nights in The Memory Palace, An Ekphrastic Anthology, March 27

Mary in The Ilanot Review, March 12 – Nominated, included in Best Microfiction 2025

Dystopian microfiction: The Resisters in 365 Tomorrows, Feb 4

Daydream, story #1167 in 50 Give or Take, Vine Leaves Press, Jan 17

Dance of the Dragons in Unbroken, Issue 40, Winter 2024

We Were Once Combustible, originally published in Hobart, selected for Duets Anthology (buy a print copy, or FREE download)

2023

Shopping List in RUBY, (Nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best American Food Writing) Dec 31

Sci-fi story: Two for One in Space & Time Magazine, Issue #145, Dec 7

Co-translation from French of the novel, My Lemon Tree (Mon citronnier), Spuyten Duyvil, Nov 10

The Monster Within in The Margins, Nov 3

The Color of You in Emerge Literary Journal, (Nominated for Best Microfiction) Nov 3

Make Me Yours in Ghost Parachute, Nov 2 (Best Microfiction 2024)

Mystery short story: Lost & Found in WOLFSBANE: BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES 2023 (Read the blog post by Editor Susan Oleksiw on the 3 writers whose first crime stories are included in the anthology), Oct 10

Love You to Pieces in Waxwing, Oct 4

The Weight on Her Shoulders in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Oct 1

In the Blink of an Eye in jmww, Sept 13 (Included in Best Small Fictions 2024)

Hunger in jmww, Sept 13 (Nominated for Best Small Fictions 2024)

The Day Mrs. Wong Brought Wonton Soup in jmww, Sept 13

Maid in America in Fractured Lit. (Anthology III Prize, judged by Peter Orner, Pushcart Nomination) Sept 4

Love Crate in The Ekphrastic Review, Lucky 8 Ekphrastic Marathon, Aug 25

Horror microfiction: Love Better in Deadly Drabble Tuesdays, Aug 15 [DEFUNCT]

When You Call Me Names in Apogee Journal, Aug 4 (SmokeLong Workshop Prize Finalist)

The Case of Mrs. Brown in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, July 16

Matching Pair in Microfiction Monday Magazine, July 3

Maxillectomy in Pithead Chapel, Vol 12, Issue 7, July 1 (Best Microfiction 2024)

Feline Commands in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, June 30

Lego Mansion in Vestal Review, Issue 62, June 10 (Pushcart Nomination) | Interview by Mandira Pattnaik

Her Name in Friday Flash Fiction, May 26

The Seer in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, May 21

Odum the Brave in The Ekphrastic Review, May 20

Boiling Point in New Flash Fiction Review, Issue 29, May 1

Alba and the Faun in The Ekphrastic Review, April 20

Humorous story: The Last Act in Ellipsis Zine, Issue 13 (e-copy, pg 11), April 19

Little Girl in Atticus Review, Issue 4, April 15

The Magic Store in Atticus Review, Issue 4, April 15

Nomads in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, April 7

Speculative, humorous micro: All The Single Women in Roi Fainéant Press, April 2

Love Letter in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, March 31

Mark My Words in Cleaver, March 30 (Nominated for Best Microfiction 2024)

Graphic Story: Counting Buttons in Backwards Trajectory, March 22

Murderous Intent in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, March 15

Invisible Enemies in Flash Frog, February 27

Girls Howling in trampset, Feb 17

Legend of Arabella The Great in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Jan 29

Portuguese Summer in The Dribble Drabble Review, Issue VII, Jan 24

2022

“Secondhand Hand” in Bath Flash Fiction Anthology, Volume 7, Dandelion Years, print, Dec

Specimen in The Citron Review, Winter Solstice, Dec 21

Clicking Together in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Dec 20

Cumulonimbi in Pidgeonholes, Dec 13 (Nominated Best Microfiction, Twitter feed)

Our Castle in Lunch Ticket, Issue 22, Dec 10 (included in Wigleaf Top 50, 2023)

Invasive Species in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Nov 30

Story of You in CRAFT Literary, Nov 11 (Finalist in CRAFT Literary Flash Fiction Prize 2021)

Postscript in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Oct 30

Bones of Steel in Bending Genres, Issue 29, Oct 18

Eternal Night in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Sept 15

The Tale We Told in SmokeLong Quarterly, Sept 19 (Finalist in SmokeLong Summer Fiction Competition)

Ten Thousand Reasons Why in Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words, Aug 15

Questions I Collected from My Father in Gordon Square Review, Issue 10, May 31 (Nominated Best of the Net)

We Were Once Combustible in Hobart, May 9

Boy Feeding Rabbits in The Ekphrastic Review, May 6

“Name Your World” in The Pinch journal, Issue 42.1, print, April 8

“Mother, Daughter” in The Ocotillo Review, Issue 6.1, print, Feb 8

2021

Raging Waters in Gone Lawn, Issue 41 (Summer Solstice issue)

2020

That Time of the Year in Tiny Molecules, Issue 6 (Autumn issue)

“What the Girl in the Red Quilted Jacket Remembers” in New Narratives: Reclaiming Asian American Identity through Storytelling, Unbound Visual Arts project.

Bánh Mì in Chinatown in Boston in 100 Words Contest, Inaugural Year, May, (listen on SoundCloud at the 2.12 min mark, see posters in Alewife MBTA station and Downtown Crossing)

Awards | Honors

Wounds, shortlisted in the Bridport Flash Fiction Prize 2025

Cumulonimbi, selected for inclusion in Best Small Fictions 2025

Mary, and Where Is Home, selected for inclusion in Best Microfiction 2025

Awakening, 30th Bath Flash Fiction Awards (Highly Commended), 2025

Fifteen Shades of Pink, shortlisted in Fractured Lit. Micro Prize, 2024

Wigleaf Top 50 Very Short Fictions 2024, Longlist:
– Boiling Point, in New Flash Fiction Review, Issue 29, May 2023
– Girls Howling, in trampset, February 2023
– Love You to Pieces, in Waxwing, Fall 2023
– The Color of You, in Emerge Literary Journal, Issue 28