Fernando A. Flores, guest judge for our 2019 short story contest, says his favorite stories are those that “take some kind of risk, strive for something greater, unknown, undefined, and afterward leave you lost in the woods of what you read.”
“Lost in the woods” is an apt descriptor for the feeling readers may have after reading Jess Smith’s “The After Party,” an unsettling story set at a wedding. Toxic masculinity and PTSD are among the themes she tackles. After the story, Smith shares a few thoughts about the inspiration for “The After Party.”
