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We're an online literary magazine devoted to offering free short stories and creative nonfiction: writing that is different, defiant, daring and diverse.

News & Announcements

Defiant Scribe is back! We’ve returned with an all-new Spring 2023 edition, which you can read below.

You can also join our mailing list to be notified when our next issue is released. In the meantime, if you’re looking for our existing library of short stories and flash fiction, be sure to visit our Edition Archives. Nonfiction work—like interviews, articles and essays—can be found on our Blog.

We’ll be releasing our Summer 2023 edition on July 7, and we’re currently accepting submissions. If you’re interested in writing for us, you can submit your fiction or creative nonfiction here.

Obstacles

by Suzanne Dottino

Tomasz endeavors to write a biography about his complicated mother.

Coffeeshop Story

by Lily Lavender Wolf

Ode to a coffeeshop.

The Lake House

by Keith Hoerner

Underwater beauty.

Tipping the Velvet

by Joseph Eric Roberts

A romantic rendezvous.

A Weathered-Down Relationship

by Isabella Zeolla

A complex, contentious relationship.

Cynical Hope

by Keira C. Lewis

Traumatic memories resurface.

hiSStory

by Keith Hoerner

Macabre colors.

The Steadfast Sandcastle

by C.J. Lingzero

A tragic love story.

Love and Worry

by Robi Zocher

Opposites attract, conflicts arise.

Ruins of Grandeur

by Ethan Sabetta

Faltiir attempts to save his father.

Upon Meeting a Boy on the Street, While Carrying the Cremated Remains of My Alice

by Keith Hoerner

A child makes a grave faux pas.

Flood Line

by Eugenio Negro

An important barbecue invitation.

Here’s to the Dead

by Samantha Light

The functions and purposes of professional mourners.

Lamb of God

by Maleah Gumienny

Unusual happenings inside a barn.

Red, Blue, Green

by Andrew Feldman

A boy tries to get his parents' attention.

Revision

by Sami Ridge

Reflections from the model during an art class.

Purposeful Pyromania

by William G. Gace

The rationale behind a fire.

Best Friends

by Marianna Heusler

A desperate quest for cash.

Time to Live

by Erik Lee

A cowboy's story, in brief.