The Stinging Fly

The Stinging Fly Dublin-based literary magazine and press dedicated to new writers and new writing. We are particular

We are particularly interested in fostering new writing talent and in promoting the short story form. Each issue features fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews and author interviews. See our guidelines before submitting work : http://www.stingingfly.org/about-us/submission-guidelines

The Stinging Fly Press was established in 2005. Since then we have published award-winning debut story collectio

ns by Kevin Barry, Michael J Farrell, Mary Costello and Colin Barrett — and numerous short story anthologies.

NEW on our website | A short story 'Leaving' by Claire Gleeson. "It is a Friday night, and town is heaving. Though it is...
05/06/2025

NEW on our website | A short story 'Leaving' by Claire Gleeson.


"It is a Friday night, and town is heaving. Though it is early enough, the younger people are just getting going, really, their staggering progress down the footpaths the result of excited anticipation rather than drink."

Claire Gleeson is from Dublin, where she lives with her young family and works as a GP. Her debut novel, Show Me Where It Hurts, was a runner-up at the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2023, and was published by Sceptre in April 2025.

Read more via stingingfly.org or click the link in our bio.

We are all abuzz for the Come along to our three wonderful events across two days. 1. Short Stories From The North: M...
04/06/2025

We are all abuzz for the
Come along to our three wonderful events across two days.

1. Short Stories From The North:
Martin Doyle, Declan Meade & Tara McEvoy (Chaired by Riley Johnston)

🕔Thursday 05 June 2025

Join us for a lively debate on the past, present and future of the Northern Irish short story, exploring literary style, Irish identity and humour.
🎟 pay what you can

2. Write So! With The Stinging Fly, facilitated by
Louise Nealon & Stephen Sexton

🕔Friday 06 June 2025

Bring your laptop, notepad and creativity to this immersive writing experience with The Stinging Fly.
Through writing prompts and group discussion, you’ll explore different approaches to generating ideas and getting words on the page
🎟pay what you can

3. The Stories We Tell: Kathryn Scanlan & Wendy Erskine

🕖Friday 06 June 2025

Join us for an illuminating conversation on how different stories are shaped and formed, hosted by Declan Meade, founding editor and publisher of The Stinging Fly.
🎟pay what you can

🔗head to the link in our bio or visit Belfastbookfestival.com to book tickets.

DEADLINE ALERT The Stinging Fly New Residential Fiction Workshop in Wales.Applications for the workshop close tomorrow, ...
28/05/2025

DEADLINE ALERT The Stinging Fly New Residential Fiction Workshop in Wales.

Applications for the workshop close tomorrow, May 29th 2025, at 5pm (Irish Time)

The workshop will take place from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August 2025 at , the National Writing Centre of Wales.

Held in partnership with Literature Wales, this intensive fiction workshop will provide participants with an immersive workshop experience in the beautiful surroundings of North-West Wales.


The workshop will have up to 12 participants and will be led by authors and Yan Ge.

More information on fees, concession rates and how to apply for the workshop can be found on our website. Link in bio.

A very special highlight from our Summer issue launch last Saturday at ✨️✨️✨️We announced Tenaya Steed as the 2025 winn...
22/05/2025

A very special highlight from our Summer issue launch last Saturday at ✨️✨️✨️
We announced Tenaya Steed as the 2025 winner of The Stinging Fly/FBA Fiction Prize🎉 🎉🎉

Established in 2022, the €2000 prize, sponsored by
is awarded annually to an emerging fiction writer published in The Stinging Fly during the previous year.

Tenaya’s winning story, ‘Missing the Eclipse’ appeared in Issue 50 Volume Two, published in May 2024.

Judging the 2025 prize were novelist and poet patrick (Mrs S), Stinging Fly contributing editor and author Danny Denton (All Along The Echo) and Felicity Bryan agent, Angelique Tran Van Sang . The panel was chaired by our programme manager, Eoin Rogers.

Awarding the prize, the judges stated:

“Missing the Eclipse’ grabs you by the first line and doesn’t let go – an immersive, deeply compelling character-driven story that builds a boisterous world that feels real and raw and tangible"

You can read Tenaya's new story ‘Water Lilies’ in the new issue. Copies are available for purchase online. Link in bio.

Our Summer 2025 issue is now available to preorder on our website.In the midst of the hustle and bustle of May, we are g...
09/05/2025

Our Summer 2025 issue is now available to preorder on our website.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of May, we are gearing up for the launch of our Summer 2025 issue at International Literature Festival Dublin.

Come along to enjoy the festivities in the big yellow tent in Merrion Square, next Saturday, May 17th at 8pm. Tickets are still available to purchase via website.

There will be readings of the best new poetry and fiction from the issue by Tara Bergin, Aoife Bhreatnach, David Hayden, James Hudson, Liz Quirke, and Tenaya Steed.
Music from Matthew Nolan, Lisa Dowdall, and Seán Mac Erlaine.

All orders will be sent out from May 15th onwards.
Link in bio.

Last Thursday, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Stinging Fly Press as part of One Dublin One Book 2025 at the D...
09/05/2025

Last Thursday, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Stinging Fly Press as part of One Dublin One Book 2025 at the Dublin Liberties Distillery. Thanks to everyone who attended the event!
🎊📚
The event featured readings from six of our titles by actors Anna Sheils-McNamee and Matthew Malone, as well as a conversation between founding publisher Declan Meade and arts journalist Paula Shields.
🎊📚
The recordings of the actors' readings will soon be available to watch on The Stinging Fly YouTube channel.
🎊📚
We are offering our readers a discount of 20% off all thirty-one books from The Stinging Fly Press.

Use the discount code Fly_Press_20 at checkout in our online shop. The discount is running throughout May only.
Link to online shop in bio.

Happy May Day! From Watermark to Dublin, Written in Our Hearts, 20 years of The Stinging Fly Press & 20% off all books o...
01/05/2025

Happy May Day! From Watermark to Dublin, Written in Our Hearts, 20 years of The Stinging Fly Press & 20% off all books on our online shop throughout May 📚🎈🎉

This month marks 20 years of The Stinging Fly Press. Since publisher Declan Meade first published Watermark by Sean O'Reilly in 2005, we are proud to have provided a home for short story collections by some of the finest writers of the genre in Ireland today.

We are celebrating this anniversary with a sold-out event tonight as part of One Dublin One Book 2025.

To top it all off, we are offering all our readers a discount of 20% off any books ordered throughout the month of May.

Use the discount code Fly_Press_20 at checkout. Link in bio.

Submissions are now open for our Climate Crisis issue (Winter 2025-26 issue). Submissions will close at 5pm (Irish time)...
01/05/2025

Submissions are now open for our Climate Crisis issue (Winter 2025-26 issue). Submissions will close at 5pm (Irish time) on the 15th May.

For this issue, we have a special focus on fiction and poetry that engages with the 'climate crisis' theme.

We want to showcase visionary, provocative, and original new work about the climate and the endangered future of our planet while also encouraging more writers to engage with the consequences of climate change.


Submissions are being accepted via Submittable. The link to Submittable is now accessible on our website. Link in bio.

NEW | We're delighted to announce details of a new residential fiction workshop at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, Wales, with...
29/04/2025

NEW | We're delighted to announce details of a new residential fiction workshop at Tŷ Newydd Writing Centre, Wales, with Mia Gallagher and Yan Ge, presented with Literature Wales. Applications are now open and close Thursday May 29th at 5pm Irish time.
More info at link in bio.

NEW on our website: Rory O'Sullivan reviews Change and L’effondrement by Édouard Louis.Publishers: "Change and L’effon...
24/04/2025

NEW on our website: Rory O'Sullivan reviews Change and L’effondrement by Édouard Louis.
Publishers:

"Change and L’effondrement, where the narrative and authorial voice are virtually one and the same, attempt to strike the difficult pose of neither ignoring nor accepting violence, allowing it to be at once ubiquitous and terrible."

Read more at the link in bio.

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE: A short story, Wave Pool, by Grahame Williams is available to read now. "In the disabled toilet at t...
10/04/2025

NEW ON OUR WEBSITE: A short story, Wave Pool, by Grahame Williams is available to read now.

"In the disabled toilet at the office Christmas party he takes money from the work experience kid and shares a handful of pills. The muffled riff of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ comes through the locked door."

Link in bio to the story.

Have you seen the attention Every One Still Here has been getting recently? Thank you to Kevin Power for his review in ,...
05/04/2025

Have you seen the attention Every One Still Here has been getting recently?
Thank you to Kevin Power for his review in , Cathy Brown and Aine Toner for

The book is available on our website—link in bio.

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